Markets afternoon briefing

View an online version of this email here.  All times are London time: Wednesday Feb 25 2009 FT.com - Financial Markets News Wall St mixed ahead of stress tests Feb 25 2009 13:51 Wall Street stocks could struggle to build on the previous session's strong rally as investors took scant comfort from President Barack Obama's pledge to stimulate the economy and stabilise credit markets Read more » European banks boosted by Bernanke Feb 25 2009 10:55 European shares snapped a six day losing streak on Wednesday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street, after proactive policy statements from the US President and Federal Reserve soothed the nerves of jittery investors Read more » Financials underpin FTSE rally Feb 25 2009 14:56 London equities rose, lifted by improved sentiment overnight in the US as President Barack Obama pledged in an address to Congress to fix the financial system Read more » Bank rescue plan weighs on sterling Feb 25 2009 15:44 The pound lost ground on Wednesday as investors focused on a potential announcement from the UK government over its Asset Protection Scheme. Read more » Gold slips towards $950 amid profit taking Feb 25 2009 12:00 Gold extended its retreat for a third session, dropping towards the $950 level, while oil prices moved higher ahead of the latest US weekly inventories data Read more » Asian stocks rebound from five year lows Feb 25 2009 11:31 Asia-Pacific shares rebounded from five-year lows, led by Japan where prices rose 2.7 per cent thanks in part to the yen depreciating to its weakest level for three months against the dollar Read more » Japan's exports down 45% year on year Feb 25 2009 08:01 The deepening recession and policy paralysis ahead of an election due later this year are feeding a slide in the yen, which hit a three-month low against the dollar on Tuesday 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.