Market Update

According to a US administration official, talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden on Friday, which lasted for nearly two hours, were direct, substantive and detailed. Biden stressed to Xi that China providing material support to Russia would have consequences not just from the US but …

US energy firms this week reduced the number of oil rigs active in the United States even as crude prices continued to trade over $100 a barrel after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine stoked global energy supply concerns.That was the second decline for the oil rig count in three weeks after …

US equities are higher for a fourth session, with the S&P 500 breaking to its highest levels since Russia invaded Ukraine. The index is trading in the 4430s, up 0.6% on the day and over 5.5% on the week. That would mark the best week of gains since November 2020.US …

After a strong week, the euro is suffering from some profit-taking and EUR/USD has fallen back to the mid-1.10s. EUR/USD’s failure to press higher beyond the 1.1100 level was likely also due to hawkish Fed commentary.Though not the worst-performing currency in the G10 on the day, the euro currently sits …

The end of another long week has Wall Street bracing for another rollercoaster ride as investors digest President Biden’s crucial call with Xi and await to see if any possible pathways emerge for ending the conflict in Ukraine, all while roughly $3.5 trillion of single-stock and index-level options expire.The days …

The US dollar index bounced back on Friday from recent declines following comments from Federal Reserve officials on interest rates that supported the currency, while the dollar was at a fresh six-year high against the yen and the euro eased.St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard called for a dramatic …

According to Russia’s Chief Negotiator Vladimir Medinsky, Russia and Ukraine’s views are most aligned on the latter’s status as a “neutral” country and offer not to join NATO, reported Russia’s state-run Interfax news outlet.Russia and Ukraine are currently discussing nuances linked to security guarantees for Ukraine should it refuse to …

Gold is set to register its largest one-week loss since November. In case next week’s developments point to a further escalation of the conflict, gold should gather strength and start erasing this week’s losses. On the other hand, the precious metal could come under renewed selling pressure if markets remain …

Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari said on Friday that he sees the Federal Funds target range rising to 1.75-2.0% by the year’s end and that he sees the neutral rate of interest at 2.0%, reported Reuters. If inflation is enduring, the Fed will need to get modestly …

China has plans to invade Taiwan as soon as next fall, according to Newsweek based on a Russian intelligence document.Traders are treating the report with skepticism. Many geopolitical analysts had viewed recent geopolitical events regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as likely to dissuade China from mounting an assault on Taiwan …