OPEC on Tuesday raised its forecast for global oil demand next year and trimmed its forecast for growth in supply from the United States and other producers outside the wider OPEC+ group, pointing to a tighter market outlook. World oil demand will rise by 1.38 million barrels per day in 2026, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said in a monthly report, up 100,000 bpd from the previous forecast. This year's expectation was left unchanged. Oil supply from countries outside the Declaration of Cooperation - the formal name for OPEC+ - will rise by about 630,000 barrels per...
European stocks closed slightly higher on Friday, paring losses from record highs earlier in the week as markets digested the latest PMI data and a slew of corporate earnings, while preparing for Germany's general election over the weekend. The STOXX 50 gained 0.3% and the STOXX 600 gained 0.5%. Private sector activity in the euro zone remained in slight expansion as strength in service providers offset another period of contraction for manufacturers. On the political front, the center-right CDU led the latest polls and the incumbent center-left SPD dropped to third place. Air Liquide jumped...
US stocks fluctuated on Friday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hovering near the flatline, while the Dow Jones dropped around 280 points. The health and energy sectors were among the biggest laggards. Shares of UnitedHealth plunged almost 10% after The Wall Street Journal reported that the Justice Department has launched an investigation into the company's Medicare billing practices in recent months, citing sources familiar with the matter. On the other hand, communication services outperformed. Also, AI-related stocks traded higher, including Nvidia (0.6%), boosted by strong earnings...
European stock markets were trading higher on Friday morning after a sell-off on Wall Street as earnings remain in focus for investors. The regional Stoxx 600 was up by 0.3%, the U.K.'s FTSE 100 and Germany's DAX were marginally higher by 0.1% at 8:10 a.m. London time. Meanwhile, France's CAC 40 was up 0.4% and Italy's MIB rose by 0.3%. European firms Kingspan Group, Air Liquide, Sika AG and others reported their fourth-quarter earnings. Standard Chartered for instance beat market expectations, and is now trading up by nearly 5%. Source: CNBC
The Nikkei 225 Index gained 0.26% to close at 38,777, while the broader Topix Index edged up 0.07% to 2,737 on Friday, reversing earlier losses. The rebound followed comments from Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda, who stated that the central bank is prepared to increase government bond purchases if long-term interest rates rise sharply. Meanwhile, data showed that core inflation in Japan accelerated to 3.2% in January, up from 3% in December, exceeding forecasts of 3.1%. Headline inflation also rose to 4%, up from 3.6%, the highest level in two years. These figures reinforced expectations...
Hong Kong shares hit a three-year high Friday, leading gains in the region as investors weighed inflation data from Japan against tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 3.76% to its highest level since February 2022, according to data from LSEG. The Hang Seng Tech index added 6.15%. Shares of Hong Kong listed Alibaba rose 14.7% following a significant profit increase for the company in the December quarter, driven by growth in its Cloud Intelligence division and e-commerce sector. Mainland China's CSI 300 rose 1.26% to close at 3,978.44. Japan's...
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Monday evening on Truth Social that Israel and Iran have agreed to a "Complete and Total CEASEFIRE" following what he referred to as "THE 12 DAY...
Gold moved above $2600 on Monday during the Asian trading session. Currently, Gold is still struggling to capitalize on last week's modest recovery from a one-month low and is fluctuating.
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