ING analyst Francesco Pesole said the Bank of England is likely to hold rates on Thursday; market attention is on whether the MPC's hawkish faction has expanded. He added that if inflation expectations remain contained, ING expects the BoE to keep policy unchanged for the rest of the year. Markets, by contrast, have priced about 37bp of tightening by year-end — the clearest near-term downside risk for sterling versus the euro.

A Houthi official said Saudi operations in Yemen, backed by the US, have failed to achieve their objectives and would also fail if they continue to rely on local mercenaries and proxies. Yemen’s Saba news agency quoted deputy foreign minister Abdulwahid Abu Ras as warning that Saudi measures — including a blockade, seizure of Yemeni assets and disruption of social structures — would ultimately rebound on the Saudi economy.

A股油氣板塊競價調整，中曼石油、山東墨龍雙雙跌停，通源石油、科力股份跌超15%，潛能恆信、泰山石油、中國海油、海油工程、藍焰控股等低開。