Bloomberg European stocks advanced and Wall Street equity futures were little changed in the build up to key US inflation data, after a drop in wage-growth expectations eased some of the concern over rising prices. Gains in European telecommunications and travel and leisure shares helped push the Stoxx 600 index 0.4% higher. Vodafone Group Plc shares rose after Liberty ...

Bloomberg Hong Kong’s de facto central bank bought local dollars to defend its peg to the greenback for the first time since November, as a slump in bank borrowing costs made shorting the city’s currency a popular trade. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) purchased HK$4.2 billion ($538 million) worth of local dollars. The operation will reduce the city’s aggregate ...

  Bloomberg While equity markets are on a relentless march higher amid optimism around stronger economic growth and cooling inflation, most investors aren’t convinced the gains will last, according to Bank of America Corp’s (BofA) latest global fund manager survey. About 66% of participants in the bank’s February survey said stocks are seeing a bear market rally — signalling they ...