UK stocks slip, midcaps mark worst month in nearly two years
- Gold prices extended a push below the key $1,800 level, as the dollar climbed in a week that has helped solidify opinions among investors that the Federal Reserve is readying for an interest-rate hike in March
- British stocks weakened as investors locked in gains in bank shares, while the prospect of more policy tightening saw the domestically exposed midcap index mark its weakest month in nearly two years
- The U.S. Fed's expected interest rate hikes could put downward pressure on the yen by widening the interest-rate differentials between the U.S. and Japan, a senior International Monetary Fund official said
- #BTCUSD plummeted 1.6%
- #XAUUSD corrected downwards by 0.2%
