Markets afternoon briefing

View an online version of this email here.  All times are London time: Thursday Feb 19 2009 FT.com - Financial Markets News Wall St shrugs off gloomy data and earnings Feb 19 2009 13:58 US stocks were set for a higher start as investors scoured for bargains in spite of a fresh glut of downbeat economic data and corporate earnings. Read more » Banks agree to European CDS clearer Feb 19 2009 14:27 Leading banks have ended weeks of controversy by agreeing to an EU-based central clearer for the $60,000bn credit derivatives market Read more » Banks bring FTSE back over 4,000 Feb 19 2009 14:11 Banks benefit from deal seekers, while fears remain over the health of big insurance companies Read more » European mini-rally runs out of steam Feb 19 2009 12:21 European initially bucked a three day sell-off on Thursday after a set of positive earnings figures lured buyers back into the market, only for the mini-rally to run out of steam Read more » UK overshoots borrowing target Feb 19 2009 14:29 The extent of the downturn in the public finances was revealed after a precipitous fall in corporate and personal tax revenues left the chancellor's pre-Budget report forecast for borrowing in tatters Read more » Gold targets $1,000 level while oil rebounds Feb 19 2009 12:10 Gold inched closer towards the $1,000 mark, helped by strong investor inflows into exchange traded funds, while oil prices staged a recovery ahead of the latest US weekly inventories data Read more » Dollar loses ground as stocks stabilise Feb 19 2009 11:37 The dollar pulled back from a three-month peak against the euro and a six-week high against the yen on Thursday as US efforts to bolster its housing market helped stabilise global equities Read more » Japanese and Chinese aid boosts shares Feb 19 2009 10:13 The Bank of Japan's plans to buy up to Y1,000bn ($10.7bn) in corporate bonds and China's decision to broaden attempts to stimulate domestic demand helped push Asia Pacific shares into positive territory Read more » ABOUT THIS EMAIL You have received this email because you have signed up for this briefing on FT.com Manage subscriptions | Unsubscribe | Change your email address Change whether you receive this email as HTML or plain text | Forward this email to a friend Privacy policy | Advertise | Contact © Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2009. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times. The Financial Times Limited, registered in England and Wales number 227590. Registered office: Number One Southwark Bridge, London SE1 9HL. VAT number GB 278 5371 21.