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UK-focused funds hit hard as investors pull cash from stocks, Calastone says

British investors yanked a net 640 million pounds ($799 million) from equity funds in January, ending a long run of inflows, as UK-focused funds suffered their sixth-biggest monthly net withdrawals on record, funds network Calastone said on Wednesday. After a wave of bullish sentiment in late 2024 when investors poured money into equity, bond and mixed asset funds, Calastone said UK investors started 2025 "in a more pessimistic mood." UK-focused funds lost 1.07 billion pounds of cash, despite British shares hitting record highs, Calastone said.

Gold demand up 1% in 2024, to remain supported by economic uncertainty, World Gold Council says

Global gold demand including over-the-counter (OTC) trading rose by 1% to a record high of 4,974.5 metric tons in 2024 as investment increased, the World Gold Council (WGC) said on Wednesday, adding that central banks sped up buying in the fourth quarter. Spot gold prices rose by 27% last year, the most since 2010, as investors chose the metal to hedge against global risks and as the U.S. Federal Reserve slashed interest rates. Prices hit another all-time high on Tuesday, driven by safe-haven demand after China retaliated with tariffs on the United States in response to President Donald Trump's trade levies.

Morning Bid: Markets confounded by Trump's Gaza proposal

First off, nobody knows what to make of President Donald Trump's sudden suggestion that the United States take over the Gaza strip and turn it into the Riviera of the Middle East - once the Palestinians are resettled elsewhere, of course. It's not clear if this was a serious proposal, given it sounds eerily reminiscent of an idea floated last year by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner that Gaza's waterfront property could be very valuable and Israel should remove civilians while the strip was cleaned up. Markets have seemingly taken it with a pinch of salt and there's been no obvious reaction in oil prices.

Adani, Tata Profit Misses Add to Alarm Over India Stocks Outlook

(Bloomberg) -- A deepening slowdown in corporate earnings is fueling fresh concern over India’s $4.1 trillion stock market, and threatening to undermine Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s latest efforts to revive growth.Most Read from BloombergState Farm Seeks Emergency California Rate Hike After FiresTransportation Memos Favor Places With Higher Birth and Marriage RatesNYC’s Newest Transit Leader Builds a Worker-Driven StrategyNew York’s First ‘Passive House’ School Is a Model of Downtown DensityWh