Market Update

Gold continues to find demand amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis. The technical picture suggests that XAU/USD remains bullish in the near-term, pointing to additional gains towards USD 1,975.US inflation data and geopolitical headlines to drive next week’s action. On Wednesday, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the February …

Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) rose by 678K in February, well above the median economist forecast for a 400K rise, data published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics showed on Friday. January’s NFP number also saw a small upwards revision to 481K from 467K. The much larger than expected headline beat …

European shares fell on Friday, heading for a third consecutive week of losses, following reports that a nuclear plant caught fire amid heavy fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces. The pan-European STOXX 600 index was down 1.4 percent by 0837 GMT after Asian shares fell to a 16-month low. The …

Ukraine is a relatively small country wedged between Russia and Europe. It was part of the Soviet Union until 1991; it has been a less-than-perfect democracy with a fragile economy and foreign policy that wavers between pro-Russian and pro-European. In November 2013, President Viktor Yanukovych refused a deal for integration …

Oil topped $111 a barrel on Friday in a volatile session as fears of disruption to Russian oil exports due to Western sanctions outweighed expectations of an increase in Iranian oil supplies in the event of a nuclear deal with Tehran. Markets were turbulent due to signs of an escalation …

Russian forces have taken control of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine, local authorities said. And the authorities stated on social media that “the operational crews are monitoring the condition of the power units.” Ukraine said Russian forces attacked the station in the early hours of Friday morning, …

The Russian ruble fell to new record lows against the dollar on Thursday, after Fitch and Moody’s downgraded Russia’s sovereign debt rating to “junk”. Russia’s financial markets have been turbulent due to sanctions imposed for its invasion of Ukraine, the biggest attack on a European country since World War II. …

Japanese shares fell to their lowest level in nearly two weeks on Friday as the fighting in Ukraine escalated, but the Nikkei index avoided its lowest close in 15 months as the market settled in the midday session. The Nikkei ended the session down 2.23 percent to close at 25,985.47 …

Oil fell 2 percent on Thursday, after hitting prices not seen in nearly a decade, amid selling on hopes that the United States and Iran will soon reach a nuclear deal that could contribute to increasing supply, which is currently suffering from tightness. Trading was volatile, with crude oil prices …

The International Energy Agency said on Thursday that Europe could reduce the import of Russian gas by more than a third within a year, and the agency announced a 10-point plan to reduce the European Union’s dependence on Russian gas. “Nobody is under any illusions anymore. Russia’s use of its …