Oil rigs in the United States decreased by three rigs during the week ending on 14 August, data by Baker Hughes showed on Friday. The US oil rig count declined to a new record low at a total of 244 rigs last week. The continuous decrease in active oil rigs …

New house prices in Canada increased for the third month in a row during July, data by Statistics Canada showed on Friday. The Canadian new house prices index increased last month by 0.4% on a monthly basis, and by 1.7% on an annual basis.

Canadian retailer sales increased during the month of June by 23% to CAD 53 billion, recovering to its level in February prior to the COVID-19 crisis, according to data by Statistics Canada. Retail sales rose across all types of stores, with clothing retailers leading the rise with a 142.3% growth. …

Existing home sales in the United States grew by 24.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.86 million units in July, registering the second monthly consecutive monthly increase, as shown by data of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) on Friday. The June reading was revised to 4.70 million …

Consumer confidence in the Eurozone improved during August by 0.3 points, according to preliminary data by the European Commission on Friday. The consumer morale index recorded -14.7 this month, up from -15.0 in July. For the European Union (EU), the consumer confidence increased by 0.1 points to -15.5.

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) closed higher on Thursday, with more investors moving towards the stock market amid a decline in the US Treasury yields. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 46.85 points, or 0.17%, and finished at 27,739.73 points. The S&P 500 index rose by 10.66 points or …

Oil prices decreased on Thursday, on renewed concerns regarding economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, after the US Federal Reserve expected the pandemic to weigh heavily on the economy and the increase in jobless claims in the US last week. Brent crude futures for October delivery settled lower by 47 …

Gold prices declined on Thursday, after the most recent meeting minutes by the United States Federal Reserve hinted at potentially further easing in monetary policy. The yellow metal’s decline comes despite the Dollar index (DXY) returning to the downward trend, on the back of an increase in jobless claims in …

Banks in South Africa have provided loan reliefs worth ZAR 537 billion ($31 billion) since the beginning of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, according to the South African Ministry of Finance, Reuters reported. An increase in bad loans and impairment charges is negatively impacting the South African banking sector and the …

The British Pound (GBP) is rising against the US Dollar (USD), on the back of the latter’s decline. A surge in inflation in the UK and anticipation for a trade deal between London and the European Union (EU) are providing support for the GBP, while an increase in jobless claims …