The measure of consumer confidence in France fell to 97 points for the month of June, down from 98 reached last month, the highest result in nine years. The decline in French consumer sentiment came as the consequence of approaching general elections, which will be held next summer, and political instability that comes with it.
The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-City Home Price Index jumped to 186.6 points on a non seasonally adjusted basis in April, above the previous month's upwardly revised reading of 184.6, but slightly below the 186.7 market forecast, according to fresh figures released by S&P Dow Jones Indices on Tuesday.
Today, the Honk Kong's Hang Seng Index dropped 0.3%, marking the third day of declines in a row, as investors are anxious about the global financial outlook and uncertainty created by Britain's decision to leave the EU last Thursday. The shockwave from ‘Brexit' continues to echo across world markets, with Wall Street seeing its poorest two-day performance in 10 months.
The US Gross Domestic Product expanded at an annual rate of 1.1% in the Q2 2016, compared to the 0.8% increase reported earlier and the 1.0% market forecast, according to the third estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis on Tuesday. In the meantime, the GDP Price Index was revised down to 0.4% from 0.6%.
The US trade deficit widened to $60.6 billion in May, following the 57.5 billion gap seen in the previous month and surpassing the 59.4 market forecast, fresh figures from the Department of Commerce showed on Monday. The country's exports dropped 0.5% to $119 billion, whereas imports grew 1.4% to $179.6 billion last moth.
West Texas Intermediate futures dropped 2.14%, trading at $46.62 per barrel, whereas Brent futures declined 2.13%, trading at $47.38 per barrel by 14:25 GMT on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday. Meanwhile, gold prices rose 0.61% to $1,330.50 per troy ounce, and silver prices grew 0.20% to $17.825 per ounce.
Major US equity markets opened in the negative territory on Monday amid post-Brexit financial uncertainty. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index dropped 0.70% to 2,023.05, whereas the Dow Jones Industrial Average Intex declined 0.81% to open at 17,259.23, and the Nasdaq Composite Index fell 0.94% to start at 4,663.88 points.
Europe's largest stock markets traded deeply in the red on Monday, dragged down by the weakness in the UK banking sector. Germany's DAX 30 Index dropped 1.98%, trading at 9,367.14, while Britain's FTSE 100 Index lost 1.58%, trading at 6,042.03 points by 12:40 GMT. Meanwhile, France's CAC 40 Index fell 1.94% to 4,027.54, and the pan-European Euro Stoxx 50 Index
The Flash Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index released by the Markit Economics for the United States came in at 51.4 in the sixth month of the year, following the 50.7 reading seen in May, the lowest reading since September 2009. Analysts predicted a slight acceleration to 50.9 prior to the release.
West Texas Intermediate futures jumped 1.69%, trading at $49.96 per barrel, whereas Brent futures rose 1.68%, trading at $50.72 per barrel by 13:40 GMT on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. Meanwhile, gold prices dropped 0.45% to $1,264.30 per troy ounce, and silver prices grew 0.05% to trade at $17.32 per ounce.
Major US stock markets opened Thursday's trading session with strong gains as initial jobless claims reached the two-month low. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index added 0.81% to 2,094.44, whereas the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index rose 0.89%, opening at 17,847.49, and the Nasdaq Composite Index grew 0.89%, starting at 4,875.32 points.
The number of Americans filing for unemployment aid for the first time during the week ended June 18 dropped to 259,000, following the unrevised 277,000 claims seen in the previous seven days and surpassing the 270,000 market forecast, the Department of Labour said on Thursday. This marks 68 consecutive weeks of initial claims below 300,000.
Markit's flash composite PMI for Germany dropped to 54.1 in June, following May's 54.5 and falling behind the 54.3 market forecast. Meanwhile, the country's flash manufacturing PMI rose to 54.4 from May's 52.1, surpassing the 52.0 forecast, whereas the flash services PMI declined to 53.2 from the previous month's 55.2, missing analysts' expectations of 55.0 points.
Major stock markets in Europe closed Wednesday's trading session with solid gains, supported by the banking sector. Germany's DAX 30 Index gained 1.22%, finishing at 10,138.20, while Britain's FTSE 100 Index added 1.23%, closing at 6,303.03 points. Meanwhile, France's CAC 40 Index rose 1.00% to 4,411.11, whereas the pan-European Euro Stoxx 50 Index grew 1.06% to 2,998.72 points.
Major US stock markets opened in the green zone on Wednesday. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 0.11% to start at 2,082.90, whereas the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index gained 0.11%, starting at 17,755.73, and the Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 0.20%, opening at 4,853.76 points.
According to fresh figures released by the Federal Housing Finance Agency on Wednesday, the House Price Index in the United States rose 0.2% month-over-month in April on a seasonally adjusted basis, following the 0.7% reading seen in the previous month and falling behind the 0.7% market forecast.
Canadian retail sales grew 0.9% in April, meeting the market forecast and following the 0.8% drop seen in the previous month that was revised up from the originally reported fall of 1.0%. Meanwhile, core retail sales increased 1.3% on a seasonally adjusted basis, compared to the upwardly revised 0.1% decline seen in March and the 0.6% increase anticipated by analysts.
West Texas Intermediate futures jumped 0.36%, trading at $50.03 per barrel, whereas Brent futures rose 0.24%, trading at $50.74 per barrel by 12:10 GMT on Wednesday. In the meantime, gold prices dropped 0.16% to $1.270.50 per troy ounce, and silver prices declined 0.11% to $17.30 per ounce.
The Euro dropped sharply against the US Dollar from its daily highs during the North American trading session on Tuesday. The common-bloc's currency traded at $1.1250 by 14:20 GMT on the New York Stock Exchange, following today's Testimony by Fed Chair Janet Yellen which did not cause any significant market volatility.
Major US indices opened Tuesday's trading session in the green, extending Monday's gains. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index jumped 0.21% to 2,087.70, whereas the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index added 0.18%, to start at 17,836.03, and the Nasdaq Composite Index rose 0.19% to open at 4,845.21 points.
Oil prices dropped sharply on Tuesday after a two-day rally, as investors turned cautious ahead of the June 23 referendum. West Texas Intermediate futures declined 1.56%, trading at $48.60 per barrel by 12:25 GMT, whereas Brent futures fell 1.70%, trading at $49.79 per barrel.
The mood among German investors improved in the sixth month of the year, showing the highest result since August 2015, according to the latest ZEW survey. The ZEW Index grew to 19.2 points in June, following the 6.4 reading seen in the previous month and surpassing the 4.8 market forecast.
Major US stock markets opened solidly higher on Monday, recovering from last week's losses. At the session start, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index added 1.33%, opening at 2,086.19, whereas the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index jumped 1.26% to 17,780.41, and the Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 1.32% to 4,815.34 points.
The Greenback appreciated against the Japanese Yen on Monday as traders made commodity-linked investments on an increased appetite for risk. The US Dollar jumped 0.4% against the Japanese Yen, trading at 104.50 yens by 12:35 GMT on the London Stock Exchange.