Stocks - U.S. stock indexes opened lower on Thursday after weekly U.S. jobless claims data indicated the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates next month.

St. Louis Fed President James Bullard, a prominent hawk who is ready to increase rates, raised concerns of permanently low rates in industrial nations that could force a rethink of monetary policy.

Economy Indicators - The number of job openings in the U.S. rose more than expected in September, boosting optimism over the strength of the labor market and supporting the case for a U.S. rate hike, official data showed on Thursday.

In a report, the U.S. Labor Department said that the number of job openings, excluding the farming industry, increased to 5.53 million in September from 5.37 million a month earlier. Analysts had expected the number of job openings to hold steady at 5.37 million.

The report has garnered more attention lately, as Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen often cites the survey when assessing the state of the labor market.

Economy Indicators - A signal from European Central Bank president Mario Draghi that further policy easing is coming next month pushed the euro and government bond yields lower on Thursday but failed to lift stocks, which buckled under the weight of gloomy corporate news.

The gap between 5-year U.S. and euro zone bond yields hit its highest since 1999, while the dollar's rebound helped push crude oil to lows not seen since late August and copper to a six-year low.

Commodities - Gold prices sank to the lowest level since February 2010 on Thursday, as investors awaited comments from a range of Federal Reserve speakers for further indications on the likelihood of a December rate hike.

Gold for December delivery on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange shed $5.00, or 0.46%, to trade at $1,079.90 a troy ounce during U.S. morning hours. It earlier fell to $1,073.40, the lowest level in more than five years.

Economy Indicators - The U.S. Federal Reserve must weigh the effects of post-crisis financial regulations and new channels through which policy affects markets as it prepares to raise interest rates, Fed Chair Janet Yellen said on Thursday.

Yellen, kicking off a research conference on policy transmission and implementation after the 2007-2009 financial crisis, said the U.S. central bank also must weigh the disadvantages of its policy actions in light of new tools meant to help the Fed raise rates.

Forex - The U.S. dollar climbed to fresh one-month highs against its Canadian counterpart on Thursday, after data showed that U.S. jobless claims held steady at a two-month high last week, but remained in territory consistent with a strengthening labor market.

USD/CAD hit 1.3339 during European afternoon trade, the pair's highest since October 1; the pair subsequently consolidated at 1.3338, gaining 0.54%.

Economy Indicators - New U.S. applications for unemployment benefits last week held steady at levels consistent with sustained labor market strength that could encourage the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates next month.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits were unchanged at a seasonally adjusted 276,000 for the week ended Nov. 7, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week's claims were unrevised.

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Stocks: Wall Street opened slightly higher on Wednesday after data from China appeared to make the case for further stimulus measures from Beijing, even as investors brace for a possible U.S. interest rate hike in December.

The Dow Jones industrial average (DJI) was up 23.38 points, or 0.13 percent, at 17,781.59, the S&P 500 (SPX) was up 4.01 points, or 0.19 percent, at 2,085.73 and the Nasdaq Composite index (IXIC) was up 14.88 points, or 0.29 percent, at 5,098.13.

Forex: The U.S. dollar slipped lower against its Canadian counterpart on Wednesday, but still remained within close distance of a one-month peak as expectations for a December rate hike in the U.S. continued to support.

USD/CAD hit 1.3235 during early U.S. trade, the pair's lowest since November 6; the pair subsequently consolidated at 1.3238, shedding 0.27%.

The pair was likely to find support at 1.3152, the low of November 6 and resistance at 1.3316, the high of November 6 and a one-month high.

Commodities: Gold prices languished near three-month lows on Wednesday, while copper prices fell to the lowest level since July 2009, as the possibility of higher borrowing costs in the U.S. and slower global economic growth weighed on the metals.

Gold for December delivery on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange inched down $1.10, or 0.1%, to trade at $1,087.40 a troy ounce during U.S. morning hours. A day earlier, gold prices tacked on 40 cents, or 0.04%.

Stocks: Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd (N:BABA) said on Wednesday the value of merchandise it has sold so far during the Singles' Day online shopping extravaganza had surpassed last year's total of $9.3 billion.

The company, which six years ago turned Nov. 11 into China's equivalent of U.S. shopping event Cyber Monday, could see this year's sales rise to as much as $13.8 billion, a growth of almost 50 percent from last year's total, according to research firm IDC.

Economic Indicators: Industrial production in China hit seven-month low in October while spending on infrastructure slowed, data on Wednesday showed.

The data added to signs that more stimulus may be needed to shore up growth in the world's second biggest economy.

Factory output grew at an annual rate of 5.6% in October, the weakest in seven months.

Fixed asset investment expanded 10.2% in the year to October, in line with expectations but the slowest pace since 2000.

But retail sales, a key gauge of consumer spending, held up well for the month, growing 11% from a year earlier.

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Stocks: McDonald's Corp (N:MCD) is expected to announce early results from its domestic all-day breakfast push, give a verdict on whether it will spin off its U.S. real estate and announce a dividend increase at its investor meeting on Tuesday.

Shares in the world's biggest restaurant chain have been trading at record highs since Chief Executive Steve Easterbrook said on Oct. 22 that a rebound in quarterly sales at established restaurants showed his turnaround plan was beginning to take hold.

McDonald's launched all-day breakfast on Oct. 6 in the United States, its top profit market.

Commodities: Oil prices rose on Tuesday after the International Energy Agency(IEA) noted unprecedented declines in investment, though the broader picture of an oversupplied market limited any gains.

Brent crude (LCOc1), the global oil benchmark, was up 0.25 cents at $47.44 a barrel by 0937 ET, having fallen for four trading days in a row. U.S. crude (CLc1) rose 0.30 cents to $44.17 a barrel.

The IEA said oil was unlikely to return to $80 a barrel before the end of the decade, despite cuts in investment, as annual demand growth struggles to top 1 million barrels per day.

In its World Energy Outlook, the IEA also estimated that investment in oil would decline more than 20 percent this year and the trend would continue into 2016.

Stocks: U.S. stocks were lower on Tuesday morning, dragged down by Apple, as investors worried about China's economic health and braced for an interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve next month.

Apple's shares (O:AAPL) fell 2.5 percent to $117.52 after Credit Suisse (VX:CSGN) said the iPhone maker had lowered component orders by as much as 10 percent. The stock was the biggest drag on the three major indexes.

The report on Apple added to fears of a slowdown in global growth, especially in China, a key market for many U.S. companies including Apple, ahead of the crucial holiday shopping season.

Forex: The euro fell to fresh seven-month lows against the dollar on Tuesday as the diverging monetary policy stance between the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank pressured the single currency lower.

EUR/USD hit lows of 1.0682, the weakest since April 23 and was last at 1.0685, off 0.6% for the day.

The greenback remained broadly stronger after Friday’s robust U.S. jobs data paved the way for the Fed to raise interest rates at its next meeting.

The U.S. economy added 271,000 jobs last month, well ahead of the 180,000 expected by economists and the largest increase since December.

Economic Indicators: U.S. wholesale inventories rose more than expected in September, official data showed on Tuesday.

In a report, the U.S. Commerce Department said that wholesale inventories increased by a seasonally adjusted 0.5%, above expectations for a gain of 0.1%. Wholesale inventories rose by 0.3% in August, whose figure was revised up from a previously reported increase of 0.1%.

EUR/USD was trading at 1.0682 from around 1.0684 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD was at 1.5108 from 1.5109 earlier, while USD/JPY was at 123.43 from 123.39 earlier.

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The dollar held steady near seven-month highs against the other major currencies on Tuesday, as growing expectations for a December rate hike by the Federal Reserve continued to support the greenback.

USD/JPY was little changed at 123.11.

The greenback remained supprted after the Labor Department reported on Friday that the U.S. economy added 271,000 jobs last month, well ahead of the 180,000 expected by economists and the largest increase since December.

The unemployment rate fell to a seven-and-a-half year low of 5.0%.

The strong data paved the way for the Fed to raise interest rates at its December meeting, a move that would make the dollar more attractive to yield-seeking investors.

EUR/USD edged down 0.11% to 1.0738, re-approaching Friday's seven-month trough of 1.0701.

The euro remained under pressure after Reuters reported on Monday that the European Central Bank could cut its deposit rate deeper into negative territory at its December meeting.

Elsewhere, the dollar was steady against the pound and the Swiss franc, with GBP/USD at 1.5103 and with USD/CHF at 1.0036.

The Australian and New Zealand dollars were stronger, with AUD/USD adding 0.15% to 0.7058 and with NZD/USD rising 0.21% to 0.6546.

Earlier Tuesday, the National Australia Bank reported said its business confindence index fell to 2 in October from 5 the previous month. Analysts had expected the index to tick down to 3 last month.

Meanwhile, USD/CAD edged down 0.11% to trade at 1.3271.

The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was steady at 99.19, not far from Friday’s seven-month highs of 99.29.

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1. U.S. stocks were lower on Monday morning after weak Chinese trade data and an OECD report warning of a global slowdown spurred concerns about weakening demand.

Data showed China's October exports fell for a fourth month, while imports also dropped, leaving the world's second largest economy with a record high trade surplus of $61.64 billion. The U.S. is one of China's biggest trade partners.

2. The euro gave up all of the day’s gains against the dollar on Monday, falling back towards seven-month lows amid growing expectations that the European Central Bank will cut interest rates deeper into negative territory in December.

EUR/USD was last at 1.0736, not far from the low of 1.0701 set on Friday, after rising to highs of 1.0790 earlier.

3. Gold prices struggled near the lowest level in three months on Monday, as investors slashed holdings of the precious metal amid expectations the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates at its next meeting in December.

Gold for December delivery on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange tacked on $1.20, or 0.11%, to trade at $1,088.80 a troy ounce during U.S. morning hours.

On Friday, gold prices fell to $1,084.50, the lowest since August 7, after data showing the U.S. economy created more jobs than expected in October bolstered expectations for a rate hike next month.

4. China’s businesses foresee a bleak year ahead of them and have cut revenue and profit forecasts over concerns of flagging demand and fewer new orders, according to a survey released Monday. The Markit survey showed business sentiment in the nation reached a record low.

Only 17 percent of Chinese businesses surveyed expected an increase in business activity in the next 12 months compared with 25 percent in June. Confidence waned in both the service and manufacturing sectors, according to the report, and the degree of optimism among Chinese companies was well below the global average of 25 percent.

5. Yahoo Inc (O:YHOO) has appointed management consulting firm McKinsey & Co to help with the reorganization of its core businesses, technology news website Re/code reported on Monday.

McKinsey will help Yahoo decide which units to shut, sell or invest in, Re/code said, citing several people close to the situation. (http://on.recode.net/1QdGTOu)

Yahoo, which is preparing to spin off its 15 percent stake in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (N:BABA), declined to comment, as did McKinsey.

Yahoo has been struggling to boost revenue from ad sales in the face of stiff competition from Google (O:GOOGL) and Facebook Inc (O:FB).

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The dollar rallied to six-month highs against the other major currencies on Friday, after the release of strong U.S. employment data added to expectations for a December rate hike by the Federal Reserve.

The dollar rallied against the euro, with EUR/USD down 1.32% at six-month lows of 1.0738.

The U.S. Labor Department said the economy added 271.000 jobs last month, exceeding expectations for a 180.000 rise. The U.S. economy added 137.000 jobs in September, whose figure was revised from a previously estimated increase of 142.000.

The U.S. unemployment rate ticked down to 5.0% in October from 5.1% the previous month. Analysts had expected the unemployment rate to remain unchanged last month.

The report also showed that average hourly earnings rose 0.4% last month, more than the expected 0.2% gain, after a flat reading in September.

The strong data added to expectations for the U.S. to raise interest rates after Fed Chair Janet Yellen said on Wednesday that a December rate hike is a "live possibility," depending on economic data.

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05

Nov

Tomorrow (Friday) the Non-Farm Payrolls will be announced. Here is what you need to know:

Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP) Employment Change is a vital economic data released shortly after the month ends. The combination of importance and earliness makes for hefty market impacts. Job creation is an important leading indicator of consumer spending, which accounts for a majority of overall economic activity. Change in the number of employed people during the previous month, excluding the farming industry.

The Announcement is set to make big impact on trading markets, especially on USD/EURO in FOREX market, and Gold and Silver in the Commodities market.

This specific announcment is going to be even bigger for the U.S economy, if it goes well it will indicate that the U.S economy is getting stronger and healthier and will raise the chance for a rate hike by the U.S Federal Bank.

So be sure to speak with one of our agents to ask them how can you profit from tomorrow's crucial announcment.

Click on the Chat button below for more details:

1. U.S. stocks indexes moved higher on Thursday morning, boosted by strong results from Facebook (O:FB) and as financial stocks rose on the possibility of a rate hike next month.

Facebook shares rose 5.3 percent to a record high of $109.44 after the company's quarterly results beat estimates. The stock gave the biggest boost to the S&P 500 and Nasdaq.

2. Oil prices extended losses from the prior session on Thursday, as the ongoing glut in global supplies continued to weigh on the commodity.

Crude oil for delivery in December on the New York Mercantile Exchange shed 29 cents, or 0.63%, to trade at $46.04 a barrel during U.S. morning hours.

3. New U.S. applications for unemployment benefits last week recorded their largest increase in eight months, but remained at levels consistent with a fairly healthy labor market.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 16,000 to a seasonally adjusted 276,000 for the week ended Oct. 24, the Labor Department said on Thursday. It was the largest weekly gain since late February.

4. The pound extended losses on Thursday, falling more than 1% against the dollar after a dovish Bank of England quarterly inflation report signaled that interest rates are likely to remain on hold for an extended period.

GBP/USD was last down 1.04% to 1.5225, the weakest since October 13 from around 1.5389 earlier.

5. U.S. nonfarm productivity unexpectedly rose in the third quarter as a decline in self-employed workers contributed to overall hours worked falling for the first time in six years, restraining labor-related production costs.

The Labor Department said on Thursday that productivity, which measures hourly output per worker, increased at a 1.6 percent annual rate after increasing at an upwardly revised 3.5 percent rate in the second quarter.

6. The U.S. dollar rose against its Canadian counterpart on Thursday, as expectations for a December rate hike in the U.S. continued to support despite the release of disappointing U.S. jobless claims data.

USD/CAD hit 1.3181 during early U.S. trade, the session high; the pair subsequently consolidated at 1.3175, adding 0.20%.

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Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen Said at todays’ testament that the U.S. economy is performing well, and told Congress that a rate hike at its meeting next month is a "live possibility."

Her remarks largely echoed the Fed's statement after a meeting last week that said the central bank will act if the economy and labor market continue to improve. The Fed has not raised its benchmark rate in nearly a decade and it has been near zero since the 2008 financial crisis.

Yellen told the House Financial Services Committee that if the economy advances as the Fed expects over the next six weeks, a rate increase at its December 15-16 meeting "will be a live possibility."

She added, however, "No decision at all has been made on that."

Job growth has slowed recently and the economy grew just 1.5% at an annual rate in the third quarter. But that largely was a result of weak exports due to the strong dollar, while consumer spending, which means more than two thirds of the economy has increased at a healthy rate.

"At this point, I see the US economy as performing well," Yellen told the committee during her semiannual testimony on financial regulation. "Domestic spending has been growing at a solid pace."

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1. Wall Street opened slightly higher on Wednesday after a report showed that the private sector added more jobs than expected in October.

The Dow Jones industrial average (DJI) was up 34.61 points, or 0.19 percent, to 17,952.76. The S&P 500 (SPX) gained 2.76 points, or 0.13 percent, to 2,112.55 and the Nasdaq Composite index (IXIC) added 11.08 points, or 0.22 percent, to 5,156.20.

2. The dollar pushed higher against the other major currencies on Wednesday, as the release of strong U.S. employment and trade balance data boosted optimism over the strength of the economy.

The dollar was higher against the yen, with USD/JPY up 0.26% at 121.38.

3. U.S. private employers added 182,000 jobs in October, a tick above economists' expectations, a report by a payrolls processor showed on Wednesday.

Economists surveyed by Reuters had forecast the ADP National Employment Report would show a gain of 180,000 jobs.

Private payroll gains in September were revised down to 190,000 from an originally reported 200,000 increase.

4. The U.S. trade deficit narrowed sharply in September to its lowest level in seven months as exports rebounded, a tentative sign that the worst of

the drag from a stronger dollar may be over.

The Commerce Department said on Wednesday the trade gap fell 15 percent to $40.8 billion, the smallest deficit since February. Lower crude oil prices also helped to curb the import bill.

5. Euro zone private business growth remained tepid last month but activity in China's services industry expanded at its fastest pace in three months, easing concerns about persistent weakness in its economy, surveys showed on Wednesday.

There was little sign the European Central Bank's massive stimulus program was boosting economic activity or price pressures in the bloc, and the survey showed firms returned to price-cutting last month to drum up trade.

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