Market Headlines – 18/4/2018

US

• US stocks continued their strong start to the week. The S&P 500 rose 1.1%, with Technology and Consumer Discretionary stocks contributing the most gains.
• Healthy corporate profits were the primary catalyst behind the positive session for equities. Netflix Q1 earnings garnered most attention after it reported better than expected subscriber growth. Shares rose 9.2%.
• On the economic data front, housing starts rebounded in March, totalling 1.319 million, coming in ahead of expectations and providing a further boost to sentiment.

Europe

• European equities also had a strong session yesterday. The Euro Stoxx 50 index gained 1.1%, the German DAX index rose 1.6% and the French CAC settled 0.8% higher.
• In FX markets, the UK’s sterling reaches its highest level since the country voted to leave the European Union in June 2016. During the session, sterling rose as high as $1.4376, before settling down at $1.4301 at Europe’s close.

Asia

• Asian equities followed the lead of their US and European counterparts overnight. Japanese stocks gained 1.6%, with all sectors finishing in positive territory.