Market Update

USD/CAD sharply reversed direction higher on Friday after the release of what traders described as a bumper US labour market report boosted the US dollar and amid a distinctly risk-off market tone weighed on the more risk-sensitive Canadian dollar.The pair started the session below 1.2700, but at one point had …

Russian President Vladimir Putin told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a call on Friday that while Russia is open for dialogue with Ukraine, the country should fulfill all Russian demands.Putin also reportedly told Scholz that he hopes Kyiv will adopt a more constructive position in the next rounds of talks. …

Employment data released on Friday came in above expectations, but it was mostly ignored by most investors, traders and market participants amid the ongoing Ukraine’s war. War fogs continue as the key market driver.Analysts at Wells Fargo believe that so long as the Russia-Ukraine conflict does not significantly escalate, the …

Gold continues to find demand amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis. The technical picture suggests that XAU/USD remains bullish in the near-term, pointing to additional gains towards USD 1,975.US inflation data and geopolitical headlines to drive next week’s action. On Wednesday, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the February …

Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) rose by 678K in February, well above the median economist forecast for a 400K rise, data published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics showed on Friday. January’s NFP number also saw a small upwards revision to 481K from 467K. The much larger than expected headline beat …

European shares fell on Friday, heading for a third consecutive week of losses, following reports that a nuclear plant caught fire amid heavy fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces. The pan-European STOXX 600 index was down 1.4 percent by 0837 GMT after Asian shares fell to a 16-month low. The …

Ukraine is a relatively small country wedged between Russia and Europe. It was part of the Soviet Union until 1991; it has been a less-than-perfect democracy with a fragile economy and foreign policy that wavers between pro-Russian and pro-European. In November 2013, President Viktor Yanukovych refused a deal for integration …

Oil topped $111 a barrel on Friday in a volatile session as fears of disruption to Russian oil exports due to Western sanctions outweighed expectations of an increase in Iranian oil supplies in the event of a nuclear deal with Tehran. Markets were turbulent due to signs of an escalation …

Russian forces have taken control of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine, local authorities said. And the authorities stated on social media that “the operational crews are monitoring the condition of the power units.” Ukraine said Russian forces attacked the station in the early hours of Friday morning, …

The Russian ruble fell to new record lows against the dollar on Thursday, after Fitch and Moody’s downgraded Russia’s sovereign debt rating to “junk”. Russia’s financial markets have been turbulent due to sanctions imposed for its invasion of Ukraine, the biggest attack on a European country since World War II. …