LONDON—Stocks firmed on Thursday as investors bet that central banks meeting next week will signal a slowdown or even a pause in interest rate hikes for later in the year to make recession less likely and ease pressure on corporate earnings.
Oil prices were steady after U.S. crude stocks rose less than expected, while gold hit a 9-month peak.
The dollar wobbled near an eight-month low against its peers as a gloomy fourth-quarter earnings season continued ahead of U.S. Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, and Bank of England meetings next week, with all three expected to continue hiking interest rates….