The FTSE 100 Futures is trading at 5,258.80  up with +1.75% percent or +90.30 point. The CAC 40 Futures is trading at 3,945.50  up with +2.37% percent or +91.50 point. The DAX Futures is trading at 8,905.00 up with +4.16% percent or +355.70 point. The EURO Stoxx 50 Futures trading at 2,466.00  up with +0.49% percent or +12.00 point.

TODAY’S FACTORS AND EVENTS

London’s benchmark was back into the green by the close on Thursday, after the Bank of England cut interest rates to 0.1% – the lowest level in history – from 0.25%, as it looked to limit the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

The FTSE 100 ended the session up 1.4% at 5,151.61, while the FTSE 250 fell 1.37% to 12,829.70.

Sterling, meanwhile, managed to claw back some of Wednesday’s losses against its major trading pairs, rising 0.25% on the dollar to $1.1649, and surging 2.6% against the euro to €1.0920.

YESTERDAY ACTIVITY

For the day the FTSE 100 closed at 5,151.61  up with +1.40% percent or +71.03   point. France’s CAC  40 closed at 3,855.50  up with +2.68% percent or  +100.67 point.Germany’s DAX closed at 8,610.43 up with +2.00% percent or +168.72  point.

WORLD MARKETS

For the day the Dow is trading at 20,087.19   up with 0.95% percent or +188.27 point. The S&P 500 is trading at 2,409.39 up with +0.47% percent or +11.29  point. The Nasdaq Composite is trading at 7,150.58  up with +2.30% percent or +160.73  point.

In other parts of world, Japan’s Nikkei 225 is trading at 16,552.83  with a loss of –1.04% percent or –173.72  point. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng is trading at 22,641.01 up with  +4.29% percent or +931.88    point. China’s Shanghai  Composite is trading at 2,745.62 up with +1.61% percent or +43.49 point. India’s BSE Sensex is trading at  29,826.02 up  with +5.44% percent or +1,537.79  point at 12:15 PM.