UKX FTSE 100 Index

U.S. stock futures edged down a day after the Federal Reserve's outlook and policy statement lifted both the Dow and the S&P 500 to records.

S&P 500 futures fell 0.5% and Dow futures were down less than 0.1%. Contracts on the Nasdaq-100 dropped 1.3%. Changes in equity futures don't necessarily predict moves after the markets open.

In Europe, the Stoxx Europe 600 gained 0.4% in morning trade. Consumer discretionary and information technology sectors led gains while the consumer-staples and utilities sectors lost ground.

Carnival rose 2.3% and Micro Focus International added 2.7%.

National Grid slipped 2.6% for a two-day losing streak.

The U.K.'s FTSE 100, which is dominated by large international businesses, edged up 0.1%. Other stock indexes in Europe also mostly climbed as France's CAC 40 gained 0.3%, the U.K.'s FTSE 250 added 0.2% and Germany's DAX rose 0.6%.

The Swiss franc and the euro were down 0.3% and 0.2% respectively against the dollar. Meanwhile, the British pound strengthened 0.1% against the U.S. dollar, with 1 pound buying $1.40.

In commodities, Brent crude declined 1.1% to $67.24 a barrel. Gold was up 0.6% to $1,737 a troy ounce.

The German 10-year bund yield rose to minus 0.266% and the 10-year U.K. government debt known as gilts yield gained to 0.872%. 10-year U.S. Treasury yields climbed to 1.714% from 1.641% on Wednesday. Yields move inversely to prices.

Indexes in Asia mostly climbed as Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 1.7%, Japan's Nikkei 225 index added 1%, and China's benchmark Shanghai Composite climbed 0.5%.

An

artificial-intelligence tool

was used in creating this article.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 18, 2021 05:07 ET (09:07 GMT)

FTSE 100
Index Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024

FTSE 100
Index Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024