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ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/Getty Images The Democratic-led House of Representatives has voted to impeach President Donald Trump over abuse-of-power and obstruction-of-Congress charges.
European stocks edged higher on Thursday on a quiet day ahead of the Christmas holidays.
The Stoxx 600 SXXP, +0.07% climbed 0.1% to 414.71 points, down from the record highs of earlier in the week, while the German DAX DAX, -0.27% edged 0.3% lower. The FTSE 100 rose 0.2%, while the FTSE 250 MCX, -0.05% continued its recent decline as concerns over a hard Brexit weighed on domestic stocks.
U.S. stock futures were also subdued but pointed to a slightly higher open despite the Democratic-led House of Representatives voting to impeach President Donald Trump over abuse-of-power and obstruction-of-Congress charges. Trump is expected to be cleared by the Republican-controlled Senate.
Central banks are again in focus as the Bank of England is expected to keep policy unchanged later on Thursday and the Bank of Japan held rates overnight but kept an upbeat outlook on the economy.
The pound GBPUSD, +0.2064% finally stopped falling after Prime Minister Boris Johnson revived hard Brexit fears on Tuesday, climbing 0.2% to $1.3100.
Johnson’s government will put forward legislative plans through the Queen’s speech at the state opening of Parliament later on Thursday, which will be closely watched by investors.
Which stocks are active?
NMC Health NMC, -13.24% shares plunged 10% in early trading as investors continued to be spooked by allegations leveled against it by short seller Muddy Waters. The London-listed health-care provider hit back against the claims, which alleged that the company underreported its debt and paid excessive valuations in a number of transactions, calling them “unfounded, baseless and misleading.”
Shares in Capita CPI, -4.16% fell 4% after Deutsche Bank downgraded the U.K. outsourcer to a sell rating with a 155p price target, saying the postelection bounce had gone too far.
