Inflation not on a sustained downtrend

A top US rate-setter said she continues to see a need for further interest rate hikes, telling an audience that recent soft readings on inflation were not pointing to a sustained drop in prices. 

US open: Traders have another go at 22,000 on the Dow

Apple's results powered another assault by the Dow Industrials on the psychological 22,000 point mark, in what some traders said would mark another major milestone for US markets should that level be overcome. 

SocGen downgrades European tobacco sector

Societe Generale strategists have downgraded the European tobacco sector to 'neutral' from 'overweight' as higher US regulatory risks combine with declining US Treasury bill yields.