Market Update

Consumer confidence in the United States increased during in January, despite worries about the Coronavirus pandemic, data showed on Tuesday. The consumer confidence index by the Conference Board rose to a reading of 89.3 in January from 87.1 in December.

The Regional Business Activity Index of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s Nonmanufacturing Business Outlook Survey improved to -17.5 in January from -26.6 in December.

In its latest World Economic Outlook report, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised up its forecast for 2021 global economic growth to 5.5% from 5.2% in October’s publication, as reported by Reuters. “IMF forecasts 2020 global economic contraction at 3.5% vs. October forecast of 4.4% contraction, cites stronger-than-expected momentum in …

A document seen by Reuters showed that Saudi Arabia has begun marketing the sale of standard-sized US dollar-denominated bonds in two tranches for a term of 12 and 40 years. The Kingdom has set an initial indicative price at about 165 basis points over ten-year US Treasury bonds for the …

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday that Germany will lobby for the strengthening of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and noted that the WTO is the basis for fair trade, as reported by Reuters. “We hope to continue the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) work on the …

Italian Prime Minister has officially resigned, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing a statement released by the President’s office. The press release further revealed that the President will start consultations with political parties on Wednesday on how to resolve this crisis.

Responding to the media reports on the efficacy of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine, Germany’s Health Ministry said that they can’t confirm the local reports. “Data doesn’t suggest the efficacy of just 8% for older people.”

An analyst from the International Energy Agency announced that global gas demand is expected to grow by 2.8% this year, equivalent to about 110 billion cubic meters, to recover towards 2019 levels. The expected recovery will not be significant and that the more mature markets will only see a gradual …

Oil prices plunged on Tuesday, January 26th, as the chances for rapid approval of a new economic stimulus receded in the United States, while a surge in coronavirus cases raised doubts about the pace of any recovery in demand. Brent crude fell 28 cents, equivalent to 0.5%, to more than …

Japanese stocks closed lower on Tuesday, January 26, as they witnessed profit-taking sales due to concerns about delays in the distribution of anti-coronavirus vaccines, as well as in an American stimulus package and a state of tension before the start of the corporate earnings announcement season. The Nikkei index fell …