U.S. manufacturing activity probably slowed further in September
Oct 01, 2015 09:26 am UTC| Commentary
Manufacturing activity in U.S. likely decelerated for a third straight month, leaving the ISM Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) at 50.4 - the lowest reading since May 2013.With a quartet of district Federal Reserve canvasses...
ECB's monetary policy divergence in action
Oct 01, 2015 09:24 am UTC| Commentary
The euro area sees continued strength in activity data and weakness in inflation data. As a result, rates markets have been driven primarily by developments abroad, on-going concerns over China, compounded by the...
European Commission raises estimate for EU soft wheat crop
Oct 01, 2015 09:21 am UTC| Commentary
The wheat forward contract traded in Paris climbed slightly to 174.5 per ton during the course of trading yesterday. The US wheat price even made considerable gains and closed 1.8% up at 513 US cents per bushel.The...
Firm US dollar, rising stock markets and low inflation in the EU put pressure on gold
Oct 01, 2015 09:09 am UTC| Commentary
The gold price is continuing to show a tendency towards weakness and is trading this morning at only $1,110 per troy ounce. Gold in euro terms is faring somewhat better thanks to the firmer US dollar, though it nonetheless...
OPEC oil production rose slightly in September
Oct 01, 2015 09:03 am UTC| Commentary
Saudi Arabia and the other GCC countries maintained their production levels virtually unchanged. In other words, OPEC is still showing no willingness to withdraw oil supply from the market in a bid to shore up...
US crude oil production falls to lowest level since end of November 2014
Oct 01, 2015 09:01 am UTC| Commentary
Oil prices have gained by more than 1% this morning. Brent has risen to $49 per barrel and WTI to just shy of $46 per barrel. Russias military intervention in the Syrian conflict has increased the geopolitical risks, which...
Chinese PMI shows tentative signs of cyclical bottom
Oct 01, 2015 08:10 am UTC| Commentary
The Peoples Bank of China cut the required mortgage deposit from 30% to 25% for first-time buyers. This should add more fuel to the housing recovery. This adds to stimulus from interest rate cuts, reductions of reserve...