Market Update

The European Central Bank has shifted to a symmetric inflation target of 2% contrary to a ceiling at that level, the decision was fully expected by markets. The ECB stated it would allow short-term deviations from that goal, including a moderate spell above target. This is a step back from …

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga approved the declaration of a state of emergency in Tokyo Thursday, July 8, in preparation for the Olympics scheduled to begin in two weeks. The declared state of emergency will continue until the end of the Olympic Games, due to fears that the organization will …

German exports rose again in May by 0.3%, indicating a continued recovery in Europe’s largest economy. The German Federal Statistics Office said Thursday, July 8 that seasonally-adjusted exports rose 0.3% month-on-month, after a downwardly revised 0.2% increase in April. Imports also rose by 3.4% month-on-month in May, topping Reuters expectations, …

Oil prices continued to plummet, amid uncertainty about the outlook for the OPEC+ agreement and output policies. Major producers are in disagreement about extending the current output cuts, which are gradually being eased, with recent talks about quotas and production levels not leading to a consensus. Brent crude futures for …

Japanese stocks fell Thursday, July 8, before the country announced the re-imposition of a state of emergency to contain the rise in COVID-19 cases, which raised fears of an economic slowdown. The benchmark Nikki index fell by 0.88% to its lowest closing level in more than two weeks at 28,118.03 …

President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Raphael Bostic, has warned that a new wave of the coronavirus pandemic with the Delta variant might hinder or slow the economic recovery, with an impact on consumer demand. “If we see spikes in infections that will likely mean that people are …

The U.S. Dollar stabilized on Wednesday against most major peers, with last month’s Federal Reserve meeting minutes showing caution among monetary policymakers regarding tapering after a surge in inflation that exceeded expectations. The Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the greenback against a basket of six peers, rose by 0.18% to …

Oil prices continued to plummet on Wednesday, amid uncertainty about the outlook for the OPEC+ agreement and output policies. Major producers are in disagreement about extending the current output cuts, which are gradually being eased, with recent talks about quotas and production levels not leading to a consensus. Brent crude …

Gold prices maintained an upwards trend for the fifth consecutive session on Wednesday, despite the rise of the U.S. Dollar (USD) across the board. However, the yellow metal was supported by the drop in U.S. Treasury bond yields to their lowest level since February, amid higher demand for safe-haven investments, …

European stocks closed higher on Wednesday after the European Commission increased its expectations for economic growth in the Eurozone. The European Union is now projecting the Eurozone gross domestic product (GDP) to grow by 4.8% in 2021 and 4.5% for 2022. The STOXX Europe 600 index rose by 3.55 points, …