On Thursday, the US Bureau of National Statistics reported higher-than-expected US GDP data. The economy grew at a faster pace in the fourth quarter, reaching 4.3% which is 0.2% higher than it was forecasted.
Apart from that, expectations for an early economic recovery have increased as the labor market continues to show signs of accelerating growth. US jobless claims have dropped to their lowest level in a year as more Americans get vaccinated and the restrictions on doing business in many states are easing. That figure decreased by 97,000 to 684,000 for the past week. The average four-week figure fell to 736,000 from 749,000 earlier.
Initial jobless claims data suggest that job cuts are slowing as businesses are reopening. It was the first week that the number of claims fell below 700,000 since the start of the pandemic. At the same time, there is still a long way to go before the labor market recovers as weekly figures are above their highs since the last 2009 recession.
Against this backdrop, US stocks rose, followed by the Asian stock market. The index of regional shares added more than 1%, primarily due to the shares of China and Japan. US and European futures continue to grow, with the small-cap corporate securities being ahead, boosted by President Joe Biden’s promise to double the vaccination rate. The US dollar also continues to rise on the back of positive data and has already renewed its highs on March 9.
Oil prices fell but rose again in the Asian session. American WTI is close to $60 p/b. The turning operations of the long containership Ever Given blocking the Suez Canal will be undertaken at least until next Wednesday, raising the likelihood of more serious disruptions in the supply of black gold.
Main market quotes:
- S&P 500 (F) 3.919.88 +19.38 (+0.50%)
- Dow Jones 32.619.48 +199.42 (+0.62%)
- DAX 14.621.36 +10.97 (+0.08%)
- FTSE 100 6.674.83 -38.06 (-0.57%)
- USD Index 92.770 -0.056 (-0.06%)
Important events:
- UK Retail Sales (m/m) (Feb) at 09:00 (GMT+2);
- IFO Germany Business Climate Index (Mar) at 11:00 (GMT+2);
- University of Michigan US Consumer Sentiment (Mar) at 16:00 (GMT+2).
