London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Aug 31, 2026

European stocks slip as banking turmoil keeps sentiment fragile

European stocks slip as banking turmoil keeps sentiment fragile

European stock indexes edged lower on Friday after an early recovery ran out of steam, while Wall Street futures were mixed as investor sentiment remained fragile after a week of turbulence.
In a crisis that began with the collapse of US-based Silicon Valley Bank last Friday, risk appetite plunged earlier in the week as investors lost confidence in regional banks in the US and Credit Suisse in Europe. The tumultuous week saw bond yields drop as investors lowered their expectations for future rate rises.

Risk appetite showed signs of recovery on Thursday, helped by Credit Suisse saying it would borrow up to 50 billion Swiss francs ($54 billion) from the Swiss National Bank and, later in the day, a group of major banks injecting $30 billion in deposits into First Republic Bank, a mid-sized US lender.

Still, analysts say the worry about a possible banking crisis is far from over.

Credit Suisse’s chief executive said on Friday the bank was working hard to stem customers outflows, although this could take time. Credit Suisse shares resumed their decline.

European Central Bank supervisors do not see contagion for euro zone banks from the market turmoil, a source familiar with the content of an ad hoc supervisory board meeting earlier this week told Reuters.

At 1207 GMT, the MSCI world equity index, which tracks shares in 47 countries, was up 0.3 percent on the day.

Europe’s STOXX 600 was down 0.1 percent and set to lose 1.9 percent on the week overall.

London’s FTSE 100 was little changed. Wall Street futures were mixed.

The US 2-year Treasury yield, which is the most sensitive to shifts in interest rate expectations, was up 1 basis point on the day at 4.1426 percent — still closer to Wednesday’s six-month low of 3.72 percent than the peak of 5.084 percent it hit the previous week, which had been its highest since 2007.

The European Central Bank raised rates by 50 bps on Thursday, sticking to its pledge to fight inflation even as some investors called for a pause in the rate-hiking cycle until the banking turmoil eases.

The benchmark German 10-year yield was down 5 bps at 2.193 percent .

Markets are pricing in a 25 bps increase by the US Federal Reserve when it meets next week, down from previous expectations for a 50 bps increase.

Fed data on Thursday showed that banks sought record amounts of emergency liquidity in recent days, which in turn helped undo months of central bank effort to shrink the size of its balance sheet.

“The fact that the Fed has been very proactive in terms of opening the liquidity tap is potentially useful and that’s stabilized things in the short term at least,” said Guillaume Paillat, multi-asset portfolio manager at Aviva Investors.

“It’s potentially a more stable environment, because it feels like we’ve passed the crisis point and things should normalize a bit.”

Against a basket of currencies, the US dollar was down 0.2 percent. The Australian dollar, seen as a liquid proxy for risk appetite, was up 0.6 percent on the day at $0.6695.

The British pound and the euro were both up 0.2 percent .

Oil prices benefited from the initial resurgence of risk appetite, before paring gains, with Brent crude futures up 0.4 percent and US West Texas Intermediate crude up 0.7 percent after having hit their lowest in more than a year earlier in the week.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
London Science Museum Ends Long-Running BP Sponsorship
Scottish Homeowners Prepare Valuation Challenges Over Proposed Mansion Tax
UK Prosecutors Consider Charges Against Undercover Police in Spycops Scandal
James Cleverly Leaves Shadow Cabinet to Run for London Mayor
Avanti West Coast Drivers Agree 3.6% Pay Rise, Averting Strike Action
Allianz Explores £5 Billion Takeover of British Roadside Assistance Group AA
UK Government Retreats From Plan to Unfreeze Personal Income Tax Threshold
Northern Ireland Leaders Press UK Government for Sustainable Funding Settlement
UK Health Agency Warns Nationwide Salmonella Outbreak Could Worsen
NHS Warns Autism and ADHD Assessment Costs Have Become Unsustainable
UK Rejects Moratorium on AI Data Centres Despite Energy and Water Concerns
Thames Water Creditors Offer Government Golden Share in £10 Billion Rescue Plan
UK Warns Defence Executives of Russian Assassination and Sabotage Threats
Bank of England Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% Amid Inflation Risks
UK Restricts Early Prison Release for Serious Offenders as Jails Near Capacity
Genetic Study Finds Medieval Britain’s ‘Conquest Man’ Had Scandinavian Origins
Kemi Badenoch Plans Conservative Frontbench Reshuffle After Cleverly Departure
Nissan Sunderland Plant Highlighted as Key Economic Anchor for North East England
UK Arts Report Finds Women Face Persistent Barriers to Career Progression
Private Equity Consolidation of UK Veterinary Practices Raises Consumer Cost Concerns
South West Water Ranked Worst in England for Environmental Performance
British Train Drivers Secure 3.6% Pay Rise, Averting Strike Threat
UK Prosecutors Consider Charges Against Officers in Undercover Policing Scandal
James Cleverly Leaves Conservative Shadow Cabinet to Run for London Mayor
Allianz Explores £5 Billion Takeover of British Roadside Assistance Group AA
Bank of England Holds Interest Rate at 3.7% as Growth Stalls and Inflation Eases
UK Government Announces Electricity VAT Cut and £2 Bus Fare Cap
UK Officials Highlight 80 Years of Diplomatic Relations With Philippines
Heavy Rain Disrupts Parts of England After Weeks of Extreme Summer Heat
More Than 200 Extra Police Officers Deployed Across Cleveland After Violent Incidents
Burnham Meets Northern Ireland Leaders for Talks on Economy and Youth Employment
Burnham to Abstain From UK Assisted Dying Vote
NHS Leaders Warn of Severe Financial and Staffing Pressures Ahead of Autumn
UK Treasury Prepares October Budget as Defense and Public Spending Pressures Mount
Scottish Government Publishes Draft Bill for Second Independence Referendum
Royal Navy Tracks Russian Warships and Sanctioned Vessels in 72-Hour Operation
UK and Ukraine Agree AI-Focused Defense Technology Partnership
US Reportedly Weighs Falkland Islands Policy Shift to Pressure UK Over NATO Spending
UK Government Mobilizes Emergency Aid as British Nationals Remain Missing After Nepal Floods
UK Hospitality Industry Reports Stronger Summer Trading but Seeks Tax Relief
Reform UK Proposes £30 Tax Credit for Long HMRC Helpline Waits
Labour Debates Caps on Political Donations Ahead of Future Elections
England Accelerates Housing and Planning Reforms Amid Affordability Crisis
NHS Expands Walk-In Community Health Centers to 40 Locations
UK Regulators Expect Meta to Apply Stronger Child Safety Standards Globally
UK Groups Demand Faster Transport Decarbonization After Extreme Summer Weather
UK Launches 10,000 Work Experience Placements as Youth Unemployment Concerns Rise
UK Government Faces Difficult Autumn Budget Choices Over Defense, Spending and Taxes
UK Government Rejects Calls to Slow AI Data Center Expansion
IMF Raises UK Growth Forecast to 1% Despite Global Supply Chain Risks
×