DAILY

17thOctober 2013
PSI20: +0.13% DAX30:-0.38% FTSE100: +0.07% S&P500: +0.67% NIKKEI225: +0.83%
PSI 20 closed near a two-year high, rising for the seventh day in a row. The energy sector underlay this performance, with EDP and Galp yielding a 1.34% and 0.44 returns, respectively. More >> According to INE (Instituto Nacional de Estatstica), Portuguese economic activity grew in August, to the highest level since June 2011, coming officially out of the recession. More >> The Portuguese construction production index fell 12.8% in August year-to-year, while it grew 0.5% in the Euro Area and 0.4% in the European Union. More >> European equities closed narrowly higher, with investors underwhelmed by U.S. lawmakers finally reaching a deal to lift the country's borrowing limit, averting a debt default in the short term. More >> British retail sales rose faster than expected in September, supporting hopes that the economy recorded strong third-quarter growth. More >> The euro zones current account rose less-than-expected last month, to a seasonally adjusted 17.4B, from 15.5B in the preceding month. Analysts had expected it to rise to 17.7B. More >> Stocks staged an impressive recovery Thursday, with the S&P 500 setting a fresh high and the Dow erasing a triple-digit loss to finish near the flatline. More >> IBM (-6.37%) was the biggest laggard on the blue-chip index after the tech company posted a 4% drop in third-quarter revenue, disappointing expectations. More >> Weekly jobless claims fell 15,000 to a seasonally adjusted 358,000, according to the Labor Department. California continued to deal with a backlog related to computer problems. More >>

Asian stocks ended mostly higher but pared gains after Obama signed a last-minute Congressional deal to avert a debt default and to reopen the government after a more than two-week shutdown. More >>

The unemployment rate in Hong Kong remained unchanged at a seasonally adjusted 3.3%, from 3.3% in
the preceding month. More >> Chinese companies ranked the lowest of reporting practices in emerging markets, underscoring concern that the governments anti-corruption campaign may not take root on corporate sector. More >>

OIL (WTI 100.67$/bl; -1.46% / Brent 108.97$/bl; -1.39%): Oil futures were lower on Thursday after the U.S. Congress passed a bill to reopen the government and avoid a U.S debt default as concerns over the economic impact of the shutdown weighed. More >> GOLD (1319.60$/oz t; +3.04%): Gold prices soared as investors took up long positions betting that the Federal Reserve will keep stimulus policies in place to make sure a recent fiscal showdown that closed the government and nearly exposed the country to default won't hamper recovery. More >>

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