The Japanese Nikkei index closed at its lowest level since the beginning of the year as investor sentiment was negatively affected by the rise in Covid-19 cases, some disappointing earnings announcements, and a decline in US stock futures. The Nikkei fell 1.8% to close at 27,283.59 points, the largest drop …

Gold prices fell slightly during trading on Friday, but they remain near their highest levels in two weeks. With it heading to close the week with the highest rise since May 21, due to signs that the Federal Reserve is not ready to scale back its asset purchases program or …

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said that the second-quarter economic performance was ‘exceptional’ after the economy expanded 0.9% QoQ in Q2 vs. 0.8% expectations. “Q2 French economic performance puts France on track to meet its 6% growth target for whole of 2021.”

Oil prices fell but were still on track to achieve significant weekly gains, with demand growing at a faster pace than supply, while vaccinations are expected to mitigate the impact of a new rise in Covid-19 cases around the world. Brent crude futures for September delivery, which expire on Friday, …

The dollar fell to a one-month low on Thursday after the Federal Reserve reassured that a rate hike was still a long way off, giving a major boost to most other currencies from the Australian dollar to the Chinese yuan. China’s efforts to calm stock market jitters precipitated by its …

There were 400,000 initial claims for unemployment benefits in the US during the week ending July 24, the data published by the US Department of Labor (DOL) revealed on Thursday. This reading followed the previous print of 424,000 (revised from 419,000) and came in worse than the market expectation of …

The United States’ Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expanded at an annual rate of 6.5% in the second quarter of 2021, the US Bureau of Economic Analysis’s first estimate showed on Thursday.

Inflation in Germany, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), jumped to 0.9% (preliminary) on a monthly basis in June from 0.4% in May. On a yearly basis, the CPI rose to 3.8% from 2.2%. Both of these readings came in higher than market expectations.

Estimates from the European Commission showed Thursday, July 29 that economic sentiment in the Eurozone hit a record high in July, but waning consumer optimism and a slowdown in the rate of increase may indicate that the peak is fast approaching. The Commission said in its monthly survey that sentiment …

Oil prices rose Thursday, July 29, as crude inventories in the United States, the world’s largest oil consumer, fell to their lowest levels since January 2020, and Brent crude returned to above $75 a barrel. Brent crude futures were up 37 cents, or 0.5%, to $75.11 a barrel, and US …