Market Update

British oil company BP’s profits fell by nearly 70% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2023 on the back of weak fossil fuel prices. The British energy major posted an underlying replacement cost profit in the second quarter, which is used as a proxy for net profit, of $2.6 billion. …

The unemployment rate in the euro area stabilized at 6.4%, contrary to expectations that it would rise to 6.5% in June, compared to 6.7% in the same period of 2022. The number of unemployed fell by 62,000 from the previous month to 10.814 million. Meanwhile, the youth unemployment rate, which …

The World Gold Council said that global demand for the precious metal, excluding stock exchange trading, fell 2% on an annual basis to 920.7 tons in the second quarter of 2023, with slowing central bank purchases and continued weak consumption of the technology sector. However, he added in his quarterly …

European stocks fell at the open on Tuesday as weak factory activity data in Asia and some disappointing corporate earnings halted a rally that pushed several regional indices to multi-year highs. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was down 0.1 percent by 0714 GMT, with the mining and real estate sectors …

Gold prices fell on Tuesday in light of the rise in the US dollar and as investors await the release of important economic data this week in search of clues about how long it can continue to raise interest rates to curb inflation. The spot gold price fell 0.1 percent …

The Japanese yen fell again to a three-week low on Tuesday as traders assessed moves announced last week by the Bank of Japan to adjust its yield curve control policy, while the Australian dollar fell ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s interest rate decision. The yen has been on …

Oil prices changed little on Tuesday and remained hovering near a three-month high reached on Monday amid signs of declining global supplies due to production cuts by producing countries and strong demand in the world’s top fuel consumer, the United States. By 0135 GMT, Brent crude futures were at $85.30 …

Crude oil prices surged for the third consecutive day and for the seventh time out of the last eight days. WTI got closer to $82.00 per barrel and posted its highest close since mid-April.The US Dollar posted mixed results on Monday, rising versus the Euro, the Pound, and the Yen …

China’s economic recovery is facing several challenges, including an ageing workforce, weak consumer demand, and a property market downturn. Analysts are drawing parallels with Japan, which experienced a slowdown after its asset-price bubble burst in 1989. Japan’s relaxed monetary policy in the 1980s triggered an economic bubble that eventually burst …

The US central bank released the July 2023 Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices (SLOOS) that “addressed changes in the standards and terms on, and demand for, bank loans to businesses and households over the past three months, which generally correspond to the second quarter of 2023.”The …