Oil prices closed higher on Wednesday, amid hopes for a new stimulus package in the United States, and after a decline in US crude inventories last week. Crude prices maintained their best levels since early March, as the global benchmark, Brent crude futures for February delivery gained 32 cents, or …
Read More »Delta Air Lines Exceeds Q4 Earnings Expectations on Robust Travel Demand
Delta Air Lines reported fourth-quarter earnings that outperformed Wall Street estimates, propelled …
China’s Central Bank Halts Treasury Bond Purchases Amid Currency Concerns
China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), announced on Friday the suspens…
European Markets Edge Lower as Investors Await U.S. Jobs Data
European stock markets traded slightly lower on Friday as investors exercised caution ahead of the r…
Oil Prices Climb as Winter Weather and Supply Concerns Drive Demand
Oil prices rose in early Asian trade on Friday, continuing their upward trajectory for a third conse…
Gold Prices Inch Higher Amid Rate and Trade Jitters, Copper Boosted by China Stimulus Hopes
Gold Market Highlights Gold Extends Weekly Gains Amid Uncertainty Spot gold rose 0.1% to $2,672.12 p…
What Can Markets Expect from December’s US Employment Data?
US employment data significantly influences market price movements. By examining preliminary employm…
Loonie Declines Despite US Market Pause
The Canadian Dollar continued its downward spiral on Thursday, losing another 0.1% against the US Do…
BoE’s Breeden: Some evidence of activity weakening, but we expect it to pick up again
Bank of England (BoE) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) member and Deputy Governor for Financial Stabi…
Fed’s Harker Signals Continued Rate Cuts, But Urges Caution
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Market Analysis
December, 2020
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16 December 2020 11:37 pm
Gold Settles Higher Amid Stimulus Hopes
Gold prices rose on Wednesday, amid anticipation for a new stimulus package in the United States. The yellow metal futures for February delivery rose by $3.80, or 0.2%, to close at $1,859.10 per ounce. This is the highest closing level for gold futures since December 8.
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16 December 2020 11:04 pm
Fed Maintains Interest Rates Unchanged
The United States Federal Reserve has decided as expected to maintain interest rates near 0% during its two-day meeting that concluded on Wednesday. The Fed policy statement noted that policymakers are committed to maintaining asset purchases at at least $120 billion per month.
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16 December 2020 10:13 pm
US Crude Inventories Down 3.1 M Barrels
Crude oil inventories in the United States decreased by 3.1 million barrels last week to stand at 500 million barrels, according to the weekly report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released on Wednesday. Meanwhile, gasoline stockpiles rose by 1 million barrels to 238.9 million barrels and distillate stockpiles …
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16 December 2020 9:42 pm
US Business Inventories Rise in October
Business inventories in the United States grew during October by 0.7%, after rising by 0.8% in September, data by the US Department of Commerce showed on Wednesday. On an annual basis, inventories declined by 4% compared with their level in October 2019. Retail inventories increased by 0.9% in October, up …
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16 December 2020 9:30 pm
Bitcoin Exceeds $20,000 for First Time Ever
Bitcoin exceeded the $20,000 price tag for the first time in history earlier today, marking a new milestone for the world’s largest cryptocurrency. Bitcoin is trading higher for the day by around 6.6% at $20,653.75. The biggest digital currency has seen gains of around 12.4% over the next seven days.
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16 December 2020 8:36 pm
US Housing Market Index Declines in December
The United States National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Housing Market Index (HMI) declined by four points in December to a reading of 86, compared with 90 in November. However, this is the second-highest level on record for the index. It is worth noting that any reading above 50 indicates …
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16 December 2020 8:31 pm
US Retail Sales Decline in November
Retail sales in the United States declined by more than expected during November, data by the US Department of Commerce showed on Wednesday. Last month, retail sales decreased by 1.1%, while the October reading was revised down to show a decline of 0.1% instead of an increase of 0.3% as …
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16 December 2020 8:30 pm
European Stocks Close Higher Amid Optimism
European stocks closed higher on Wednesday, supported by an improved investors’ sentiment regarding the rollout of new Coronavirus vaccines. The pan-European STOXX 600 index finished higher by 0.8%, supported by gains by the majority of market sectors, except for the baking stocks, with the insurance index heading the gains. The …
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16 December 2020 5:01 pm
Oil Prices Rose on Optimism About Covid-19 Vaccine And Weakness of Dollar
Oil prices rose today, Wednesday, due to the decline of the dollar and the progress in the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, but the gains were limited due to a sudden increase in crude oil inventories in the United States and the tightening of measures to combat Coronavirus in Europe. Brent …
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16 December 2020 3:52 pm
Eurozone Trade Surplus Widened as Exports Recovered More Than Imports
Data revealed that the Eurozone’s unadjusted trade surplus jumped year on year in October as exports performed better than imports amid the economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The European Union statistics office said the commodity trade surplus in 19 countries in the Eurozone amounted to 30.0 billion euros, …
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16 December 2020 2:46 pm
Oil Prices Dropping Due to a Sudden Increase in US Inventories
Oil prices fell on Wednesday, December 16, due to a sudden increase in crude oil inventories in the United States and due to continuing investor concerns about the decline in fuel demand in light of tightening public isolation measures in Europe to combat the virus pandemic. Brent crude futures fell …
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16 December 2020 2:06 pm
UK Preliminary Manufacturing PMI Beats Estimates in December
The UK manufacturing and services sector activities showed mixed performance in December, the preliminary report from IHS Markit showed this Wednesday. The seasonally adjusted IHS Markit/CIPS UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) jumped to a 37-month high level of 57.3 in December. The reading surpassed consensus estimates pointing to a …
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