Market Update

Chinese retail sales rose 8.5% in July, less than expected at 11.5%, according to analysts polled by Reuters. Chinese retail sales rose 12.5% in June. Auto-related sales, the largest component of retail sales by value, were the only category to decline in July, declining 1.8% year-on-year. Industrial production grew by …

Oil prices fell more than 1% on Monday, August 16, falling for a third session, after official data showed a slowdown in refining productivity and economic activity in China, in a sign that the new outbreak of Covid-19 is denting the world’s second-largest economy. Brent crude fell 90 cents, or …

The main indices on Wall Street showed a mixed performance this week, with investors focusing on earnings reports and economic indicators, and rising Treasury yields weighing on tech stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose modestly by 15.53 points to hit a new record high closing level at 35,515.38 points, …

U.S. Treasury bond yields declined on Friday, but still managed to register its biggest increase in two months. The benchmark 10-year Treasury bond yield reached 1.297% on Friday, down from 1.366% on Thursday, recording its highest weekly increase since June 25. Similarly, the two-year note return settled at 0.215% compared …

Oil prices declined on Friday, finishing the week on a mixed note with growing concerns about the spread of the coronavirus Delta variant and the subsequent effect on the recovery of demand for energy. Brent crude futures for October delivery lost 72 cents, or 1%, to finish at $70.59 per …

Gold prices rose on Friday after the dollar declined as the U.S. consumer sentiment dropped to its lowest level in a decade. Accordingly, the yellow metal turned higher for the week as demand for safe havens improved. The U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) which measures the greenback against a basket of …

The U.S. Dollar (USD) declined to its lowest level in about a week against the Japanese Yen (JPY) on Friday, as the greenback declined across the board after data showed a drop in consumer confidence in the United States. The USD/JPY is down for the day by about 0.74% at …

The U.S. Dollar (USD) declined on Friday touching its lowest level in about a week, after data showed a sharp drop in consumer sentiment in the United States. The preliminary reading of the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index dropped to 70.2 in the first half of August, hitting its …

The number of active rigs drilling for crude oil in the United States rose by 10 to 397 this week, data by Baker Hughes showed on Friday. This marked the largest increase for U.S. oil rigs since the beginning of April. The total rig count rose by nine to reach …

Consumer sentiment in the United States declined this month, registering its biggest drop since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. More people in the U.S. are concerned about the rising inflation and the slow pace of the labor market recovery. The University of Michigan consumer sentiment index dropped to a …