S&P 500 — US Large Cap Index
FTSE 100 — UK Blue Chips
Euro Stoxx 50 — Eurozone Leaders
DAX 40 — German Equities
CAC 40 — French Market Index
Nikkei 225 — Japan Benchmark
Hang Seng — Hong Kong Index
Shanghai Composite — China Mainland
ASX 200 — Australian Market
TSX Composite — Canada Index
Nifty 50 — India Large Cap
STI Index — Singapore Market
KOSPI — South Korea Index
Bovespa — Brazil Equities
JSE Top 40 — South Africa Index
IPC Index — Mexico MarketThe Norges Bank left its policy rate unchanged at 4% at its first meeting of 2026, as widely expected. While acknowledging elevated uncertainty, the bank said rates could be lowered later in the year if the economy evolves as projected. Policymakers stressed that a restrictive monetary stance is still warranted, as inflation remains above target. They cautioned that easing policy too quickly could allow inflation to stay elevated for an extended period. At the same time, the bank warned that maintaining an overly tight stance for too long could weigh unnecessarily on economic activity and restrain growth more than required to bring inflation back to target. The Norges Bank reaffirmed its December rate forecast, which points to one to two rate cuts in 2026, despite heightened geopolitical uncertainty. However, officials emphasized that policy remains data-dependent and that both rate cuts and hikes remain possible, depending on how the economy and inflation evolve.
