New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has extended the coronavirus lockdown till Aug. 30. While the city of Auckland is under alert level 3 restrictions, the rest of New Zealand remains at level 2, Ardern said, while adding that Auckland will move to level 2 after Aug. 30. New Zealand …
Read More »US: Markit Manufacturing PMI Improves to 53.6
The business activity in the US manufacturing sector is seen expanding at a robust pace in August with the IHS Markit’s advanced Manufacturing PMI rising from 50.9 in July to 53.6. This reading came in better than the market expectation of 51.9. Further details of the publication revealed that the …
Read More »Oil Prices Rising as Producers Talk About Efforts to Cut Supplies
Oil prices rose, and is on the path of achieving gains for the third week in a row, as it was strengthened by the efforts of major crude producers to cut production in light of concerns about the economic recovery from the Coronavirus pandemic. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures …
Read More »British Public Debt Exceeds 2 Trillion Pounds For The First Time
Britain’s public debt exceeded 2 trillion pounds ($ 2.65 trillion) for the first time, underscoring the challenge facing Finance Minister Rishi Sunak, who is under pressure to provide more emergency support for the economy ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic. Net debt in July, which excludes public banks, rose to £ …
Read More »The Chinese President: We Will Strengthen Efforts to Make Progress in Major Technological Fields
China State TV reported that President Xi Jinping said his country would strengthen its efforts to make progress in key technological fields. China Central Television reported that Xi said during an inspection tour of the flood-hit Anhui province that the authorities would implement more support measures to help companies, stabilize …
Read More »Euro is winning as Dollar falters on Economic Concerns
The euro rose as the dollar fell due to concerns about the strength of the US economic recovery after job data that came below expectations, while the Chinese yuan rose to its highest level in seven months as traders bet on China’s growth. Traders in the single European currency are …
Read More »UK Retail Sales Rise in July Surpassing Pre-Covid Peak
British retail sales rose above pre-coronavirus levels in July, the first full month that stores selling non-essential goods opened their doors since the country went into lockdown measures in March. The strong unexpected retail sales data reveals strength in consumer demand even as the rest of the economy struggles to …
Read More »European Stocks Struggling
European stocks stabilized ahead of data on corporate activities that may shed light on the pace of economic recovery in the continent, while the rise in the pound sterling pushed the British FTSE 100 index to decline. The Stoxx 600 index of European stocks rose 0.1%, as it is still …
Read More »German Preliminary Manufacturing PMI Comes in at 53 in August
According to the preliminary manufacturing activity report from IHS/Markit research, released this Friday, the German manufacturing sector improved further in August. In fact, the German manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) arrived at 53.0 in August versus 52.5 expected and 51.0 previous, 30-month highs. Meanwhile, Services PMI fell to a two-month …
Read More »Coronavirus Update
Although figures from Australia renewed hopes that the coronavirus (COVID-19) is abating in its wave 2.0, data from Wellington and Beijing portray a mixed picture. New Zealand’s new cases rise from 5 to 11, which in turn pushed Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to postpone lockdown related announcement to Monday. On …
Read More »