The result of the annual inflation rate in Spain surprised, dropping from 6% in February to 3.3% in March. This is very close to the central bank’s goal. Germany’s inflation also fell, from 8.7% to 7.4%, a little above the estimated 7.3%. Belgium’s inflation held steady at 6.6%.

Charles Schwab is facing risks due to unrealized losses of over $29 billion on its balance sheet from 2022. As a result, Schwab shares have lost over a quarter of their value since March 8, with some analysts expecting earnings to suffer. The company’s CEO, Walt Bettinger, said the company is healthy and prepared to withstand the turmoil.

The Bank of England lifted the UK’s interest rates by 25 bps, the eleventh rate hike in a row. The interest rates were increased from 4% to 4.25%, reaching 15-year highs, with the aim of bringing inflation down.

The Swiss National Bank joined the Fed with another rate hike of 50 bps. The interest rates were increased from 1% to 1.5%, the highest since 2008. The central bank suggested more rate hikes could occur this year. 

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25 bps as expected, from 4.75% to 5%. The news pushed Bitcoin to $29,000 and Nasdaq close to $13,000.

The annual inflation rate in the UK unexpectedly jumped from 10.1% to 10.4%, significantly higher than the 9.9% forecast. Lebanon’s inflation surged from 123.53% to 189.67%. South Africa’s inflation jumped by 0.1% from 6.9% to 7%.

UBS CEO, Ralph Hamers. is stepping down on April 5th after the company acquired financially troubled Credit Suisse. Sergio Ermotti is about to succeed Hamers, who was UBS’ CEO from 2011 to 2020. 

The result of the annual inflation rate in Spain surprised, dropping from 6% in February to 3.3% in March. This is very close to the central bank’s goal. Germany’s inflation also fell, from 8.7% to 7.4%, a little above the estimated 7.3%. Belgium’s inflation held steady at 6.6%.

Thursday saw an almost 1% increase in European stock indices on hopes that central banks will soon halt their tightening cycle. Global risk sentiment improved as worries about the recent banking turmoil subsided. The STOXX 600 jumped to 455 while DAX 40 surged to 15,500.

Ripple (XRP) jumped an additional 12% to $0.58, as investors hope the lawsuit between the SEC and Ripple is coming to an end. The cryptocurrency is already up 65% in the last 2 weeks.

Saudi Aramco is working with China to build a $12.2 billion oil refinery. The refinery will be in northeast China, and it is expected to be fully operational in 2026. About 300,000 barrels of oil a day will be housed at the refinery.

The announcement of Alibaba’s plan to divide itself into six distinct businesses boosted the stock by 13%. This reorganization may result in many IPOs down the road. The segments would be cloud, e-commerce, global e-commerce, digital mapping, logistics, and a media arm.