Market Update

Investors are still feeling their feet as the year begins and await key US data due this week. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on Thursday that they will decide on a quasi-emergency declaration for parts of Japan on Friday, as reported by Reuters. A Reuters survey showed on Thursday …

There were 207,000 initial claims for unemployment benefits in the US during the week ending January 1, data published by the US Department of Labor (DoL) revealed on Thursday. This reading followed last week’s print of 200,000 (which was revised up from 198,000) and came in slightly above consensus market …

Businesses in the UK see year-ahead output price inflation at 4.5% in the three months to December, up from 4.2% in November, the Bank of England’s (BOE) Decision Maker Panel (DMP) survey revealed on Thursday.  “Annual output price inflation continued to increase in the DMP, reaching 5% on average in …

The US dollar rebounded to its most recent 14-month high, as the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting minutes reinforced expectations of a US interest rate hike in March. The minutes of the US central bank’s meeting in December revealed that officials discussed reducing the bank’s total holdings and raising interest rates …

European shares fell more than 1% on Thursday, after indications from the minutes of the Federal Reserve meeting (the US central bank) of the tendency to tighten monetary policy, which dampened the morale of investors around the world and led to turmoil in technology shares. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index …

The German Factory Orders rebounded more than expected in November, suggesting that Europe’s economic powerhouse’s recovery in the manufacturing sector seems to have regained traction. Contracts for goods’ Made in Germany’ jumped 3.7% on the month vs. 2.1% expected and -5.8% last, the latest data published by the Federal Statistics …

Gold prices fell Thursday, January 6, as US Treasury yields rose, after the minutes of the Federal Reserve’s December meeting indicated the fastest rate hike in interest rates to curb inflation. Yields on benchmark 10-year US Treasury bonds rose to the highest level since April 2021, raising the opportunity cost …

A Reuters survey showed on Thursday that the increase in OPEC oil production in December was also less than the increase planned under an agreement with allies, highlighting the constraints faced by production capacity that curb supply as global demand recovers from the repercussions of the Corona pandemic. The survey …

The US dollar edged lower for most of Wednesday but got an unexpected push by the US Federal Reserve’s Meeting Minutes. US policymakers use the kind of language confirming a looming interest rate hike and that the quantitative easing, stimulus asset and asset purchases are no longer necessary.The minutes document …

“More UK businesses than ever before are worried about inflation, and a record number are planning to increase their own prices,” said Bloomberg while conveying the latest British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) details on early Thursday morning in Asia.The news also quotes Suren Thiru, Head of Economics at the BCC …