Market Update

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Friday that it is worth considering steps to lower US tariffs on Chinese goods in order to ease inflation, and that there would be some “desirable effects” of lowering tariffs. Speaking in a CNBC interview earlier in the day, Yellen stated on Friday …

Data released in Canada on Friday showed a better-than-expected reading on February retail sales. Analysts point out that retail sales volumes held their own in February and March, despite the headwinds to goods spending of mounting inflationary pressure and reopening service industries. The 0.1% gain in February was a little …

The UK economy is heading for a slowdown, or possibly even a recession, as consumers and businesses are hit by the leap in inflation, higher taxes, rising interest rates and uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine.Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said on Thursday the BoE was walking a …

WTI trades a few dollars lower on Friday but is within recent intra-day ranges in the low $100s. Amid a lack of fresh developments, oil traders are mulling various oil market-relevant themes.Crude oil prices continue to trade in uneventful fashion, with front-month WTI futures stuck within their intra-day ranges of …

Manufacturing PMI was a little stronger than expected, but Services PMI was much weaker than expected. The Dollar Index (DXY) did not react to the latest PMI data release. IHS Markit’s headline Manufacturing PMI rose to 59.7 in April from 58.8 in March, above expectations for a slight decline to …

Headline Retail Sales in Canada rose by 0.1% MoM in March, according to the latest figures released by Statistic Canada on Friday, above expectations for a 0.4% MoM decline. March’s 0.1% growth rate marked a substantial slowdown from February’s strong 3.3% MoM growth rate, which was revised a tad higher …

European shares fell as traders intensified their bets on raising the interest rate after statements tending to tighten from central bank officials, while shares of the German software giant SABB and French luxury goods Kering fell after the two companies announced the results of the first quarter of the year. …

The euro fell on Friday after officials from the European Central Bank made mixed statements, while the dollar was supported by expectations of a 50 basis point interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve. European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde gave some indication of easing by saying that the bank …

Japanese shares closed lower on Friday for the first time in four sessions, tracking Wall Street, which fell overnight after the Fed’s interest rate views, while Toshiba shares rose sharply after opening the door to acquisitions. The Nikkei index ended the session down 1.63 percent, recording 27,105.26 points, while the …

Oil prices fell on Friday, heading towards a weekly decline of about four percent, affected by expectations of higher interest rates, weak global growth and restrictions to combat Covid-19 in China, which negatively affected demand, although the European Union is considering banning Russian oil imports. By 0130 GMT, Brent crude …