Market Update

Oil prices rose on Monday, recovering from earlier losses, amid concerns about delays in oil shipments even after shipping restarted at the Suez Canal after the container ship that was blocking it was re-floated. In addition, it is expected that the upcoming meeting for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting …

Gold prices closed lower on Monday, opening the week with a negative performance, due to the rise of the U.S. Dollar (USD). The yellow metal has limited its monthly gains, after recent fluctuations. Gold futures for April delivery finished lower by $24, or 1.4%, at $1708.2 per ounce, its lowest …

European stocks finished mostly higher on Monday, with limited gains due to concerns about the third wave of the Coronavirus pandemic. The STOXX Europe 600 index closed higher by 0.2%, with the stocks of food and beverages leading the rise and adding 1.5%. In the UK, the FTSE100 index settled marginally …

The United States Federal Reserve remains a long way from raising interest rates, said the Fed Governor Christopher Waller, in his first speech on Monday. Waller, who joined the Fed’s board of governors in December, said that the central bank does not plan to increase interest rates or the expand …

The manufacturing activity in Texas expanded during March, reaching its best reading on record, according to the data of the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey, which started 17 years ago. The production index rose to 48.0 this month, up from 19.9 in February, data by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas …

The U.S. Dollar (USD) is showing a mixed performance on Monday, amid increased demand for safe-havens, in light of concerns about a troubled hedge fund. The Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the greenback’s performance against a basket of six major international currencies, is up by 0.05% at 92.81. The index …

The head of the Suez Canal Authority, Lieutenant General Osama Rabie, announced the resumption of navigation in the Suez Canal after the Authority’s success in rescuing and floating the giant Panamanian container ship EVER GIVEN, which ran aground while crossing the Suez Canal.

The Italian government is set to lower its 2021 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth forecast in April’s publication to 4.1% from 6%, Reuters reported on Monday, citing three government sources familiar with the matter. On a positive note, the 2022 growth forecast is expected to be hiked to 4.3% from …

Bitcoin jumped today, Monday, to a new week’s high, rising by 4.5% to $58,300 and approaching its peak at $61,100, which it reached earlier this month. Visa had previously said it would use cryptocurrency to settle payments on its network, in the latest sign of the growing acceptance of digital …

Russia is in support of keeping the oil output of the OPEC+ steady from April to May while seeking a small output increase in May for itself, Reuters reported on Monday, citing a source familiar with the matter.  “I won’t be surprised to hear the view that it is better …