BNP Joins JPMorgan in Setting Up Singapore Currency Trading Hub

By Ritu, Capital Sands BNP Paribas  is planning to join JPMorgan Chase  & Co. and Citigroup Inc . by setting up an electronic currency trading and pricing platform in Singapore. The facility will support electronic trading of 50 currencies in spot, forward, swaps, non-deliverable forwards and options, according to a company statement. It will also […]

Asian Markets Fall Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions, Trade War Uncertainties

By Ritu Capital Sands Asian equities traded mostly lower in morning trade on Monday amid heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, and uncertainties surrounding the singing of the Sino-U.S. phase one trade deal. China’s Shanghai Composite and the Shenzhen Component both gained 0.4%. Sino-U.S. trade developments remained in focus. U.S. President Donald Trump said in a […]

German unemployment rises more than expected in December

By Ritu, Capital Sands   German unemployment rose more than expected in December, data showed on Friday, adding to signs that weakness in the manufacturing sector is hurting the labor market in Europe’s biggest economy. Data from the Federal Labor Office showed the number of people out of work rose by 8,000 to 2.279 million […]

Brent jumps nearly $3 after U.S. air strike kills Iran, Iraq officials

Oil slips as surge in virus cases cloud demand recovery

By Ritu, Capital Sands Brent crude futures jumped close to $3 on Friday to their highest since September after a U.S. air strike killed key Iranian and Iraqi military personnel, raising concerns that escalating Middle East tensions may disrupt oil supplies. Brent crude futures  jumped nearly $3 to hit a high of $69.16 a barrel, […]

India Stocks Rise as Investors Turn Attention to Fiscal Spending

By Ritu, Capital Sands India stocks advanced, extending gains for a second day on the expectation that the government’s plans to spend big will haul the country out of its economic woes. The S&P BSE Sensex 50 climbed 0.3% to 41,419.41 at 9:39 a.m. in Mumbai. The Nifty 50 Index advanced by a similar magnitude. The Sensex has had […]

Dollar starts new year with a hangover as others find cheer

By Ritu, Capital Sands The dollar started the new year where it left the old one, under pressure as investors wagered U.S. economic out performance could be coming to an end as optimism on trade brightens the outlook for growth globally. Signs of progress in the Sino-U.S. trade dispute undermined the dollar for much of […]

European shares falter as year-end rally fades

By Ritu, Capital Sands European shares looked set to end the decade with a whimper on Tuesday as investors locked in gains after a record rally that was fueled by optimism around trade and easing fears of a global recession. In a shortened session ahead of the New Year’s Eve celebrations, the pan-European STOXX 600 […]

Yuan hits multi-month highs as economy shows signs of stabilization

By Ritu, Capital Sands The Chinese yuan hit almost five-month highs and the USD continued to retreat on the last day of the year in Asia. The U.S. dollar index was down 0.06% to 96.69 by 8:45 PM ET, continuing a multi-day slide. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) set the reference rate for the yuan at 6.9762, […]

Oil price rise muted in 2019 despite sanctions, supply cuts, attack in Saudi Arabia

Oil market falls too big to offset with output cuts, IEA warns

By Ritu, Capital Sands Oil prices rose more than 20% this year but there were no sharp spikes and crude futures barely sniffed $70 a barrel despite attacks on the world’s biggest oil producer, sanctions that crippled crude exports of two OPEC members and gigantic supply cuts from big oil producing countries. The price gains […]

Oil hits three-month highs as strong U.S. consumer spending underpins growth hopes

By Ritu, Capital Sands Oil prices rose on Friday, hitting three-month highs after data showed record online spending by U.S. consumers, stoking faith in the world’s no. 1 economy even before the hoped-for end to the trade war between Washington and Beijing. Brent crude futures were up 6 cents, or 0.1%, at $67.98 a barrel […]