By , LONDON (Reuters) - Stocks gained modestly on Monday with many countries on holiday as German business morale rebounded strongly in May, offering a glimpse of optimism to battered investors of what lay beyond weeks of economic lockdowns.MSCI’s gauge of world stocks gained 0.4%, nearing a 2-1/2 month high. The pan-European STOXX 600 index was up 1.2%.Lockdown measures introduced in mid-March have put the global economy on track for a recession this year. Only unprecedented stimulus by global central banks has held up world markets in recent weeks.With nervous investors wary of adding to...…By , LONDON (Reuters) - Stocks gained modestly on Monday with many countries on holiday as German business morale rebounded strongly in May, offering a glimpse of optimism to battered investors of what lay beyond weeks of economic lockdowns.MSCI’s gauge of world stocks gained 0.4%, nearing a 2-1/2 month high. The pan-European STOXX 600 index was up 1.2%.Lockdown measures introduced in mid-March have put the global economy on track for a recession this year. Only unprecedented stimulus by global central banks has held up world markets in recent weeks.With nervous investors wary of adding to...WW…

By LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar’s decade-long bull run is at an end, say top money managers, who are positioning for a stronger-growth, weaker-dollar world.This bearish take on the dollar was the near unanimous verdict of investors attending the annual Reuters Investment Outlook summit this week, who predicted that non-U.S. assets, from commodities to emerging markets to European stocks will perform well while U.S. interest rates remain stapled to the floor.Having strengthened more than 40% since the depths of the 2008 crisis, the dollar is on track for its first annual loss in three years...…By LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar’s decade-long bull run is at an end, say top money managers, who are positioning for a stronger-growth, weaker-dollar world.This bearish take on the dollar was the near unanimous verdict of investors attending the annual Reuters Investment Outlook summit this week, who predicted that non-U.S. assets, from commodities to emerging markets to European stocks will perform well while U.S. interest rates remain stapled to the floor.Having strengthened more than 40% since the depths of the 2008 crisis, the dollar is on track for its first annual loss in three years...WW…

By , LONDON (Reuters) - Once the preserve of gamers, virtual reality (VR) has been seized on by the financial sector as a way of enlivening home working for lonely traders or isolated executives and replicating real-world sales, networking or training events.With 90% of employees at some of the world’s biggest financial firms now working at home due to a resurgence in coronavirus infections, more and more companies are experimenting with VR.Some practices could stick beyond the pandemic, particularly as home working becomes more widespread.At investment manager Fidelity International,...…By , LONDON (Reuters) - Once the preserve of gamers, virtual reality (VR) has been seized on by the financial sector as a way of enlivening home working for lonely traders or isolated executives and replicating real-world sales, networking or training events.With 90% of employees at some of the world’s biggest financial firms now working at home due to a resurgence in coronavirus infections, more and more companies are experimenting with VR.Some practices could stick beyond the pandemic, particularly as home working becomes more widespread.At investment manager Fidelity International,...WW…

By LONDON (Reuters) - The coronavirus pandemic has dealt a body blow to the quantitative model-based style of investing, with a majority of the firms using such strategies negatively impacted, a study by Refinitiv has found.In a report, financial data provider Refinitiv said 72% of such investors were hurt by the pandemic. Some 12% declared their models obsolete and 15% were building new ones.Machine-learning refers to the use of complicated mathematical models and algorithms based on historical data in order to make predictions without being explicitly programmed to do so.While such...…By LONDON (Reuters) - The coronavirus pandemic has dealt a body blow to the quantitative model-based style of investing, with a majority of the firms using such strategies negatively impacted, a study by Refinitiv has found.In a report, financial data provider Refinitiv said 72% of such investors were hurt by the pandemic. Some 12% declared their models obsolete and 15% were building new ones.Machine-learning refers to the use of complicated mathematical models and algorithms based on historical data in order to make predictions without being explicitly programmed to do so.While such...WW…

By NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar fell to a two-year low on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve repeated a pledge to use its “full range of tools” to support the U.S. economy and keep interest rates near zero for as long as it takes to recover from the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak.The U.S. central bank cited concerns about economic activity and employment remaining “well below their levels at the beginning of the year.”“It is definitely a bit more cautious and dovish, and basically tells the market they’re not going to raise interest rates any time soon,” said Kathy Lien,...…By NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar fell to a two-year low on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve repeated a pledge to use its “full range of tools” to support the U.S. economy and keep interest rates near zero for as long as it takes to recover from the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak.The U.S. central bank cited concerns about economic activity and employment remaining “well below their levels at the beginning of the year.”“It is definitely a bit more cautious and dovish, and basically tells the market they’re not going to raise interest rates any time soon,” said Kathy Lien,...WW…