On Friday, the US dollar strengthened against a basket of major currencies despite the publication of mixed economic statistics. Thus, nonfarm payrolls increased by 196K in March, while experts expected growth by 175K. The unemployment rate counted to 3.8% in March, which matched the investors’ expectations. However, growth in average hourly earnings slowed down from 0.4% to 0.1% in March. Experts expected the figure at 0.2%. The dollar index (#DX) closed the trading session with a slight increase (+0.08%).
The US government bonds yield has been decreasing again, which puts additional pressure on the greenback. Financial market participants are still focused on political events. British Prime Minister Theresa May asked Brussels for Brexit delay until June 30 in order British parliamentarians could agree on a deal of exiting the country from the block. Last week, US President Donald Trump said that Washington and Beijing were very close to reaching an agreement in trade disputes. Partners can sign a trade deal in the next four weeks. We recommend following current information on these issues.
The “black gold” prices are showing positive dynamics. At the moment, futures for the WTI crude oil are consolidating near $63.25 per barrel.
Market Indicators
- On Friday, the bullish sentiment was observed in the US stock market: #SPY (+0.48%), #DIA (+0.14%), #QQQ (+0.52%).
- The 10-year US government bonds yield has updated local lows. Currently, the indicator is at the level of 2.49-2.50%.
Today, the news feed is rather calm:
- Housing starts in Canada at 15:15 (GMT+3:00);
- Factory orders in the US at 17:00 (GMT+3:00).
