Market Update

Asian stocks rose despite weak trading volumes due to year-end holidays on Monday. The rise came thanks to US President Donald Trump’s signature of the coronavirus aid package. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index outside of Japan rose 0.40%, while the Japanese Nikkei 225 index gained 0.60% early Monday. US President …

The Financial Times reported Sunday (December 27th) that Britain and Turkey will sign a free trade agreement on Tuesday, the first of its kind since British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reached a new trade deal with the European Union. The report said that the two countries have finalized the text …

There has been some activity as 2020 nears an end, especially with the European Union and the United Kingdom reaching an agreement on Brexit and the congressional approval of the fiscal stimulus package. The Brexit talks have been marred by some turmoil but ultimately an agreement between the UK and …

An article by New York Post cites CNN as saying that President Trump has signed a $2.3 trillion COVID-19 relief and government funding bill that includes $600 stimulus checks for most Americans.

Oil prices rose slightly on Thursday ahead of the Christmas holiday, but ended the shortened week in losses. Crude prices remain supported by a decline in the United States oil stockpiles, as reported on Wednesday by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Moreover, the number of active rigs drilling for …

Gold prices rose on Thursday for the second consecutive session, ahead of the Christmas holiday. On a weekly basis, the yellow metal futures registered its first fall in four weeks, after three rises in a row. Gold futures for February delivery gained $5.10, or 0.3%, and closed at the level …

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) opened Thursday higher with the major indices of Wall Street maintaining a positive performance ahead of the Christmas Holiday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is marginally up by 18.4 points, or 0.06%. The S&P 500 rose by 6.66 points, or 0.18%, reaching 3,696 points. …

European stocks closed Thursday higher for the third consecutive session, supported by hopes for a Brexit trade deal between the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK). The STOXX Europe 600 index rose by 1.30% to finish at 396.32 points. Meanwhile, the UK’s FTSE100 and France CAC40 added 0.10% …

European stocks headed towards a third consecutive session of gains on Thursday, December 24th, as a trade deal tied to Britain’s exit from the European Union became imminent, just a week before the final Brexit. The European Stoxx600 index rose 0.1%, seeming to be on its way to the start …

Gold prices rose Thursday, December 24th, as the dollar fell and investors are betting on more stimulus in the United States, despite President Donald Trump’s threat not to sign a long-awaited aid package linked to the pandemic. Spot gold rose 0.2% to $ 1875.20 an ounce by 07:22 GMT, after …