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...
The Nikkei 225 dropped 247 points or 0.9% to 37,595 in Monday morning trade, while the broader Topix fell 0.3% to 2,733, tracking a plunge in U.S. futures after Moody's downgraded the U.S. credit rating to Aa1 from Aaa on Friday, citing a deteriorating fiscal trajectory and "a lack of effective policy action" to rein in deficits. Sentiment was further pressured by Treasury Secretary Bessent's warning that trade partners would face maximum tariffs if they failed to negotiate with the U.S. in "good faith." Additionally, Japan's Q1 2025 GDP shrank 0.2% qoq, worse than the expected 0.1% fall and...
The S&P 500 rose Friday for a fifth session and posted a sharp weekly gain, as investors looked past the release of disappointing consumer sentiment data and persistent inflation worry. The broad market index climbed 0.70% to end at 5,958.38, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.52% to close at 19,211.10. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 331.99 points, or 0.78%, settling at 42,654.74. Friday's advance put the 30-stock benchmark into positive territory for 2025. For the week, the S&P 500 surged 5.3%, and the Dow gained 3.4%. The Nasdaq Composite jumped 7.2% this week....
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) stepped into fresh weekly highs on Friday after investors shrugged off the second-worst print from the University of Michigan's (UoM) Consumer Sentiment Index on record. Market sentiment remains on the high side as traders hope for further clarity on trade from the Trump administration and a continued easing of President Donald Trump's tariff policies. The UoM's Consumer Sentiment Index sank to 50.8 from 52.2 as consumers' outlook for economic activity, income, and employment continues to decline. Investors were hoping for an uptick in consumer...
The European stock markets closed higher in Friday trading as the Stoxx Europe 600 gained 0.28%, Germany's DAX was up 0.12%, the FTSE 100 rose 0.59%, France's CAC 40 increased 0.24%, and the Swiss Market Index advanced 0.61%. In France, the unemployment rate was 7.4% in Q1, up slightly from 7.3% in the previous quarter, according to the national statistics agency. In Italy, the annual inflation rate held steady at 1.9% in April, unchanged from March and slightly below the 2.0% forecast, according to Bloomberg. And in corporate news, Novo Nordisk said Friday that Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen...
US stocks hovered around the flatline on Friday (05/16), with volatility expected during the session as a large number of options expire. Despite the choppy trading, the three major indexes remained on track to post solid weekly gains. Market sentiment improved amid signs of easing trade tensions, as the U.S. and China agreed to temporarily ease tariffs. At the same time, a series of mostly weak economic data has reinforced expectations that the Fed has room to cut interest rates at least twice this year. Housing starts and building permits both came in below estimates, while export and...
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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