Market Update

The last trading week ended with a decline in the US dollar as risk appetite improved with optimism around Omicron, in addition to data out of the USA. As a result, the dollar index, which measures the strength of the US currency against a basket of currencies, fell to 95.7. …

Nonfarm Payrolls relatively disappointed prior estimates, but the labor market indicators were stronger than expected. The employment data has had a modest impact on the forex market. In the light of the NFP data, the US Fed is very determined to move out of easing policy settings.Economic DataNonfarm Payrolls (NFP) …

The first seven days of 2022 have not been kind to bitcoin, as the most famous cryptocurrency lost 11% of its value within days and finished this week at about $42,000; down almost 40% from its all-time high in 2021’s fall.Other digital coins including ethereum and ripple also fell this …

Inflation, rising rates and the Federal Reserve could lash US stocks next week. After a sharp jump in bond yields with the new year, rising rates could again impose a different tone on the stocks next week. Powell and Brainard’s TestimonyBig events, for newt week, include testimony by Federal Reserve …

The new year’s first week closed with a usual jobs report signaling solid annual wage growth of 4.7% but a disappointing figure of new jobs. Employment rose by just 199,000 in December, far less than expected. The economy created a record-breaking 6.4 million jobs in 2021, but that was after …

Will the Bank of England hike interest rates again at the beginning of February? Market observers do believe the answer is yes. The monetary policy committee may wait until May, though February’s meeting is looking much more 50:50 than it did just a few weeks ago. Partially, that is because …

Inflation in the Eurozone climbed to an annual rate of 5 percent in December, the second-consecutive record, according to the European Union statistics office’s initial estimate, which was released on Friday.The rate was slightly higher than the previous month’s increase of 4.9 percent. Inflation around the world has jumped as …

US energy companies kicked off the new year by continuing to add oil and natural gas rigs this week after increasing the rig count in 2021 after two years of declines.The oil and gas rig count, an early indicator of future output, rose two to 588 in the week to …

The US 10-year note’s yield extended its climb, reaching the highest level in nearly two years, after December employment data showing strong wage growth fanned inflationary concerns and solidified March as the likely starting point for the first rate hike by the Federal Reserve.While the 199,000 new jobs fell short …

WTI slipped back under $79.00 on Friday but remains on course for substantial weekly gains. Supply as well as geopolitical issues have been key drivers of oil this week, with the broader macro-economic story taking a back seat.  Oil prices have come under modest selling pressure on the final day …