Samuel Indyk

The British pound fell for a second day on Wednesday after soft labour market data the day before and reports in British newspapers that Prime Minister Keir Starmer was on alert for an attempted plot to oust him.

The British pound was steady on Friday but still headed for a weekly loss against the dollar and the euro as softer-than-forecast inflation data offset Friday's upbeat retail sales, consumer confidence and business activity figures.

Gold funds received their largest weekly inflow on record in the week to Wednesday, Bank of America Global Research said in a note citing EPFR data, a week in which the precious metal's price surged to a new record, before retreating sharply.

The British pound dipped against the dollar and the euro on Wednesday, after the annual rate of Britain's consumer price inflation unexpectedly held steady in September, undershooting forecasts for a rise.

Euro zone government bond yields dropped on Tuesday, moving in line with U.S. Treasuries and resuming last week's trend begun by market jitters about U.S. credit and bets on further Federal Reserve easing.

The adoption of stablecoins could generate an additional $1.4 trillion in demand for U.S. dollars by 2027, if enough overseas investors want to own these digital assets, analysts at JPMorgan said in a note on Tuesday.

French stocks and the euro fell while France's borrowing costs jumped on Monday, as the government collapsed within hours of being appointed, fuelling uncertainty over the euro zone's second-largest economy.

Wall Street futures slipped on Wednesday as the clock ticked down to a U.S. government shutdown that would delay the release of crucial jobs data and muddy the interest rate outlook, while Asian markets hesitated after a solid quarter of gains.

Shares in Gucci-owner Kering hit their highest level of 2025 on Monday, on optimism that new chief executive Luca de Meo can turn the struggling fashion house's fortunes around, following years of underperformance.

Canada head coach Kevin Rouet highlighted the uphill task that his team of underdogs had to take on to even reach the Rugby World Cup final after they lost to England at Twickenham on Saturday.