Market Update

On 16 March, Jerome Powell, the chair of the US Federal Reserve, announced that the central bank would hike interest rates to 0.25 percent. It was likely just the first in a sequence of rate increases designed to tame stubbornly high inflation. Since the start of the year, the Fed …

The GBP/USD pair has continued moving lower. Economists at Credit Suisse stay bearish and look for a break below 1.30 to open up a fall to 1.2855/29. Resistance has been seen at 1.3168/84Economists now look for an imminent break below 1.3013/00, which would reassert the core downtrend, especially if daily …

The Canadian economy added 72,500 jobs in March, a tad below the median economist forecast for 80,000 jobs to have been added on the month, a report released by Statistics Canada on Friday showed. That marked a significant deceleration in the pace of job gains versus February when 336,600 jobs …

Gold traded in a limited range on Friday due to expectations of a large US interest rate hike, concern over rising inflation, and the economic fallout from the Ukraine crisis. And the price of gold settled in spot transactions at 1931.53 dollars an ounce by 0858 GMT, but it recorded …

European shares jumped 1.2 percent in early trading on Friday, erasing losses this week, as investors awaited the first round of the French presidential election early next week, as the victory of incumbent President Emmanuel Macron is no longer a given. Financial and auto stocks led the gains, while all …

Oil prices rose on Friday but were still on track for a second weekly decline in a row after countries announced plans to release crude from their strategic stocks. Brent crude futures rose 71 cents, or 0.7 percent, to $101.29 a barrel by 1056 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude …

The dollar index rose to 100 points for the first time in nearly two years on Friday, boosted by prospects of an acceleration in US interest rates. The dollar rose against a basket of rival currencies over the past month, especially against the euro, which has come under pressure due …

The healthcare sector helped European shares on Thursday recovered from a session that saw their worst performance in a month, even as investors remained wary of the Fed’s tightening minutes and Washington’s new sanctions against Russia. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index rose 0.5%, after losing 1.5% in the previous session. …

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal said on Friday that this year’s grain harvest is likely to be 20 percent below its level last year due to the shrinkage of the cultivated area after the Russian invasion. He said there is a shortage of fuel for farmers, but Ukraine knows how …

Japan’s Nikkei index recorded its worst weekly performance in almost a month on concerns about the impact of the Federal Reserve’s tightening of its monetary policies, the conflict in Ukraine, and the closure measures in China. The Nikkei index lost 2.46 percent this week, its worst performance since the week …