By John McCrank NEW YORK – The dollar index dipped on Friday in quiet holiday trading, but was set to end 2021 with a gain of nearly 7% as investors bet the U.S. Federal Reserve will raise rates earlier than most other major economies amid surging inflation driven by COVID-19 stimulus initiatives. The dollar index,…
By Katanga Johnson and Tommy Wilkes WASHINGTON/LONDON (Reuters) – Global equities wavered between modest gains and losses on Friday in thin trading but were set to post double-digit gains for the year. Oil prices, meanwhile, retreated from $80 a barrel but still saw their biggest annual rise since 2009. The U.S. dollar, which has had…
(Reuters) – U.S. equity funds received robust inflows for a second week in the seven days to Dec. 29 as investors welcomed signs that the Omicron coronavirus variant won’t bring a big setback to the economy. According to Refinitiv Lipper data, U.S. equity funds lured net purchases of $19.43 billion, compared with their average weekly…
(Reuters) – Wall Street’s main indexes were subdued at open on Friday, looking to clock a third straight annual gain in a year fueled by massive stimulus, COVID-19 vaccine rollouts, and a strong retail participation. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 12.23 points, or 0.03%, at the open to 36,385.85. The S&P 500 opened lower…
By Ahmad Ghaddar LONDON (Reuters) – Oil prices fell on Friday but were set to post their biggest annual gains since at least 2016, spurred by the global economic recovery from the COVID-19 slump and producer restraint, even as infections surged to record highs around the world. Brent crude futures fell $1.2, or 1.5%, to…
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union’s exports of sparkling wine to the rest of the world fell last year for the first time in a decade, Eurostat said on Friday, largely because of a massive drop in champagne sales, though prosecco and cava sold well. The COVID-19 pandemic dampened wine trade globally in 2020, the…
By Ashitha Shivaprasad (Reuters) – Oil analysts have lowered their price forecasts for 2022 as the Omicron coronavirus variant poses headwinds to recovering fuel demand and risks a supply glut as producers pump more oil, a Reuters poll showed on Friday. A survey of 35 economists and analysts forecast Brent crude would average $73.57 a…
By Xie Yu HONG KONG (Reuters) – China Evergrande Group on Friday dialled back plans to repay investors in its wealth management products, in a move that highlights the deepening liquidity squeeze at the property developer that has failed to meet its offshore debt obligations. Evergrande, whose $19 billion in international bonds are deemed to…
ISTANBUL (Reuters) -President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turks should keep all their savings in lira and that recent exchange rate volatility was largely under control after the lira weakened sharply in the last two months. “I want all my citizens to keep their savings in our own money, to run all their business…
By Tommy Wilkes LONDON (Reuters) – Stock markets dipped on Friday in thin trading but were set to see in the New Year with double-digit gains for 2021 while oil prices hovered near $80 a barrel following their biggest annual rise since 2009. The U.S. dollar, which has had its best year since 2015 with…
