Market Update

Natural gas inventories in the United States increased by 60 billion cubic feet (bcf) last week, according to data by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The EIA weekly report showed on Thursday that natural gas supplies reached 1.7958 trillion cubic feet, decreasing by 345 bcf compared with the same …

Worker productivity in the United States rose during the first quarter of the year, data showed on Thursday. Nonfarm productivity increased by 5.4% on a yearly basis during Q1 of 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The reading for Q4 of last year was revised upwards to show …

Initial jobless claims declined last week to reach a seasonally adjusted 498,000 for, data by the U.S. Department of Labor showed on Thursday. The decline in the claims for state unemployment benefits during the week ended May 1 decreased compared to its level at 590,000 in the previous week, reaching …

The Turkish lira weakened slightly Thursday, May 6, ahead of the central bank meeting to set the interest rate, as it is expected to keep the main interest rate unchanged in the face of rising inflation. The lira was at 8.3350 against the dollar, down slightly from the settlement rate …

German industrial orders rose for the third consecutive month in March, supported by domestic demand, data showed, in a new indication that manufacturers in Europe’s largest economy are likely to cushion the impact of lower household spending linked to the lockdown measures. The data published by the Federal Statistics Office, …

The Bank of England’s (BoE) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to leave the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 0.10% at its May policy meeting and kept the Asset Purchase Facility steady at £895 billion as widely expected.

Oil prices retreated after they rose earlier Thursday, May 6, under pressure from increased cases of Covid-19 in India and elsewhere, despite a drop that greatly exceeded expectations for US crude stockpiles. Brent crude futures fell 28 cents, equivalent to 0.4%, to $ 68.68 a barrel, and US West Texas …

Data showed retail sales in the eurozone rose more than expected in March, indicating pent-up demand among consumers as the pandemic eases. The European Union statistics office Eurostat said that retail sales in the 19 countries that use the euro jumped 2.7% month over month in March and 12% year …

Gold prices rose Thursday, May 6, as a decline in US Treasury bond yields offset pressure from the dollar’s ​​rally, while investors awaited US non-farm payrolls data for April, which is scheduled for release later this week. Spot gold rose 0.2% to $1789.22 an ounce. US gold futures advanced 0.2% …

Japanese stocks rose Thursday, May 6, to record their largest percentage gain in two weeks, as investors flocked to stocks linked to the economic cycle after Wall Street’s gains, but technology stocks that tracked the fall of the Nasdaq index limited the gains. The Nikkei index advanced 1.8% to close …