The UK Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said if energy prices return to its March forecast path, it expects faster disinflation, stronger near-term GDP growth and potential loosening of financial conditions.

BNP Paribas said last quarter European clients moved off the sidelines and traded more actively, helping corporate and investment banking revenue surge and underpin a better-than-expected quarterly result reported Wednesday. Equity trading revenue jumped about 50%, and the bank said ongoing investment in those businesses is paying off. BNP Paribas has also benefited from a strong prime-brokerage franchise after taking on many hedge-fund clients from Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse in prior years, and robust advisory activity (including in Europe) helped global banking revenue rise 8.4%. The bank’s COO and head of corporate & institutional banking said recent work to deepen and improve the client base has increased diversification across clients, services and geographies, supporting performance across market conditions.

Thai baht near 33.810 per dollar after the BOT left policy rates unchanged.