World markets at new highs; UK zero-hours contracts fall – business live

All the day’s economic and financial news, as global markets touch new record levels ahead of Wednesday’s Federal Reserve meetingNumber of UK zero-hours contracts falls1.4m zero-hours contracts in use, down from 1.7mIntroduction: Markets keep going up….Investors focused on the Fed tomorrow 3.00pm BST The outlook for global growth is positive, says ratings agency Fitch, but this could be tempered by the withdrawal of central banks’ stimulus measure. In its latest global credit outlook report, Fitch says:Global rating outlooks remain on an improving trend and are on balance less negative that at the start of the year across most rating sectors….However the improving outlook for global credit quality is underpinned by years of loose central bank monetary policy, including quantitative easing, as well as what are now the strongest world growth conditions since 2010. 2.36pm BST Ahead of Wednesday’s decision from the US Federal Reserve on interest rates and the future of its monetary policy, Wall Street has opened at yet new heights.The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 0.15% at a record 22,366 while the S&P has edged up 0.12% to a new high. Apart from the Fed meeting, the other main event exercising investors’ minds is President Trump’s speech at the United Nations. Continue reading…
Via: World markets at new highs; UK zero-hours contracts fall – business live