Market Update

Gold is trading at $1959.26 at the time of writing. Earlier on the day, gold price surged further on Friday reaching the highest level in eleven months, rising above $1,960 per ounce. The Gold Index XAU/USD is rising by more than $40, adding to weekly gains.Risk aversion amid the banking …

Consumer sentiment in the US weakened in early March with the University of Michigan’s (UoM) Consumer Confidence Index declining to 63.4 from 67 in February. This reading came in worse than the market expectation of 67. “Year-ahead inflation expectations receded from 4.1% in February to 3.8%, the lowest reading since …

SVB Financial Group filed for a court-supervised restructuring under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Friday to seek purchasers for its assets, only days after its former affiliate Silicon Valley Bank was taken over by US regulators. The decision to seek bankruptcy protection comes after the company announced on March 13 …

The Chinese central bank eased a key monetary policy instrument on Friday, attempting to boost an economy facing hurdles from a slowdown in its largest export markets. The People’s Bank of China announced a 25 basis point reduction in the reserve requirement ratio for major banks, which specifies how much …

The Kremlin said on Friday that Russia had decided to extend the grain deal across the Black Sea for 60 days, echoing earlier statements by the Foreign Ministry. Ukraine stated that the agreement, which will expire soon, must be fully renewed under the current terms, which provide for an extension …

European stocks continued to recover for the second consecutive session on Friday, as measures taken by the United States and Europe to support banks calmed fears of an imminent collapse, but the European index was on track to record a decline for the second week in a row. The Stoxx …

Gold prices rose on Friday, supported by the weakness of the dollar, and are preparing for the largest weekly gains since mid-November, as the global banking crisis prompted investors to turn to the metal, which is considered a safe haven. And by 0313 GMT, gold in instant transactions rose 0.5 …

The dollar fell on Friday as risk appetite improved after authorities and banks in key markets moved to ease pressure on the financial system, calming other major currencies that had fallen earlier in the week in the wake of banking turmoil. On Thursday, large US banks pumped $30 billion in …

Oil prices rose nearly 1 percent on Friday after a meeting between Saudi Arabia and Russia calmed markets amid expectations of strong demand in China, after a banking crisis led to heavy selling in global financial and oil markets this week. By 0400 GMT, Brent crude futures rose 81 cents …

Thursday witnessed a spike in stock market volatility. Indexes on Wall Street began the day in the red but ended the day up more than 1%. Nasdaq took the lead with a gain of 2.48%. Fears about systemic risk subsided, improving the market’s attitude. 11 of the biggest American banks …