Market Update

FX option expiries for Aug 31 NY cut at 10:00 Eastern Time, via DTCC, can be found below. – EUR/USD: EUR amounts 1.1750 536m1.1800 1.1bn1.1900 1.4bn  – GBP/USD: GBP amounts         1.3250 272m – USD/JPY: USD amounts          104.50 378m105.00 754m105.25 575m105.75 457m106.00 438m

Chinese manufacturing activity growth slowed this month, dropping to 51 points from 51.1 in July, as floods in southwest China disrupted production. With the recorded slowdown, however, Chinese manufacturing activity remained above 50 points, which is the separating point between expansion and contraction, which indicates that the Chinese economy continues …

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) finished higher on Friday, extending their weekly and monthly gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed higher by 161.60 points or 0.57% at 28,653.87, rising by 2.6% for the week. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 index finished at 3,508.01, after rising by 23.46 or 0.67%, …

Oil prices settled lower on Friday, but recorded weekly gains mostly due to output disruptions in the Gulf of Mexico that resulted from Hurricane Laura. Brent crude futures for October delivery decreased by 4 cents, or 0.09%, and finished at $45.05 per barrel, rising by 1.6% for the week. The …

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 …