Market Update

Britain’s public borrowing increased again in August, reaching a new record high, driven by massive spending to combat the Coronavirus pandemic, with the budget deficit since the start of the current tax year surpassing its full-year peak during the global financial crisis. The government has now borrowed 173.7 billion pounds …

The S&P 500 Index and the Dow opened lower on Friday, continuing their longest losing streak in a year as concerns about the economy’s outlook for a future dominated by the Coronavirus remain, putting pressure on investor sentiment. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 120.93 points, or 0.45%, to 26,694.51 …

Durable Goods Orders in the United States expanded by 0.4%, or $1 billion, on a monthly basis to $232.8 billion in August following July’s increase of 11.7% (revised from 11.2%), the US Census Bureau reported on Friday. This reading missed the market expectation of +1.5%. “Excluding transportation, new orders increased …

The dollar settled below its recent two-month high, and riskier currencies erased some of their weekly losses, while stock markets received a boost from hopes of resuming talks on fiscal stimulus in the United States. The dollar is moving towards achieving its best weekly performance since early April, driven by …

European Central Bank data showed that Eurozone companies continued to obtain bank credit in August, two months after most economies eased restrictions on economic activities aimed at controlling the Coronavirus pandemic. Corporate bank loans rose 7.1% year-on-year, extending a borrowing boom that began in March when large parts of the …

Telecom companies pushed European shares up slightly, but the main indicators are heading towards a sharp weekly decline as the continent suffers a new wave of Covid-19 infections. The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.2%, while telecom shares jumped 0.8%, topping the sectors’ gains. Shares in Spanish telecoms operator Massmoville …

Gold prices rose, as the dollar fell and hopes for more stimulus measures in the United States re-emerged, but the yellow metal is on the path to post its biggest weekly decline since August. Spot gold rose 0.3% to $ 1873.83 an ounce. But prices are down about 4% a …

Oil prices have retreated, and are heading towards a weekly decline due to growing concerns that fuel demand will be affected by a new large-scale rise in cases of coronavirus, as well as some concern about a possible return of exports from Libya. Brent crude fell four cents to $ …

IFO Institute said that optimism among German exporters, who have been affected by the Coronavirus crisis, reached its highest level in September since October 2018. IFO said its index of export expectations rose to 10.4 in September from 5.5. it said more companies in the chemical and electrical equipment sectors …

Japanese stocks rose, tracking the rally in Wall Street yesterday, as hopes for more US stimulus overtook some concerns about the strength of the global economy. The Nikkei index closed up 0.51% at 23,204.62 points. The broader TOPIX index gained 0.48% to 1634.23. But for the week, the benchmark fell …