Market Update

Japanese stocks rose on Monday thanks to the optimism that accompanied the approval of a huge US stimulus package to support stocks linked to the economic cycle, while SoftBank Group shares fell, while other technology companies recorded limited gains. The Nikkei index rose 0.17% to close at 29,766.97 points, and …

Oil prices declined on Friday, amid increasing selling pressures for profit making, amid the rise of the U.S. Dollar (USD) and Treasury bond yields. Brent crude futures declined by   44 cents, or 0.63%, to $69.19 per barrel, falling by 0.25% for the week. Meanwhile, the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) …

Gold prices declined on Friday, after rising for three consecutive sessions, as the U.S. Dollar (USD) Treasury bond yields rose again. The yellow metal futures for April delivery finished lower by $2.80, or 0.2%, at $1,719.80 per ounce. For the week, gold’s most active contracts rose by nearly 1.3%. The …

Retail sales in Brazil declined in January, for the third consecutive month, by 0.2%, data showed on Friday. The decline follows a 6.2% drop in retail sales in December, which was the second biggest on record, according to Reuters. Declining retail sales were attributed to a weaker performance by the …

European stocks declined on Friday, as Treasury bond yields resumed their upward trend, limiting their weekly gains that were boosted by yields declining and reflation fears easing. The STOXX Europe 600 index finished the last session of the week down by 0.26%, after three consecutive daily rises, narrowing its weekly …

Industrial production in Mexico increased by 0.2% in January, maintaining expansion for the eighth consecutive month, data showed on Friday. The increase in industrial output was supported by the rise in construction activity, which grew by 1.5% compared to its level in December, while manufacturing decreased by 0.5%. On an …

Consumer sentiment in the United States reached its best level in about a year in March, according to the preliminary reading of the University of Michigan’s consumer survey. The consumer sentiment index rose to a reading of 83.0 during the first half of March 2021, up from 76.8 in February. …

Producer prices in the United States grew steadily last month, recording their largest increase in about two and a half years, data showed on Friday The producer price index (PPI) increased by 0.5% in February, after rising by 1.3% in January, according to data by the U.S. Department of Labor …

The Unemployment Rate in Canada dropped to 8.2% in February from 9.4% in January and came in much better than the market expectation of 9.2%. Further details of the jobs report published by Statistics Canada revealed that employment in that period increased by 259,000 after falling by 266,000 over the …

JP Morgan analysts said in a weekly note that the continued rise in oil prices is expected to stimulate an increase in US crude production this year. The bank now expects US crude oil production to average 11.78 million barrels per day in December 2021, up 710,000 barrels per day …