The European Central Bank’s meeting today, Thursday, July 22, was quiet but announced new monetary policy targets that suggest extending support for a longer time to the eurozone economy while boosting inflation, which has been low for nearly a decade from its 2% target. The bank said it expects interest …
Read More »US Jobless Claims Surge, Dollar Trading Flat
Data released by the US Labor Department on Thursday showed that there were 419k initial claims for unemployment benefits in the US during the week ending July 17. The previous month’s reading was 368k and market expectations were optimistic at 350k. The advance figure for the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate …
Read More »ECB Leaves Monetary Policy Unchanged
The European Central Bank decided to keep its monetary policy unchanged as widely expected in today’s meeting. The ECB left the interest rates on the main refinancing operations, the marginal lending facility, and the deposit facility unchanged at 0.00%, 0.25%, and -0.50%. EUR/USD remained close to the 1.1800 handle, unaffected …
Read More »Germany’s Merkel Expresses Concern Over The High Covid-19 Infection Rate
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed concerns over the alarming rise in coronavirus cases in the country and stressed the importance of vaccinations. Merkel said infection numbers are rising at an alarming rate and that the vaccination protects not just yourself but also people you care about. She also said …
Read More »Oil Prices Fall After US Crude Oil Stocks Rise
Oil prices fell on Thursday after a sudden increase in US crude inventories and amid growing Covid-19 infections that threaten demand. Still, prices maintained most of the previous session’s gains due to expectations of continued tight supplies until the end of the year. At 06:44 GMT, Brent crude was down …
Read More »European Shares Rise on Earnings Expectations, Monetary Policy
European stocks extended gains for the third consecutive session Thursday, July 22nd, with market sentiment boosted by signs of a strong earnings season and expectations that the European Central Bank will not deviate from its monetary easing policy. The STOXX Europe 600 Index rose 0.5% by 07:14 GMT. The index …
Read More »Gold Near Its Lowest Level in a Week on Rising Risk Appetite
Gold prices fell on Thursday, July 22nd, to near the lowest level in more than a week, under pressure from a stronger dollar and rising risk appetite, while investors awaited the European Central Bank’s meeting scheduled for today. By 05:14 GMT, the spot price of gold was down 0.2% to …
Read More »China Rejects WHO Plan to Re-investigate Origins of COVID-19
A senior health official said that China has rejected the World Health Organization’s plan to conduct the second stage of investigation into the origin of the Coronavirus, which includes the hypothesis that it may have leaked from a Chinese laboratory. The World Health Organization this month proposed conducting a second …
Read More »Asian Stocks Maintain Their Strength
Asian stock markets followed Wall Street’s lead, rising on Thursday’s trading, amid positive corporate earnings and optimism about the US economic recovery. The Hang Seng Index led the gains, jumping more than 1.5%, on reports that China will continue to open its financial sector and improve rules for foreign banks …
Read More »Ethereum Jumps After Elon Musk Confirms He Owns The Cryptocurrency
The price of Ethereum soared Wednesday, July 21, after Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said he owns the cryptocurrency at The B Word, an event hosted by the Crypto Council on Innovation. Ethereum, which was already rising on the day, reached its session highs after Musk’s comments. Musk also …
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