Sterling slipped
on Tuesday after a suspected suicide attack killed at least 22 people
and wounded 59 at a pop concert in the English city of Manchester, while
the euro held gains made after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it
was "too weak".
Despite
the explosion, at a concert by U.S. singer Ariana Grande, European
markets were poised for a positive, albeit subdued, start.
Financial spreadbetter CMC Markets expected Britain's FTSE 100 to open up 0.1 percent, and Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 to start the day little changed.
The attack came just two-and-a-half weeks before an election that British Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to win easily, although polls showing that the contest was tightening added to sterling's woes.
Sterling eased almost 0.2 percent to $1.2978. It fell 0.3 percent on Monday. The pound dropped 0.4 percent to 144.06 yen, after losing 0.2 percent on Monday.
If the blast is confirmed as a terrorist incident, it would be the deadliest attack in Britain by militants since four British Muslims killed 52 people in suicide bombings on London's transport system in July 2005.
The impact on other areas of the market was limited, with Britain's FTSE futures inching slightly lower, while S&P E-mini futures slipped 0.2 percent.
The euro hit a six-month high overnight after Merkel said the currency, made "too weak" by the European Central Bank's monetary policy, helped explain Germany's relatively high trade surplus.
The common currency was little changed at $1.1231 after jumping as much as 0.5 percent and closing 0.3 percent higher on Monday.
Financial spreadbetter CMC Markets expected Britain's FTSE 100 to open up 0.1 percent, and Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 to start the day little changed.
The attack came just two-and-a-half weeks before an election that British Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to win easily, although polls showing that the contest was tightening added to sterling's woes.
Sterling eased almost 0.2 percent to $1.2978. It fell 0.3 percent on Monday. The pound dropped 0.4 percent to 144.06 yen, after losing 0.2 percent on Monday.
If the blast is confirmed as a terrorist incident, it would be the deadliest attack in Britain by militants since four British Muslims killed 52 people in suicide bombings on London's transport system in July 2005.
The impact on other areas of the market was limited, with Britain's FTSE futures inching slightly lower, while S&P E-mini futures slipped 0.2 percent.
The euro hit a six-month high overnight after Merkel said the currency, made "too weak" by the European Central Bank's monetary policy, helped explain Germany's relatively high trade surplus.
The common currency was little changed at $1.1231 after jumping as much as 0.5 percent and closing 0.3 percent higher on Monday.
No comments:
Post a Comment