LONDON—The bulls were enjoying the good life in Europe on Thursday after the world’s most influential central banker, Jerome Powell, signaled this year’s frantic pace of U.S. interest rate hikes could be about to slow.
It was a textbook ‘risk on’ pattern, with both the STOXX 600 and MSCI’s main world stocks index hitting their highest since August and the previously unstoppable dollar down at a three-month low.
Rallying bond markets sent borrowing costs lower almost everywhere too, while higher oil and metals prices suggested even commodities markets now hope a less aggressive Federal Reserve will help the spluttering world economy….