Market Update

There were 373,000 initial claims for unemployment benefits in the US during the week ending July 2, the data published by the US Department of Labor (DOL) revealed on Thursday. This reading more than the market expectation for a reading of 350,000 and followed last week’s upwardly revised reading of …

Gold fell in Thursday morning in Asia as investors continued to digest the US Federal Reserve’s meeting minutes from the latest policy meeting. A stronger dollar and lower US Treasury yields also limited the yellow metal’s gains. However, the US dollar index and bond yields fell at the beginning of …

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 …