From European PMI to Iran nuclear talks - below you will find the main things market participants discuss today.
European PMI grows
Markit Economic's Purchasing Managers Index for the euro region climbed to 52.2 in March,
higher than the preliminary reading of 51.9. Growth in Spain and Italy
coupled with a very strong performance in Germany helped push the index
higher.
U.K. manufacturing PMI rose to 54.4, indicating the fastest acceleration in eight months.
Chinese stocks hit the highest level in seven years
The Shanghai Composite Index closed at 3,810.29, a seven-year high, supported by government data showing an unexpected expansion in manufacturing.
In the meantime, new data from a survey conducted by China's Southwestern University of Finance and Economics shows that the biggest new investors in China's equity markets do not hold a high-school level of education.
April is a good month to own U.S. treasuries
U.S. treasuries have surged every April since 2010, Bloomberg data indicates. While the driver of this is unclear, one theory suggests that Japanese buyers come to the market at the start of their fiscal year, which is today, April 1.
Nigeria election results
Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler, won Nigeria's presidential election. Nigerian markets reacted positively to the election result.
Iran negotiations
Negotiations on Iran's nuclear program continue
in Lausanne, Switzerland. Statements on
progress towards the next stage of technical discussions are expected later in the day .
Successful negotiation is expected to lead to the easing of international sanctions on Iran, and the opening of oil markets to Iranian crude.
