Market Update

Oil prices rose on Friday, on the back of positive expectations about demand recovery, despite the weaker than expected April jobs report in the United States. The surging number of new cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in India, a major importer of crude oil, are being balanced by easing travel …

Gold prices rose on Friday, reaching their highest closing level in nearly three months, amid increased demand for safe-haven assets following the release of a relatively disappointing jobs report in the United States. In addition, the U.S. Dollar’s (USD) decline provided more support to the yellow metal. Gold futures for …

Goldman Sachs is reportedly creating a new cryptocurrency trading desk, according to an internal memo first cited by CNBC. The desk has successfully traded two Bitcoin-linked derivatives, as per the cited memo, which was distributed on Thursday to the bank’s markets staff. The idea has been considered since 2017, when …

European stocks finished higher on Friday, supported by an improved investors’ sentiment due to positive economic data and earnings reports. The STOXX Europe 600 index rose by 0.9%, closing the week at a new record high of 444.93 points, as the tech sector gained 2.1%. For the week, the pan-European …

The number of active rigs drilling for crude oil and natural gas in the United States increase for the second consecutive week, according to data by Baker Hughes released on Friday. The total rig count rose by eight to 448 during the week ended May 7, reaching its highest level …

Economic activity in Canada continued to expand during April but a slower pace compared with its highest level in 10 years, which was recorded in March, data showed on Friday. The seasonally adjusted Ivey Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) retreated to a 60.6 in April from a reading of 72.9 in …

Wholesale inventories in the United States increased less than expected in March, due to a huge surge in sales that resulted from stronger local demand, according to official data released on Friday. A final reading showing that wholsale inventories rose by 1.3%, compared with an initially estimated 1.4% for March, …

Canada’s economy lost 207,000 jobs last month due to the resurgence of the Coronavirus pandemic, which led to renewed restrictions and lockdown measures, official data showed on Friday. Accordingly, the Canadian unemployment rate increased in April to 8.1% from 7.5% in March, according to Statistics Canada. Data showed that the …

Bank Of America’s analysis of weekly fund flow statistics showed that investors bought a lot of global stocks in the week ending Wednesday, as companies reported huge profits and major central banks downplayed concerns related to a return to monetary stimulus. Equity funds attracted $18.5 billion, which was mainly driven …

The dollar held on Friday, May 7, near its lowest level in a week, as it is under pressure ahead of the release of US jobs data, which is expected to boost hopes for a strong economic recovery after the pandemic and support investors’ appetite for risk. Against a basket …