Market Update

European stocks closed lower on Wednesday, amid concerns about the rising number of coronavirus cases, especially of the Delta variant, as well as reflation fears. The STOXX Europe 600 index lost 3.53 points, or 0.77%, and closed at 452.84 points. This market the biggest daily loss for the pan-European index …

The Chicago Business Barometer Index declined in June to 66.1 from 75.2 in May, hitting a four-month low, data showed on Friday. During the second quarter (Q2) of the year, the Purchasing Manager Index (PMI) rose by 7.9 points to 71.1, according to ISM-Chicago. This marked the highest quarterly reading …

Crude oil inventories in the United States declined last week for the sixth consecutive week, according to official data. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Wednesday reported that crude inventories fell by 6.7 million barrels in the week to June 25. The drop in oil inventories exceeded most market …

U.S. pending home sales increased last month to its highest level since 2005, data showed on Wednesday. The Pending Home Sales Index rose by 8.0% in May to 114.7, according to data by the National Association of Realtors. The surge in the gauge of contracts signed last month came against …

U.S. private payrolls rose more than expected during June, with businesses filling more vacancies to increase production amid demand recovery with the economy reopening, data showed on Wednesday. Private payrolls increased by 692,000 jobs this month, compared with May’s reading of 886,000, which was revised downwards from an initially estimated …

Despite the positive US data on the labor market, and the advance of the US dollar index, the Turkish lira managed to rise strongly against the dollar after days of decline. The data released today also indicates that the trade balance deficit widened on an annual basis by 20.2% during …

Diplomats said EU governments have agreed to add 11 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Qatar, to their list of countries that will allow non-essential travel from them. The ambassadors of the twenty-seven countries of the Union agreed to add these countries in today’s meeting, with the decision to take …

Canada’s Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contracted at 0.3% in April, the data published by Statistics Canada showed on Wednesday. This reading came in better than the market expectation for a decrease of 0.8%. In March, the Canadian economy grew by 1.3%.

Employment in the US’ private sector increased by 692,000 in June, the monthly data published by the Automatic Data Processing (ADP) Research Institute revealed on Wednesday. This reading followed May’s print of 886,000 (revised from 978,000) and surpassed the market expectation of 600,000.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, the group known as OPEC+, is expected to discuss a potential extension of the oil supply deal beyond April 2022 on Thursday, Reuters reported, citing two OPEC+ sources.