Market Update

The US central bank raised its forecast for GDP growth in 2024 from 1.4% in its December outlook to 2.1%, this was based upon the US economy’s continued resilience against the currently high interest rates as well as the efforts by the Fed to combat inflation, so far. The US …

Oil prices found stability on Friday, with Brent crude hovering above the $85 per barrel mark, buoyed by growing optimism about a potential ceasefire in Gaza. Brent crude futures remained virtually unchanged at $85.76 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures edged up slightly to $81.08 per barrel …

In a surprising turn, German business morale saw improvement in March, surpassing analyst expectations, according to a survey released on Friday by the Ifo institute. Despite this positive development, concerns persist about the possibility of Europe’s largest economy slipping into another recession. The Ifo business climate index rose to 87.8, …

Japan’s Nikkei index reached an all-time high on Friday, propelled by record gains on Wall Street and a surge in automaker stocks driven by a weakening yen. The Nikkei climbed 0.18 percent to close at 40,888.43, briefly touching 41,087.75 during the session, surpassing its previous peak. This milestone comes as …

Data released on Friday revealed that residential property prices in Germany plummeted by 8.4% in 2023 compared to the previous year, marking a significant downturn for the real estate sector in Europe’s largest economy. This decline represents the largest drop since Germany’s statistics office began keeping records in 2000, highlighting …

British retail sales defied expectations by holding steady in February, following a revised 3.6% increase in January, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics on Friday. Economists surveyed by Reuters had anticipated a 0.3% decline in sales volumes for the month. Heather Bovill, senior statistician at the …

Oil prices dipped on Friday amidst speculation of an imminent ceasefire in Gaza, potentially easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Additionally, a stronger dollar and subdued U.S. gasoline demand weighed on market sentiment. Brent crude futures edged lower by 53 cents, or 0.6%, to $85.25 a barrel, while U.S. …

As investors continued to process the most recent FOMC meeting and the prospect of three rate reduction by the Fed this year, risk aversion made a comeback on Thursday across markets and traded assets, giving the dollar additional impetus. Apart from that, the BoE maintained rates and hinted at potential …

USD/JPY took advantage of the positive correlation with US Treasury yields hitting a new high after yields on benchmark bonds showed a significant amount of consolidation throughout the trading day, on Thursday.US Treasury bond yields were able to consolidate in an upward trend on Thursday with the emergence of several …

The seasonally-adjusted Trade Balance in New Zealand increased to $-11.99 billion YoY at the end of February, from the previous period’s $-12.62 billion. This was due to a little dip in January that was followed by a rise in both imports and exports in February. New Zealand’s trade gap, also …