By (Reuters) -UK blue-chip stocks fell to a near three-week low on Monday as a fast-spreading new strain of the coronavirus prompted tougher restrictions, while a fresh ban on travellers from Britain hammered airline and oil stocks.The FTSE 100 touched its lowest since Dec. 2 in early trading, but clawed back some of its losses to trade down 1.2% as the pound’s 2% drop limited a fall in the exporter-heavy index. [GBP/]BP and Royal Dutch Shell were the biggest drags on the index as oil prices fell more than 3% on the latest round of European restrictions. [O/R]Shell also took a hit from its...…By (Reuters) -UK blue-chip stocks fell to a near three-week low on Monday as a fast-spreading new strain of the coronavirus prompted tougher restrictions, while a fresh ban on travellers from Britain hammered airline and oil stocks.The FTSE 100 touched its lowest since Dec. 2 in early trading, but clawed back some of its losses to trade down 1.2% as the pound’s 2% drop limited a fall in the exporter-heavy index. [GBP/]BP and Royal Dutch Shell were the biggest drags on the index as oil prices fell more than 3% on the latest round of European restrictions. [O/R]Shell also took a hit from its...WW…

By (Reuters) - The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at record highs on Wednesday after the Fed predicted a fast economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and said it would maintain its interest rate at close to zero.It was the first time the Dow closed above 33,000 points.In its statement following its two-day policy meeting, the Federal Reserve projected a rapid jump in U.S. economic growth and inflation this year as the COVID-19 crisis winds down, and repeated its pledge to keep its target interest rate near zero for years to come.Wall Street extended gains after...…By (Reuters) - The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at record highs on Wednesday after the Fed predicted a fast economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and said it would maintain its interest rate at close to zero.It was the first time the Dow closed above 33,000 points.In its statement following its two-day policy meeting, the Federal Reserve projected a rapid jump in U.S. economic growth and inflation this year as the COVID-19 crisis winds down, and repeated its pledge to keep its target interest rate near zero for years to come.Wall Street extended gains after...WW…

By (Reuters) - U.S. stocks ended sharply higher on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 at its highest since early June, following promising early data for a potential COVID-19 vaccine and a strong quarterly report from Goldman Sachs.The S&P 500 beat the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite for a fourth straight session, a feat scored only twice since Wall Street launched its massive recovery last March.Gains for the Nasdaq were capped by online retail giant Amazon.com Inc, video streaming platform Netflix Inc and Microsoft Corp, which slipped after surging to record highs recently.“The Moderna...…By (Reuters) - U.S. stocks ended sharply higher on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 at its highest since early June, following promising early data for a potential COVID-19 vaccine and a strong quarterly report from Goldman Sachs.The S&P 500 beat the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite for a fourth straight session, a feat scored only twice since Wall Street launched its massive recovery last March.Gains for the Nasdaq were capped by online retail giant Amazon.com Inc, video streaming platform Netflix Inc and Microsoft Corp, which slipped after surging to record highs recently.“The Moderna...WW…