In the absence of significant economic data and following a robust week, financial markets faced challenges in establishing a clear direction. Last week, big tech drove up a rally in their stocks, shoring up their strongest performance in two years and

This week is an important one on the economic calendar for the US. Illustrating that the consumer may be becoming wary with price growth – in particular that of fuel and food prices

This week, investors mulled over multiple PMI datasets, most notably from the UK and US. A PMI below 50 indicates a contraction, while anything above indicates an expansion. In the UK, the preliminary reading for the services sector dipped slightly to 49.2 in October 2023 from 49.3 the previous month.

The US consumer once again displayed resilience this week as fresh data came in on Tuesday regarding retail sales, placing the US even further away from recession. Shoppers were revealed as continuing to spend

This week’s headlines have centred around the conflict between Hamas and Israelis that has seen many people either wounded, killed or displaced from their homes. On Saturday, an attack by the group, Hamas, occurred and was swiftly followed by Israel declaring war on the Gaza Strip

This week, rising bond yields have been at the forefront of investors’ minds as markets digest a so-called higher for longer interest rate environment. On Tuesday, the Fed made some hawkish statements about monetary policy,

With a scarcity of significant economic data releases so far this week, the attention of market participants has predominantly centred around a threat of a Government shut down in the US. Political deadlock is currently occurring in the world’s largest economy over disagreements concerning public spending cuts that are being championed by the Republican party.

Amidst the threat of a Government shutdown, this week investors listened closely to an interview with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen about the outlook for America’s economy. On Monday, Yellen reiterated the resilience of the US, stating that it would be able absorb

This week, data coming out of the UK was a mixed bag. A report on Tuesday revealed that unemployment and wages have risen, showing that unemployment increased by 159,000 in the last quarter, pushing the jobless rate higher to 4.3%. It’s not all bad news, however,

More stimulus measures, and promises of, have also been rapidly firing from China this week. On Monday, reports revealed that China has come up with ways to boost the domestic stock market and support the property sector.