Market Update

Housing starts in the United States decreased by 6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.58 million units in January, data by the U.S. Department of Commerce showed on Thursday. Housing starts declined by 2.3% on an annual basis, as softwood lumber prices surged by a record 73% last …

According to official figures, British consumer spending has fallen over the past week, and the proportion of people referred to reduced-pay vacations or only those who work from home has increased, as the country remains in lockdown due to the Coronavirus. Spending on debit and credit cards, as measured by …

There were 861,000 initial claims for unemployment benefits in the US during the week ending February 13, the data published by the US Department of Labor (DOL) revealed on Thursday. This reading followed the previous print of 848,000 and came in worse than the market expectation of 765,000.

Oil prices erased gains made in early trading after Brent hit a new high in 13 months, surpassing $65 a barrel, as markets witnessed new buying due to fears that sudden cold weather in Texas could disrupt US crude production for days or perhaps weeks. Brent crude fell 3 cents, …

The Turkish central bank kept the main interest rate at 17% as expected, unchanged for the second month in a row after dramatically raising it twice in order to calm inflation, which rose to 15%. Since November, the new central bank governor, Naji Iqbal, has raised the repurchase rate (repo) …

Bitcoin rose above $52,000 for the first time in its history on Wednesday, February 17th, as the cryptocurrency rose to a record high of $52,340. Bitcoin was invented in 2009, shortly after the global financial crisis, with the transformation in protests against the banking system into something of “digital gold” …

Oil prices rose again Thursday, February 18th, to reach their highest levels in 13 months, as markets witnessed new buying due to fears that the sudden cold weather in Texas could disrupt US crude production for days or perhaps weeks. Brent crude rose 89 cents, or 1.4%, to $65.23 a …

European stocks retreated from nearly a year highs on Wednesday as riskier assets shied away due to concerns about a potential inflation spurt and rising bond yields, while Gucci owner Kering led losses after announcing a drop in sales. The pan-European STOXX 600 index closed 0.7% lower, while the London …

The dollar traded at slightly less than its recent highs, Thursday, February 18th, after it made its first consecutive gains over two weeks, as optimistic data reinforced expectations that the US economy is recovering from the Coronavirus pandemic at a pace that it captured than its peers. Bitcoin traded near …

Barclays Bank announced a full-year profit of 1.53 billion pounds, equivalent to $2.11 billion, for 2020, down 38% from 2019 but exceeding analysts’ expectations. The UK bank announced a fourth-quarter net profit attributable to shareholders of £220m, even though the UK is dealing with new nationwide lockdown measures amid the …