US stocks ended trading on Friday with a sharp decline, with chip makers falling on concerns about weak demand, while rising Treasury yields pressured shares of Amazon and other growth companies with huge market value. Shares of chip equipment maker Applied Materials, Lam Research and KLA Corp fell after Reuters …
Read More »Financial Markets’ Weekly Recap, Aug 28-Sep 1
On Friday, the dollar rose versus the euro and the Japanese yen after the August jobs report revealed a still-strong labour market, despite some signs of slippage. Employers added 187,000 jobs in August, exceeding predictions of 170,000. However, data for July was revised downward to reflect 157,000 employment gains rather …
Read More »Financial Markets’ Weekly Recap, August 14-18
Eurozone Eurozone inflation has slowed further, and underlying price pressures appear to have peaked, according to Eurostat statistics released on Friday, lessening pressure on the European Central Bank to continue raising rates following its quickest rate-hike cycle on record. To confront a historic increase in inflation, the ECB has raised …
Read More »Financial Markets’ Weekly Recap, August 7-11
After a quiet trading week’s beginning on Monday, storms came one after another though Tuesday was ted to be quiet in terms of economic data; the first storm impacted commodities, because in response to data that suggested a potential global economic slowdown, risk appetite deteriorated on Tuesday, and the EUR/USD …
Read More »Powell comments on Fed’s latest interest rate hike
Jerome Powell said that the US “labour market remains very tight” and that demand still and that demand for labor “substantially exceeds supply of available workers.”However, the Fed chair did note that the labor market is not as hot as it was last year. “There are some continuing signs that …
Read More »Higher rates pushed US banks’ earnings higher in Q2
Higher interest rates helped US banks’ Q2 profitability, which in turn helped key markets rise. The prospects for the industry is, however, cast in doubt by decreased consumer spending, sluggish loan growth, and rising deposit-retention expenses. The S&P 500 Banks Index increased by 9.3%, while the KBW Regional Banking Index …
Read More »What could investors expect from Q2 earnings season?
US equities had a phenomenal first half of the year, with the S&P up over 17%, thanks to a strong US economy, declining inflation, and a boom in mega-cap growth businesses propelled by artificial intelligence. Investors are watching to see if the second-quarter earnings season will serve as the next …
Read More »Market Drivers – US Session – 22/05/2023
Gold’s gains from Friday were partially reversed, with XAU/USD slipping towards $1,970/oz. Additionally falling, silver finished the day at $23.60. The performance of cryptocurrencies was uneven, with BTC/USD failing to recoup $27,000. Prices for crude oil increased somewhat; WTI got close to $72.00. On a quiet Monday in the financial …
Read More »BoC: effects of banking sector stress were limited
The Bank of Canada has released its Financial System Review (for 2023), which expresses increased concern compared to last year about the ability of households to pay their debts.In the document, the BoC noted that the spillover effects on Canada from recent stress in the global banking sector have been …
Read More »PacWest one more US bank faces trouble
Following the Federal Reserve’s decision to increase interest rates to their highest level since 2007, another US bank is on the verge of failure. The potential sale is one of the strategic options PacWest Bancorp is considering. The fact that PacWest’s shares are down more than 50% in after-market trading …
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