Shares rise on steady-as-it-goes line from Jackson Hole

GLOBAL shares rose on Friday after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell outlining a steady course for monetary policy in a keynote speech, while oil prices surged on signs Iran sanctions may constrain worldwide supply.

In Dublin, the Iseq was up 1.11pc at 6,794.21. Kingspan led the gainers after well-received first-half results. The construction materials maker was up 9.26pc by the close at €42.28 a share.

Elsewhere, the benchmark S&P 500 and the Nasdaq hit all-time highs after Mr Powell’s comments at an annual meeting of central bankers did little to change market expectations of an interest rate hike in September and perhaps again in December.

The dollar weakened as Mr Powell, speaking at a meeting of global central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, said a gradual approach of raising rates remains appropriate to protect the US economy and keep job growth as strong as possible with inflation under control.

The dollar index fell 0.58pc, while the euro and Japanese yen rose against the greenback.

The Fed is very confident in the US economy and Mr Powell indicated there is no intention of slowing down the Fed’s rate hikes, said Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer at Independent Advisor Alliance in Charlotte, North Carolina. “We are seeing some of the more cyclical sectors like energy, materials, continuing to move higher on the expectation that the Fed is going to let the economy run a little hot,” Mr Zaccarelli said.

The energy sector jumped 1.19pc, the most among the 11 S&P sectors. The materials sector gained 1.41pc.

In Europe, the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index of regional shares closed up a preliminary 0.12pc.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 139.04 points, or 0.54pc, to 25,796.02.

Oil prices surged, rising almost 2pc, on signs that Iran sanctions may limit global supply and that a trade war may not curb China’s appetite for US crude.