Market Update

European shares rose on Monday, August 30, to consolidate near record highs reached earlier this month, as hopes that continued central bank support will maintain the economic recovery dispelled the impact of fears surrounding the delta strain of the Coronavirus. The STOXX 600 index of the broader European shares rose …

As investors are closely monitoring developments in the U.S. monetary policy, the Federal Reserve is gradually preparing markets for the beginning of tapering and the move from easing towards policy normalization. The first sign was when the Fed said that it would halt purchases of corporate bonds, then a clearer …

Gold prices rose on Friday to finish their best week since late May after remarks by the Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell only assured what we know from the FOMC July meeting minutes that the central bank sees tapering before the end of the year. The yellow metal’s front-month contracts …

European stocks finished higher on Friday, extending the fifth weekly rise in six weeks, with a relative improvement in risk appetite. The STOXX Europe 600 index increased 2 points, or 0.42%, to close at 472.34 points. The pan-European index closed the week higher by or 0.75%, maintaining a month-to-date rise …

The U.S. Dollar (USD) declined on Friday, minutes after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell publicly said that he thinks tapering could begin before the end of the year. Powell’s remarks at the Jackson Hole economic conference reaffirmed what the Fed’s July meeting minutes indicated about a majority of Fed board …

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said on Friday that it is likely that scaling back the asset purchases will begin before the end of the year. He did, however, rule out raising interest rates in the near future. Powell was speaking earlier at the annual Jackson Hole Economic Symposium, …

The US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reported on Friday that Personal Income expanded by 1.1% in July. This reading came in better than the market expectation of 0.2%.  Further details of the report revealed that Personal Spending, which increased by 1.1% in June, rose by 0.3% in the same …

The dollar stabilized as investors awaited a highly anticipated speech by US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, while analysts now doubt that the central bank chief will hint at a possible date to start reducing asset purchases. The focus of the market this week is on the signals that the …

Gold prices rose above the psychologically important level of 1,800 dollars on Friday, supported by demand for safe havens and the decline of the dollar, before a speech by the President of the US Central Bank will be examined for indications of reducing stimulus. Spot gold rose 0.6% to $1,802.39 …

The Kansas City Fed announced it would host its 2021 Economic Policy Symposium, “Macroeconomic Policy in an Uneven Economy,” virtually on Friday, Aug. 27. The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Economic Policy Symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyo., is one of the longest-standing central banking conferences in the world. The …