General Sentiment

Global shares edged a little lower from recent highs,  ahead of Friday’s NFP U.S. Job report, despite a good session for the S&P 500 overnight.. Sentiment has been mixed in the markets with covid-19 delta variant also weighing on stocks.

Japanese shares ended in the red too despite BOJ’s tankan survey showing recovery with manufacturers sentiment remaining mostly positive.

Equities

On Wall Street, the Dow and the S&P closed in the green while the Nasdaq edged lower.  However, according to a report from Reuters, the S&P has been found registering its second-best first half performance since 1998, as it records its fifth straight record close.

Expectations of an improved labor market boosted stocks ahead of Friday’s long-awaited NFP employment change. Gains were mostly in the energy and industrial sectors. Tech stocks edged slightly lower while other sectors improved.

Currency Market

The dollar index rose to 92.34. a 2 and half month peak, its biggest monthly rise.

The Euro dropped to $1.1851 by 0.37%.

The GBP/USD rose 0.1% to 1.384 despite the UK’s first-quarter GDP falling 1.6%.

The USD/JPY edged up 0.1% to 111.18.

Commodities: Gold

Gold skidded to its worst monthly loss, to hit a low of $1753 overnight, weighed on by stimulus tapering and policy changes.

Commodities: Oil

Oil rose today morning supported by lower U.S. stockpile inventories and ahead of OPEC+ decision on supply curbs. Brent rose 0.2% to $74.79 while WTI rose 0.3% to $74.45