Tag: Markets

US Retail Sales Fall More Than Expected in March

WASHINGTON—U.S. retail sales fell more than expected in March as consumers cut back on purchases of motor vehicles and other big ticket items, suggesting that the economy was losing steam at the end of the first quarter because of higher interest rates. Retail sales dropped 1.0 percent last month, the Commerce Department said on Friday….


Dollar Set for Longest Stretch of Weekly Losses Since 2020

LONDON—The dollar headed for its longest stretch of weekly losses in almost three years on Friday, as traders ramped up expectations of an imminent end to the U.S. Federal Reserve’s rate-hike cycle following signs that inflation may be cooling. Data on Thursday showed U.S. wholesale prices, as measured by the producer price index (PPI), fell…


Oil Gains After IEA Sees Demand Rising to Record High

LONDON—Oil prices rose on Friday after the West’s energy watchdog said it expected global demand to rise to a record high this year on the back of a recovery in Chinese consumption. The International Energy Agency (IEA) also warned that output cuts announced by OPEC+ producers could exacerbate an oil supply deficit and hurt consumers….


Global Stocks Rise After US Inflation Cools

BEIJING—Global stock markets rose Friday after U.S. inflation eased in March and China reported strong exports. London and Frankfurt opened higher. Shanghai, Tokyo, and Hong Kong advanced. Oil prices rose. Wall Street futures were lower, giving up part of Thursday’s gains after U.S. inflation at the wholesale level slowed more than expected. Asian markets were…


Closing Prices for Crude Oil, Gold and Other Commodities (Apr. 13)

Benchmark U.S. crude oil for May delivery fell $1.10 to $82.16 a barrel Thursday. Brent crude for June delivery fell $1.24 to $86.09 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for May delivery fell 4 cents $2.83 a gallon. May heating oil fell 3 cents to $2.67 a gallon. May natural gas fell 8 cents to $2.01 per…


Twitter Taps EToro to Let Users Trade in Stocks, Crypto

Trading and investing platform eToro said on Thursday it has partnered with Elon Musk-led Twitter to let users access real-time prices of cryptocurrencies, stocks, and other assets, and to enable the trading of those instruments. The trading data will be available through Twitter’s Cashtags feature, which was launched in 2012 and allows users to interact…


New Vehicles Fall Below Manufacturer Price for First Time in Nearly Two Years

Transaction prices on new vehicles have dropped below the manufacturer sticker price in March 2023 for the first time in 20 months, with the first quarter seeing a downtrend in prices. The average price paid for a new vehicle by Americans fell to $48,008 in March, which is $171 below the average sticker price, according…


US Jobless Claims Rise but Remain at Historically Low Levels

U.S. applications for jobless benefits rose to their highest level in more than a year, but remain at relatively low levels despite efforts by the Federal Reserve to cool the economy and job market in its battle against inflation. Jobless claims in the U.S. for the week ending April 8 rose by 11,000 to 239,000…


Wall Street Opens Higher as Economic Data Ease Rate Jitters

Wall Street’s main indexes opened higher on Thursday as moderating producer prices in March and a jump in weekly jobless claims brought relief to investors worried about how far the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates to tame inflation. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 22.47 points, or 0.07 percent, at the open to 33,668.97….


Credit Suisse Rescue Package Rejected by Swiss Parliament

BERN—Switzerland’s parliament rejected on Wednesday the government’s 109 billion Swiss francs ($120.82 billion) aid for Credit Suisse’s merger with UBS, leaving the fallen bank’s hastily arranged rescue without a largely symbolic parliamentary blessing. While the upper house had approved the government’s contribution to the rescue package, parliament’s lower, and larger chamber, pushed back again on…