New High for Nikkei, Strong Results for Standard Life
February 20, 2015 7:22 am
Japanese stocks rose to a fresh 15-year high on Friday with the Dollar boosted by upbeat U.S. data, but continuing uncertainty over the Greek debt negotiations weighed on the Euro. The Nasdaq rose for a seventh straight session on Thursday as Priceline shares jumped, while the Dow and S&P 500 eased following declines in energy shares and a disappointing outlook from Wal-Mart. The Dow fell 44 points to close at 17,985, the S&P500 closed 2 points lower at 2,097.
The Euro traded at $1.1364, off Thursday’s high of $1.1450. It has largely stuck to a narrow $1.1300-1.1450 range this week, as all eyes remain on talks between Greece and the Euro zone. The Dollar was steady at 118.920 Yen , pulling away from an overnight low of 118.42.
In commodities, U.S. crude oil rebounded partially from two days of losses and gained 0.9% to $51.64 a barrel after a build-up in crude inventories reported by the U.S. government was less than expected. London Brent crude for April delivery was trading 33 cents higher at $60.54 a barrel after settling down 32 cents on Thursday.
Within the equity space Insurance giant Standard Life said the recent acquisition of Ignis helped it to increase assets under administration by 38% in 2014. The company reported a 19% increase in operating profit before tax from continuing operations to £604m, while the total dividend was lifted 7.8% to 17p per share. The stock is up 2.% in early trade at 417p per share.
Japanese stocks rose to a fresh 15-year high on Friday with the Dollar boosted by upbeat U.S. data, but continuing uncertainty over the Greek debt negotiations weighed on the Euro. The Nasdaq rose for a seventh straight session on Thursday as Priceline shares jumped, while the Dow and S&P 500 eased following declines in energy shares and a disappointing outlook from Wal-Mart. The Dow fell 44 points to close at 17,985, the S&P500 closed 2 points lower at 2,097.
The Euro traded at $1.1364, off Thursday’s high of $1.1450. It has largely stuck to a narrow $1.1300-1.1450 range this week, as all eyes remain on talks between Greece and the Euro zone. The Dollar was steady at 118.920 Yen , pulling away from an overnight low of 118.42.
In commodities, U.S. crude oil rebounded partially from two days of losses and gained 0.9% to $51.64 a barrel after a build-up in crude inventories reported by the U.S. government was less than expected. London Brent crude for April delivery was trading 33 cents higher at $60.54 a barrel after settling down 32 cents on Thursday.
Within the equity space Insurance giant Standard Life said the recent acquisition of Ignis helped it to increase assets under administration by 38% in 2014. The company reported a 19% increase in operating profit before tax from continuing operations to £604m, while the total dividend was lifted 7.8% to 17p per share. The stock is up 2.% in early trade at 417p per share.
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