Before the Bell: Equities and copper are on a roll January 8, 2021 Equity markets in Europe and the US enjoyed rallies yesterday as traders bought stocks on the back of the view that the future Biden administration will be keen to use stimulus packages to support the economy. In late December, lawmakers signed off on a $900bn relief package but in October, Nancy Pelosi, of the Democrats, [...]
Before the Bell: Bulls in control, calm restored to Capitol Hill January 7, 2021 The disturbance at Capitol Hill derailed the process of certifying the Biden electoral victory for a number of hours last night but was then resumed so the final confirmation of Biden’s win should be relatively straightforward. Moreover, the FTSE 100 had a stellar run yesterday as it closed up more than 3 per cent and [...]
Oil prices top $50 for the first time since pandemic declared December 10, 2020 Global oil prices today rose above $50 for the first time since the world went into lockdown back in March as traders welcomed the start of coronavirus vaccination programmes. Worldwide standard Brent Crude rose 3.5 per cent today to trade at $50.60, its highest levels since the first week of March. US benchmark West Texas [...]
Oil prices post weekly gain ahead of OPEC+ meeting November 27, 2020 By Stephanie Kelly NEW YORK (Reuters) – Oil prices were mixed on Friday but posted a fourth straight week of gains ahead of an OPEC+ meeting early next week. Brent crude January futures rose 38 cents to settle at $48.18 a barrel, while the more active February contract gained 46 cents to $48.25. U.S. West [...]
Before the bell: Volatility remains low post-Thanksgiving November 27, 2020 It was a subdued session yesterday as the US celebrated Thanksgiving and in turn the US stock market was closed. Dealers in the rest of the world largely sat on their hands while their US-based counterparts enjoyed their turkey. It was a quiet day in terms of news flow and there was little appetite for [...]
Before the bell: Calm day expected as US celebrates Thanksgiving November 26, 2020 Equity markets were relatively quiet yesterday as some dealers banked their profits from the ground that was gained earlier in the week. “The mood in the markets was assisted by the growing feeling that there will be a smooth had over of power from President Trump to President-elect, Joe Biden,” David Madden, market analyst at [...]
Oil prices hit pre-lockdown levels as vaccine rally goes on November 24, 2020 Oil prices today hit their highest levels since the spring’s historic collapse as traders continued to celebrate news of yet another effective coronavirus vaccine. Brent crude jumped 3.9 per cent across the day to touch $48 – the highest the global standard has traded at since Opec initiated a price war with Russia at the [...]
Oil prices hit highest levels since March on more vaccine hopes November 23, 2020 Global oil prices rose again today as a third straight Monday brought with it positive news concerning a vaccine for the coronavirus disease. Prices climbed a further two per cent after Astrazeneca and Oxford University said that their vaccine was up to 90 per cent effective. The announcement followed similar statements in recent weeks from [...]
Oil prices slip after week of gains as vaccine rally cools November 13, 2020 Global oil prices today pared some of their gains for the week as a vaccine-inspired rally ran out of steam. Prices shot up at the beginning of the week on the news that Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine was 90 per cent effective, but began to slip back yesterday. Today global standard Brent crude fell a further [...]
Oil prices continue rally as vaccine hope buoys traders November 11, 2020 Oil prices continued to surge today as the discovery of an effective vaccine for the coronavirus disease buoyed traders. Both Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate rose around 3.5 per cent this morning, continuing a rally which has seen prices rise over 10 per cent since Monday. Global standard Brent crude is now trading around [...]