Pound Weakens as BOE Slips Further Behind Fed in Rate-Move Race

The pound dropped the most in two weeks against the dollar as investors added to bets the Bank of England will lag behind the Federal Reserve when it comes to raising interest rates. Fewer BOE policy makers voted to increase interest rates than had been predicted by economists surveyed by Bloomberg, fueling speculation U.K. rates will stay lower for longer. The 8-to-1 breakdown...

Gold Edges Up as Greenback Retreats, Traders Await U.S. Jobs Data

Gold edged higher on Thursday, supported by the retreating U.S. dollar and a tumble in global equities as traders awaited U.S. employment data seen as key to determining when the Federal Reserve may raise interest hikes. U.S. non-farm payrolls data are due on Friday and economists polled by Reuters predict employment in July increased at the same pace as June's 223,000 rise. Spot gold was up 0.5 percent at $1,090.11 an ounce by 1759...

Asian Stocks Follow U.S. Shares Lower Before U.S. Jobs, BOJ

Asian stocks fell, following a slide in U.S. equities, ahead of a U.S. jobs report that may cement prospects that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates as soon as next month. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index declined 0.2 percent to 140.55 as of 9:01 a.m. in Tokyo. Japan’s Topix index slipped 0.2 percent ahead of a monetary policy decision by the Bank of Japan later today. The Asia Pacific gauge is heading for a third week of decline...

Japanese Stocks Fall as Investors Weigh Earnings, BOJ Decision

Japanese stocks fell, following U.S. equities lower and paring a second weekly gain, as investors weigh earnings and await a central bank monetary policy decision. The Topix index lost 0.2 percent to 1,669.72 as of 9:01 a.m. in Tokyo, heading for a weekly advance of 0.6 percent. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average slipped 0.3 percent to 20,609.44. The Bank of Japan is forecast to maintain its unprecedented monetary stimulus on Friday afternoon. More...

U.S. Stocks Fall as Biotech, Media Shares Tumble Amid Earnings

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index declined for the fourth time in five sessions, as biotechnology shares tumbled while media companies sold off on disappointing results from Viacom Inc. and Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. The S&P 500 lost 0.8 percent to 2,083.79 at 4 p.m. in New York, falling below its average prices during the past 50 and 100 days. Media shares were battered for a second day, with quarterly earnings at CBS and...