Equities across most of the major Asia-Pacific (APAC) markets encountered massive sell-off on Tuesday, 11 May, following the downbeat Wall Street with the tech-heavy benchmark Nasdaq Composite sliding more than 2.5 per cent. Led by the heavy drop in the blue-chip technology stocks, including Apple, Tesla, Facebook, Amazon, Alphabet, Netflix, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Paypal, the Nasdaq Composite suffered a loss of 350.38 points, or 2.55 per cent to close at 13,401.86 on 10 May.
The COVID-19 pandemic halted the United States’ record-setting employment streak, causing the world’s foremost economy to shed nearly 10 million jobs in 2020. With warmer weather, vaccine rollouts and federal stimulus on the immediate horizon, employment numbers are picking up steam faster than expected, causing optimism to seep into financial markets. But the US has a long road to traverse before recouping all of its lost jobs and gaining more.
Signs continue to emerge that the United States’ economy is past the worst of the coronavirus pandemic economic downturn, as official figures for August show the unemployment rate fell considerably, and nonfarm payroll employment also rose.
If last year was any indication of what financial markets will look like in 2019, we are in for a very bumpy ride. Last December alone, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell and rose more than 8 percent as finance experts struggled to make heads or tails of a bizarre political climate, unsteady interest rates and global tariffs.
U.S. banks are highly profitable and supporting of economic activity, as they were prior to the 2008-09 financial crisis. It is important to remember how quickly conditions can change. As a result of post-crisis prudential reforms, banks have bolstered their capital and liquidity. It is essential to preserve these hard-won improvements. It would be a mistake to assume that a severe downturn or crisis cannot happen again.
By Samantha Barnes, International Banker On February 5, the US stock market the Dow Jones Industrial Average suffered its largest…
The battle between the globalists and the populists has captivated people around the world, including investors, who are today inclined to place political news ahead of the more tried-and-true economic indicators in making decisions. Despite the turmoil in politics, though, many leading economies, especially that of the US, are doing rather well, with no major storms on the visible horizon.