Market Update

The New Zealand Dollar (NZD) expanded its gains on Friday, with most gains seen against the US Dollar (USD), following recent remarks by the US Federal Reserve that showed tolerance towards inflation going above the 2% target. This comes two week after the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) increased …

Gold prices rose on Friday switching earlier weekly losses into gains. Gold futures for December delivery added $42.30, or 2.2%, and settled at $1,974.90 per ounce, rising by 1.4% for the week. Meanwhile, silver futures for December delivery increased by 59 cents, or 2.2%, to finish at $27.79 per ounce, …

The United States merchandise trade deficit increased during July to its second-largest level on record, Bloomberg reported. As imports returned to their pre-COVID-19 levels, the deficit increased to $79.3 billion in July from a revised $71 billion in June, according to data by the Department of Commerce on Friday. Imports …

European stocks closed lower on Friday, finishing a week in which it showed a mixed performance. The Stoxx Europe 600 index closed down by 0.52% and closed at 368.80, limiting its weekly gains to around 1%. The UK’s FTSE100 fell by 0.61%, while the French index CAC40 finished lower by …

The German government is revising its economic growth forecast for 2020, expecting Germany’s gross domestic product (GDP) to contract by less than 6%, compared with previous estimates of a 6.3% contract, Reuters Reported. Europe’s largest economy contracted by 9.7% in the second quarter of 2020, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) …

The University of Michigan’s Index of Consumer Sentiment improved in August to a reading of 74.1, up from 72.5 in July. The 2.2% monthly increase is accompanied by a 17.5% yearly decline, as the index remains way below its level in August 2019 at 89.8. The Current Economic Conditions index …

The Chicago Business Barometer declined to 51.2 in August, registering its second consecutive reading above the 50-mark, according to data by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) – Chicago. Among the five main indicators, order backlogs was the only category to show a monthly decline, with supplier deliveries recorded the …

Data published by Statistics Canada revealed on Friday that Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Canada declined by 38.7% on a yearly basis in Q2. This reading followed the 8.2% contraction recorded in Q1 but came in slightly better than the market expectation of -39.6%.

Oil prices plummeted, as Storm Laura bypassed the heart of the US oil industry in Louisiana and Texas without causing wide losses to refineries. Brent crude futures for October delivery, which are due on Friday, fell seven cents to $ 44.99 a barrel before the opening of Wall Street. US …

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told SWR television that he does not expect the country’s economy to suffer from further lockdown measures even if coronavirus infections continue to rise. The minister also told television that many industries in Germany are improving again.