Market Update

US service sector activity gained momentum in July as new purchase orders rose to a record high but hiring fell, supporting views that the labor market recovery is faltering amid an increase in new COVID-19 cases nationwide. The Institute of Supply Management said on Wednesday that its index of activity …

Biotech company Gilead Sciences said it will be able to produce enough anti-coronavirus drug Remdesivir to meet global demand in October. In addition, Gilead said it plans to produce more than 2 million “treatment courses” for the drug by the end of the year, and expects to be able to …

China’s exports increased at the fastest pace in seven months in July, while imports declined, painting a mixed picture of the economy as it recovers from a slowdown sparked by the pandemic. Exports rose 7.2% from a year ago in July, the fastest pace since December, customs data showed, missing …

China’s imports of crude jumped 25% in July compared to a year ago, driven by the arrival of massive purchases that took place when prices collapsed in April and the customs clearance of some shipments delayed at ports in June. Data issued by the General Administration of Customs showed that …

Iraqi News Agency said on Friday that Saudi Arabia and Iraq have confirmed their full commitment to the OPEC + agreement. Iraq had said on Thursday that it would implement additional cuts to its oil production by about 400,000 barrels per day in August to compensate for excess production in …

According to the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude oil futures for September were traded at $41.98 a barrel, up 0.07%. It was previously traded higher at $42.22 a barrel. Crude oil may find support at $39.58 and resistance at $43.52. The dollar index, which measures the performance of the greenback …

FX option expiries for Aug 7 NY cut at 10:00 Eastern Time, via DTCC, can be found below. – EUR/USD: EUR amounts 1.1750 517m1.1850 1.1bn1.1900 1.5bn1.1925 594m1.2000 568m – GBP/USD: GBP amounts         1.3000 425m  – USD/JPY: USD amounts          104.25 388m104.50 400m105.00 481m105.50 792m105.80 750m106.00 485m107.00 668m – USD/CAD: USD amounts         1.3180 …

Wall Street closed higher on Thursday with the Nasdaq closing at a new all-time high, supported by a decline in the US jobless claims last week and anticipating a new stimulus package to be approved by Congress. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 185.5 points, or 0.68%, and settled at …

Oil prices declined on Thursday, amid rising concerns about the prospects of economic recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, an increase in US natural gas inventories further pushed the worries for the recovery of the demand for energy. Brent crude futures for October delivery declined by …

Gold prices rose on Thursday for the fifth consecutive session, amidst an increase in demand for safe havens and the US Dollar (USD) returning to losses after briefly attempting recovery. Gold futures gained $20.10 or 1.2% to settle at $2,069.40 per ounce. Markets are still anticipating a deal in the …