Market Update

Industrial Production in the United States contracted by 2.2% on a monthly basis in February, the US Federal Reserve reported on Tuesday. This reading followed January’s expansion of 1.1% and missed the market expectation for an increase of 0.6% by a large margin.

Retail Sales in the US fell by 3% in February to $561.7 billion, the data published by the US Census Bureau showed on Tuesday. This reading followed January’s increase of 7.6% (revised from 5.3%) and came in worse than the market expectation for a decrease of 0.5%.

ZEW Economic Research Institute said investor sentiment in Germany improved more than expected in March thanks to expectations of a broad-based economic recovery in Europe’s largest economy. The institute said that its economic sentiment survey for investors rose to 76.6 points from 71.2 in the previous month. A Reuters poll …

The pound fell again on Monday (March 15th) amid an increase in US Treasury yields and with the European Union launching legal action against Britain’s unilateral changes to trade arrangements with Northern Ireland. The 27-nation bloc said the changes violated the Brexit deal signed last year. The pound fell 0.22% …

Caution dominated the currency markets on Tuesday, March 16th, before the start of the two-day monetary policy committee meeting of the US Federal Reserve. It is expected that policymakers in the Council expect that the US economy will grow in 2021 at the fastest pace in decades with the decline …

European stocks rose on Tuesday, March 16th, as German online fashion retailer Zalando and carmaker Volkswagen jumped on a positive earnings outlook, while investors awaited the US Federal Reserve’s views on recent inflation increases. The European Stoxx600 index rose 0.4%, growing closer to an all-time high reached last year and …

Gold prices rose on Tuesday, March 16th, as US Treasury yields fell, while investors awaited a Fed meeting likely to dispel concerns about rising inflation. The spot price of gold rose 0.2% to $1735.76 an ounce while US gold futures rose 0.4% to $1735.90. The expectations of policymakers at the …

Japanese shares closed higher on Tuesday, March 16th, and the Topix index reached a 20-year high, as technology stocks tracked Wall Street’s gains amid hopes for a strong economic recovery in the United States. The broader Topix index rose 0.65% to 1981.50 points, the highest closing level since May 1991, …

Asian stocks rose on Tuesday, tracking the advance of Wall Street’s major indexes to record highs, as investors looked forward to major central bank meetings this week, starting with the US Federal Reserve. The region’s stock market index excluding Japan rose 0.7%, led by a 1.2% jump in the benchmark …

Oil prices fell for the third session in a row on Tuesday (March 16th), as an increase in stocks in the United States exacerbated concerns about risks facing demand, with countries including Germany and France halting vaccinations to prevent Covid-19. Brent crude fell 49 cents, equivalent to 0.7%, to $ …