Equities mixed with US markets closed for Memorial Day - 31.5.2021

Top daily news

Stock futures are mostly up currently after Wall Street ended higher on Friday despite strong US inflation data. Amazon shares slipped 0.22% amid news other states reportedly consider antitrust actions after Washington, D.C., sued Amazon Tuesday accusing Amazon of monopolistic behavior, Microsoft added 0.15% on Friday.

Forex news

Currency Pair Change
EUR USD -0.02%
GBP USD -0.09%
USD JPY -0.17%
AUD USD +0.06%

The Dollar strengthening has halted currently. The live dollar index data show the ICE US Dollar index, a measure of the dollar’s strength against a basket of six rival currencies, gained 0.1% on Friday as the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported the core personal consumption expenditures (PCE) surged 3.1% in April, exceeding the Fed’s 2% target.

Both EUR/USD and GBP/USD resumed their sliding Friday despite the European Commission report euro-zone economic sentiment climbed more than expected in May to notch a three-year high. Both pairs are lower currently. USD/JPY ended little changed while AUD/USD continued sliding Friday with both Australian dollar and yen higher against the Greenback currently.

Stock Market news

Indices Change
Dow Jones Index +0.34%
Nikkei Index -0.11%
Hang Seng Index -0.02%
Australian Stock Index -0.42%

Futures on US equity benchmarks are higher currently after climbing on Friday as investors brushed off a stronger than expected inflation data for April. The three main US stock benchmarks recorded daily gains ranging from 0.1% to 0.2% Friday with SP500 and Dow posting their first weekly gain in the past three weeks.

European stock futures are up currently after ending higher on Friday led by financial shares. Markets in the United States and United Kingdom are closed for a holiday. Asian indexes are mixed today with Shanghai Composite leading gains despite data showing China’s factory activity grew at slightly slower pace as raw materials costs surged.

Commodity Market news

Commodities Change
Brent Crude Oil +0.65%
WTI Crude -0.51%

Brent is rising currently on improving demand outlook. Prices advanced on Friday on expectations of a rebound in global demand. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures gained 0.8% and is higher currently. July Brent crude added 0.2% to $69.63 a barrel on Friday, settling at a two-year high.

Gold Market News

Metals Change
Gold +0.09%

Gold prices are edging higher today. August gold added 0.4% settling at $1905.30 on Friday - the highest since January 7, up about 7.8% for the month, booking a weekly advance of 1.5%.
https://www.ifcmarkets.com/en/market-overview/market-overview-31-05-2021