Markets afternoon briefing

View an online version of this email here.  All times are London time: Friday Apr 24 2009 FT.com - Financial Markets News Sterling drops after slump in GDP Apr 24 2009 10:40 Sterling came under selling pressure on Friday after a worse-than-expected reading on UK growth that showed the economy slid deeper into recession in the first quarter Read more » Deal reports keep FTSE positive Apr 24 2009 10:21 London equities traders took news of a sharper-than-expected contraction in the size of the UK economy in their stride on Friday, with further signs of returning bid activity keeping their attention. Read more » China reveals huge rise in gold reserves Apr 24 2009 12:32 China revealed that it had quietly raised its gold reserves by three-quarters since 2003, increasing its holdings to more than a 1,000 tonnes and confirming years of speculation it had been buying Read more » European banks push bourses higher Apr 24 2009 11:14 Europe's markets were higher on Friday, regaining some of the previous session's losses as banks rallied Read more » Asian financial shares gain as credit fears ease Apr 24 2009 11:44 Asian stocks edged up as financials gained on hopes that credit fears have eased, although the yen drifted higher with investors cautious until more details emerge on the US Treasury's bank stress tests Read more » S Korea averts recession in first quarter Apr 24 2009 10:11 A series of large government stimulus packages gave South Korea's economy an unexpected boost in the first quarter compared with the last three months of 2008, reducing the need for further interest rate cuts in the near term Read more » Cereal output decline 'unlikely to fuel price rise' Apr 24 2009 08:09 Lower production in 2009-10 could largely be offset by a rise in stocks and economic problems weighing on demand 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.