Shares in Qatar plunge 8% amid diplomatic crisis, as UK service companies report that new business growth weakened last month * US service sector survey disappoints * Shares slide in Qatar * Qatar crisis: Four neighbours cut ties over terrorism links * UK services sector slows as general election hits demand... * ....but eurozone growth sticks at six-year high 5.43pm BST Stock markets made a downbeat start to an important week, which sees the UK election, the latest meeting of the European Central Bank, and the testimony of former FBI director James Comey on Donald Trump’s alleged links with Russia. Markets were also unsettled by volatility in sterling, reacting to the latest opinion polls, as well as the terror attack in London. And the diplomatic crisis in the Gulf, which sparked a rise then fall in the oil price, added to the uncertainty. Jasper Lawler, senior market analyst at London Capital Group, said: Markets softened at the beginning of what could be a game-changer of a week in politics and monetary policy. Last week’s soft US jobs report, another terror attack in London in the run up to the UK election and volatile oil prices all played a role in the downbeat tone. 5.16pm BST AHEAD OF NEXT WEEK’S EUROGROUP MEETING OVER GREECE, SOME POSITIVE NOISES FROM THE IMF. A report in Germany’s Handelsblatt (£) says: The managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, is willing to participate in a Greek bailout and give European creditors more time to settle an ongoing dispute over debt relief, she told Handelsblatt in an exclusive interview. “If the creditors are not yet at that stage where they can agree on and respect our assumptions, if it takes them more time to get there, we can acknowledge that and give them a bit more time,” she said. Continue reading...
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