Get ready to welcome a new trading product to the family
CFD on vanilla options!

Investing.com – Australia stocks were higher after the close on Friday, as gains in the Gold, Utilities and Materials sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.77%.

The best performers of the session on the S&P/ASX 200 were Resolute Mining Ltd (ASX:RSG), which rose 7.08% or 0.115 points to trade at 1.740 at the close. Meanwhile, Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX:NST) added 6.06% or 0.770 points to end at 13.480 and St Barbara Ltd (ASX:SBM) was up 5.34% or 0.180 points to 3.550 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX:CUV), which fell 7.00% or 2.350 points to trade at 31.200 at the close. Costa Group Holdings Ltd (ASX:CGC) declined 2.59% or 0.110 points to end at 4.140 and Speedcast International Ltd (ASX:SDA) was down 2.44% or 0.045 points to 1.800.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Sydney Stock Exchange by 760 to 409 and 382 ended unchanged.

Shares in Resolute Mining Ltd (ASX:RSG) rose to 52-week highs; gaining 7.08% or 0.115 to 1.740. Shares in Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX:NST) rose to all time highs; gaining 6.06% or 0.770 to 13.480.

The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, was down 4.15% to 10.415.

Gold Futures for August delivery was up 0.88% or 12.55 to $1440.65 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in August rose 1.23% or 0.68 to hit $55.98 a barrel, while the September Brent oil contract rose 1.60% or 0.99 to trade at $62.92 a barrel.

AUD/USD was down 0.18% to 0.7063, while AUD/JPY rose 0.20% to 76.06.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.11% at 96.558.

Investing.com - The U.S. dollar inched up on Friday in Asia even after Federal Reserve officials bolstered expectations of an aggressive rate cut this month.

The U.S. dollar index that tracks the greenback against a basket of other currencies was up 0.1% to 96.507 by 1:20 AM ET (05:20 GMT).

New York Federal Reserve President John Williams (NYSE:WMB) said in a speech that the Fed will “act quickly” to support the economy as “it’s better to take preventative measures than to wait for disaster to unfold.”

The New York Fed clarified later that Williams' speech were not indicative of the central bank’s future moves, but investors still took his remarks as a dovish signal from the central bank.

Separately, Fed Vice Chair Richard Clarida told Fox Business Network the central bank might have to act early and not wait "until things get so bad".

Data showed that business activity in the Mid-Atlantic has jumped to 21.8 in July, which is its strongest level in a year, according to the Philadelphia Federal Reserve.

A figure above zero suggests the region's business activity is growing.

Meanwhile a separate report showed that while unemployment claims rose slightly last week, the labor market still remained strong. Initial jobless claims rose 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 216,000 for the week ended July 13, the Labor Department said, while data for the prior week was revised down by 1,000.

The USD/JPY pair was up 0.3% to 107.61.

The AUD/USD pair and the NZD/USD pair both dropped 0.1%.

Investing.com - Prices of Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrencies rebounded on Friday in Asia despite recent criticism of Facebook’s plans for its Libra coin.

Bitcoin rose 5.2% to $10,499.4 by 1:05 AM ET (05:05 GMT). Ethereum gained 1.5% to $221.26, while XRP inched up 0.9% to 0.31800.

Litecoin surged 6.9% to $99.128.

While there wasn’t a clear reason for the bounce in Bitcoin, some crypto watchers suggested that Facebook’s two-day testimony on the Capitol Hill about its Libra plans had not only raised the public profile of Bitcoin but also helped differentiate it from its peers.

“If someone were to tell me seven years ago that the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, the Treasury Secretary, and the President were all going to talk about bitcoin publicly within seven days, I would have been extremely excited,” said Dan Held, co-founder and director of BD for Interchange.

Technical reasons, alongside comments from U.S. representative Patrick McHenry who said that he believes Bitcoin “can not be killed” in an interview with CNBC were also possible catalysts for the buying of cryptocurrencies today.

“I think there’s no capacity to kill Bitcoin. Even the Chinese, with their firewall and their extreme intervention in their society could not kill Bitcoin,” McHenry said.

McHenry also noted that newer cryptocurrencies are trying to replicate the success of Bitcoin’s decentralized, open-access network.

“The essence of Bitcoin is what Libra and Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), and corporates are trying to mimic.”

Investing.com - Gold prices gained on Friday amid intensifying tension in the Middle East and rising expectations of aggressive Fed easing.

Gold futures for August delivery on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange gained 1.1% to $1,443.45 a troy ounce by 12:45 AM ET (04:45 GMT).

Prices of the safe-haven metal were initially under pressure earlier in the day amid strong U.S. data, but rebounded following news that the U.S. military shot down an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz in what President Trump called an act of self-defense.

It was not known if the drone was armed, but a Pentagon spokesman, Jonathan Hoffman, said that it had “closed within a threatening range” before being shot down.

In other news, Federal Reserve President John Williams (NYSE:WMB) said in a speech that the Fed will “act quickly” to support the economy as “it’s better to take preventative measures than to wait for disaster to unfold.”

His speech raised expectations of the Fed to take more aggressive action on policy easing, although the New York Fed clarified later that Williams' speech were not indicative of the central bank’s future moves.

The prospect of lower interest rates benefits gold as it lowers the opportunity cost of holding the non-yielding asset.

Investing.com - Oil prices jumped on Friday in Asia after the U.S. reportedly shot down an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz in what Trump described as "defensive action".

U.S. Crude Oil WTI Futures rose 1.6% to $56.2 by 12:02 AM ET (04:02 GMT). International Brent Oil Futures jumped 2% to $63.16.

Iran had not immediately reacted to the situation. Tensions in the Middle East seemed to have slightly eased earlier in the week following reports that the U.S. and Iran might begin talks soon. However, Iran later denied the reports.

Meanwhile, indications that the U.S. Federal Reserve will cut rates aggressively to support the economy were also behind Friday's gains, said Stephen Innes, managing partner at Vanguard Markets.

New York Federal Reserve President John Williams (NYSE:WMB) said in a speech that the central bank will “act quickly” to support the economy as “it’s better to take preventative measures than to wait for disaster to unfold.”

However, the New York Fed clarified later that Williams' speech were not indicative of the central bank’s future moves.

"The Fed backstop and the report of the U.S. Navy shooting down an Iranian drone are providing a modicum of support for oil markets amidst a very bearish landscape," he said.

Oil prices saw sharp declines earlier in the day amid expectations of rising crude output in the Gulf of Mexico following last week’s hurricane in the region.

In other news, the International Energy Agency is reducing its 2019 oil demand forecast due to a slowing global economy, according to its executive director Fatih Birol.

"China is experiencing its slowest economic growth in the last three decades, so are some of the advanced economies ... if the global economy performs even poorer than we assume, then we may even look at our numbers once again in the next months to come," Birol told Reuters in an interview.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) is reducing its 2019 oil demand forecast due to a slowing global economy

Investing.com - Asian markets rose on Friday in Asia amid growing expectations for aggressive Federal Reserve easing following dovish comments from New York Federal Reserve President John Williams (NYSE:WMB).

China’s Shanghai Composite and the Shenzhen Component gained 1.1% and 1.3% respectively by 10:40 PM ET (02:40 GMT). Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index also climbed 1.3%.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 1.8%. Data showed today that the country’s core consumer price index rose 0.6% in June from a year earlier, in line with expectations.

Tensions between Japan and South Korea remained in focus after South Korea's Trade Ministry urged Japan to do another round of discussions over Tokyo's tighter export controls.

"There are major concerns that such a move would have a grave impact on not only the economies in both countries, but the global supply chain," Lee Ho-hyeon, a director at South Korea's trade ministry, said at a briefing.

"It is regrettable that the Japanese side repeatedly makes claims that are different from truth," he said.

"We again urge Japan's genuine response to our request for a director-level consultations."

Down under, Australia’s ASX 200 traded 0.8% higher.

The gains in Asian stocks came after Williams said in a speech that the Fed will “act quickly” to support the economy as “it’s better to take preventative measures than to wait for disaster to unfold.”

However, the New York Fed clarified later that Williams' speech were not indicative of the central bank’s future moves.

"Dovish Fed policy expectations do provide support for the equity markets, which are set to rebound after suffering losses the previous day. But factors such as U.S.-China trade issues and tensions over Iran are likely to limit the markets' gains," said Masahiro Ichikawa, senior strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management, in a Reuters report.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer spoke with their Chinese counterparts over the phone, Lighthizer’s office confirmed overnight, but gave no other details.

“Right now we’re having principal-level calls and to the extent that it makes sense for us to set up in-person meetings, I would anticipate that we would be doing that,” Mnuchin said, adding that it is possible the call could lead to an in-person meeting.

Investing.com - Oil prices extended gains on Thursday after Iran said it had seized a foreign tanker in the Persian Gulf, pushing geopolitical premiums higher after a brief lull.

New York-traded West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 30 cents, or 0.5%, to $57.08 a barrel by 8:13 AM ET (12:13 GMT), while Brent crude futures, the benchmark for oil prices outside the U.S., gained 48 cents, or 0.8%, to $64.14.

Several media reports cited Iranian state TV as saying that Revolutionary Guards forces seized a foreign tanker with 12 crew members accused of smuggling oil.

The tanker was reportedly seized in the strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for oil.

Oil prices had been under pressure earlier this week in part from reports that the U.S. and Iran might begin talks soon, ratcheting down the recent tension in the Middle East.

Ellen Wald, president of Transversal Consulting and Investing.com contributor, pointed to the fact that the “mere possibility” of negotiations between Washington and Iran had driven U.S. crude down more than 3%.

“Overall, this shows that without the Iran tensions, oil prices would be lower, and absent the start of a war, the prices are not likely to increase much based on the Iran situation,” she said.

Thursday’s gains in oil were the first after three consecutive sessions of losses due to several bearish factors beyond the Middle East.

Contributing to this week’s selloff was the fact that Hurricane Barry passed without causing as much damage as feared, and oil rigs began preparations to restart production.

That means they'll be able to contribute again relatively soon to a U.S. market that is already amply supplied: data from the Energy Information Administration showed that, despite a slightly larger-than-expected draw in U.S. crude inventories last week, gasoline and distillate stockpiles surged.

In other energy trading, gasoline futures advanced 0.5% to $1.8881 a gallon by 8:15 AM ET (12:15 GMT), while heating oil gained 0.8% to $1.9075 a gallon.

Lastly, natural gas futures traded up 0.9% to $2.325 per million British thermal unit.

Investing.com – Canada stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Materials, IT and Financials sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Toronto, the S&P/TSX Composite rose 0.06%.

The best performers of the session on the S&P/TSX Composite were Sandstorm Gold Ltd . (TSX:SSL), which rose 8.58% or 0.660 points to trade at 8.350 at the close. Meanwhile, First Majestic Silver Corp. (TSX:FR) added 6.25% or 0.76 points to end at 12.92 and Alacer Gold Corp (TSX:ASR) was up 6.07% or 0.290 points to 5.070 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Aurora Cannabis Inc (TSX:ACB), which fell 6.51% or 0.63 points to trade at 9.05 at the close. Vermilion Energy Inc . (TSX:VET) declined 4.75% or 1.31 points to end at 26.28 and NuVista Energy Ltd . (TSX:NVA) was down 4.18% or 0.110 points to 2.520.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Toronto Stock Exchange by 525 to 513 and 118 ended unchanged.

Shares in Sandstorm Gold Ltd. (TSX:SSL) rose to 52-week highs; gaining 8.58% or 0.660 to 8.350. Shares in First Majestic Silver Corp. (TSX:FR) rose to 52-week highs; gaining 6.25% or 0.76 to 12.92. Shares in Vermilion Energy Inc. (TSX:VET) fell to 5-year lows; falling 4.75% or 1.31 to 26.28. Shares in Alacer Gold Corp (TSX:ASR) rose to 5-year highs; rising 6.07% or 0.290 to 5.070.

The S&P/TSX 60 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of S&P/TSX Composite options, was down 1.86% to 10.54.

Gold Futures for August delivery was up 1.70% or 24.20 to $1447.50 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in August fell 1.88% or 1.07 to hit $55.71 a barrel, while the September Brent oil contract rose 0.14% or 0.09 to trade at $62.47 a barrel.

CAD/USD was unchanged 0.00% to 0.7675, while CAD/EUR rose 0.00% to 0.6805.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.53% at 96.343.

Investing.com - Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) reported second quarter earnings that beat analysts' expectations on Thursday and revenue that topped forecasts.

The firm reported earnings per share of $3.25 on revenue of $1.09B. Analysts polled by Investing.com anticipated EPS of $2.87 on revenue of $1.03B. That compared to EPS of $2.76 on revenue of $909.3M (NYSE:MMM) in the same period a year earlier. The company had reported EPS of $2.61 on revenue of $973.7M in the previous quarter.

Intuitive Surgical shares gained 1.54% to trade at $544.88 in after-hours trade following the report.

Intuitive Surgical follows other major Healthcare sector earnings this month

On Tuesday, J&J reported second quarter EPS of $2.58 on revenue of $20.56B, compared to forecasts of EPS of $2.44 on revenue of $20.29B.

Novartis ADR earnings beat analysts' expectations on Thursday, with second quarter EPS of $1.34 on revenue of $11.76B. Investing.com analysts expected EPS of $1.21 on revenue of $11.51B

Stay up-to-date on all of the upcoming earnings reports by visiting Investing.com's earnings calendar

Investing.com - Litecoin was trading at $99.818 by 15:33 (19:33 GMT) on the Investing.com Index on Thursday, up 10.38% on the day. It was the largest one-day percentage gain since July 18.

The move upwards pushed Litecoin's market cap up to $6.246B, or 2.17% of the total cryptocurrency market cap. At its highest, Litecoin's market cap was $14.099B.

Litecoin had traded in a range of $87.000 to $103.935 in the previous twenty-four hours.

Over the past seven days, Litecoin has seen a drop in value, as it lost 3.17%. The volume of Litecoin traded in the twenty-four hours to time of writing was $4.951B or 5.98% of the total volume of all cryptocurrencies. It has traded in a range of $76.7076 to $106.6229 in the past 7 days.

At its current price, Litecoin is still down 76.23% from its all-time high of $420.00 set on December 12, 2017.

Elsewhere in cryptocurrency trading

Bitcoin was last at $10,625.0 on the Investing.com Index, up 8.14% on the day.

Ethereum was trading at $223.08 on the Investing.com Index, a gain of 5.34%.

Bitcoin's market cap was last at $188.639B or 65.67% of the total cryptocurrency market cap, while Ethereum's market cap totaled $24.080B or 8.38% of the total cryptocurrency market value.

Investing.com – Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) shares slid on Thursday as Mizuho called time on the chipmaker’s dramatic rally, citing “limited upside” ahead.

Mizuho downgraded its rating on AMD (NASDAQ:AMD) to neutral from buy, sending its shares nearly 2% lower by 2:13 p.m. ET (18:13 GMT).

The downgrade, however, does little to dent the AMD’s growth story given its solid portfolio and product ramps, the bank suggested. But, with the chipmaker's shares boasting gains of more than 80% so far this year, well above the 31% rally in the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index, further upside in the second half of the year could be hard to come by.

“With the stock past our price target and at [a] 10-year high, we see 2H upside more limited,” Mizuho said.

Mizuho analyst Vijay Rakesh cited several reasons for its somber outlook on AMD, including a slower ramp up of the company’s “Rome” product stack and expectations for a subdued pick up in second-half server and spending combined with Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) pricing pressure. He did raise his price target on the stock to $37 from $33. That's higher than the $31.07 consensus price target among analysts polled by Investing.com.

In response to AMD’s line-up of Ryzen desktop processors, released July 7, rival Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) has cut prices of some its processors by as much as 15%.

AMD has been scooping up new business at the lower end of the market, following Intel’s decision to de-prioritize shipments of low-end CPUs after a ramp up in activity in its data center-related businesses weighed on its ability to churn out processors.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) shares are up just 5% this year.

Investing.com – Germany stocks were lower after the close on Thursday, as losses in the Software, Basic Resources and Food&Beverages sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Frankfurt, the DAX lost 0.92% to hit a new 1-month low, while the MDAX index lost 0.74%, and the TecDAX index fell 1.32%.

The best performers of the session on the DAX were Merck KGaA (DE:MRCG), which rose 1.92% or 1.78 points to trade at 94.46 at the close. Meanwhile, Deutsche Boerse AG (DE:DB1Gn) added 1.06% or 1.350 points to end at 128.400 and RWE AG ST O.N. (DE:RWEG) was up 0.89% or 0.210 points to 23.800 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were SAP SE (DE:SAPG), which fell 5.12% or 6.150 points to trade at 113.910 at the close. Wirecard AG (DE:WDIG) declined 1.97% or 2.800 points to end at 139.450 and Thyssenkrupp AG O.N. (DE:TKAG) was down 1.75% or 0.200 points to 11.240.

The top performers on the MDAX were Siltronic AG (DE:WAFGn) which rose 2.38% to 64.500, Morphosys AG O.N. (DE:MORG) which was up 1.79% to settle at 99.5000 and Deutsche Wohnen AG (DE:DWNG) which gained 1.25% to close at 33.110.

The worst performers were Drillisch AG (DE:DRIG) which was down 9.33% to 26.420 in late trade, Hochtief AG (DE:HOTG) which lost 9.05% to settle at 96.95 and United Internet AG NA (DE:UTDI) which was down 7.24% to 26.020 at the close.

The top performers on the TecDAX were Siltronic AG (DE:WAFGn) which rose 2.38% to 64.500, Morphosys AG O.N. (DE:MORG) which was up 1.79% to settle at 99.500 and Aixtron SE NA O.N. (DE:AIXGn) which gained 1.36% to close at 7.6000.

The worst performers were Drillisch AG (DE:DRIG) which was down 9.33% to 26.420 in late trade, United Internet AG NA (DE:UTDI) which lost 7.24% to settle at 26.020 and SAP SE (DE:SAPG) which was down 5.12% to 113.910 at the close.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange by 489 to 195 and 77 ended unchanged.

Shares in Hochtief AG (DE:HOTG) fell to 3-years lows; losing 9.05% or 9.65 to 96.95. Shares in United Internet AG NA (DE:UTDI) fell to 5-year lows; down 7.24% or 2.030 to 26.020. Shares in United Internet AG NA (DE:UTDI) fell to 5-year lows; losing 7.24% or 2.030 to 26.020.

The DAX volatility index, which measures the implied volatility of DAX options, was up 3.61% to 14.64.

Gold Futures for August delivery was up 0.32% or 4.55 to $1427.85 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in August fell 2.75% or 1.56 to hit $55.22 a barrel, while the September Brent oil contract fell 2.78% or 1.77 to trade at $61.89 a barrel.

EUR/USD was up 0.02% to 1.1225, while EUR/GBP fell 0.35% to 0.8994.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.03% at 96.828.

Investing.com – Russia stocks were lower after the close on Thursday, as losses in the Oil&Gas, Telecoms and Manufacturing sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Moscow, the MOEX Russia declined 0.39% to hit a new 1-month low.

The best performers of the session on the MOEX Russia were Rostelecom (MCX:RTKM), which rose 2.35% or 1.90 points to trade at 82.75 at the close. Meanwhile, MMC Norilsk Nickel (MCX:GMKN) added 2.00% or 290.0 points to end at 14770.0 and Detskiy Mir PAO (MCX:DSKY) was up 1.59% or 1.42 points to 90.74 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were AK Transneft OAO Pref (MCX:TRNF_p), which fell 3.15% or 5200 points to trade at 160000 at the close. Safmar Finansovye Investitsii PAO (MCX:SFIN) declined 2.88% or 14.4 points to end at 485.0 and Surgut-pref (MCX:SNGS_p) was down 2.81% or 0.970 points to 33.575.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Moscow Stock Exchange by 116 to 106 and 17 ended unchanged.

Shares in Rostelecom (MCX:RTKM) rose to 52-week highs; rising 2.35% or 1.90 to 82.75.

The Russian VIX, which measures the implied volatility of MOEX Russia options, was down 2.12% to 19.380.

Gold Futures for August delivery was up 0.30% or 4.25 to $1427.55 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in August fell 2.78% or 1.58 to hit $55.20 a barrel, while the September Brent oil contract fell 2.65% or 1.69 to trade at $61.97 a barrel.

USD/RUB was up 0.07% to 62.9806, while EUR/RUB rose 0.07% to 70.6883.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.03% at 96.822.

Investing.com – Denmark stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Personal&Household Goods, Financials and Consumer Goods sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Copenhagen, the OMX Copenhagen 20 gained 0.03%.

The best performers of the session on the OMX Copenhagen 20 were Pandora A/S (CSE:PNDORA), which rose 1.32% or 3.5 points to trade at 268.5 at the close. Meanwhile, Genmab (CSE:GEN) added 0.90% or 11.0 points to end at 1227.0 and Oersted A/S (CSE:ORSTED) was up 0.77% or 4.80 points to 626.80 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were DSV (CSE:DSV), which fell 2.15% or 14.0 points to trade at 637.6 at the close. Ambu A/S (CSE:AMBUb) declined 1.60% or 1.6 points to end at 98.7 and AP Moeller - Maersk A/S B (CSE:MAERSKb) was down 1.25% or 96 points to 7558.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange by 73 to 44 and 20 ended unchanged.

Shares in Genmab (CSE:GEN) rose to 52-week highs; gaining 0.90% or 11.0 to 1227.0. Shares in Oersted A/S (CSE:ORSTED) rose to all time highs; rising 0.77% or 4.80 to 626.80.

Crude oil for August delivery was down 2.78% or 1.58 to $55.20 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in September fell 2.64% or 1.68 to hit $61.98 a barrel, while the August Gold Futures contract rose 0.36% or 5.15 to trade at $1428.45 a troy ounce.

USD/DKK was down 0.03% to 6.6508, while EUR/DKK rose 0.01% to 7.4669.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.06% at 96.792.

Investing.com - The U.S. dollar was flat on Thursday after data showing that business activity in the Mid-Atlantic jumped to its strongest level in a year.

The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a basket of six major currencies, was unchanged at 96.850 by 10:32 AM ET (14:32 GMT).

The Philadelphia Federal Reserve said its business index rose to 21.8 in July, the highest level since July 2018.

A figure above zero suggests the region's business activity is growing.

Meanwhile a separate report showed that while unemployment claims rose slightly last week, the labor market still remained strong. Initial jobless claims rose 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 216,000 for the week ended July 13, the Labor Department said, while data for the prior week was revised down by 1,000.

Taken together, the data add little to arguments for the half-point cut in interest rates that some still expect from the Federal Reserve at the end of the month.

The dollar did give up some of its recent gains against the British pound after U.K. lawmakers approved an amendment that would make it harder for the next Prime Minister to suspend parliament in order to force through Brexit on Oct. 31. The amendment would require parliament to be sitting to consider Northern Irish affairs for several days in September and October even if it was suspended.

Sterling rose as high as $1.2495 on the news, after having traded below $1.24 for the first time in two years earlier this week. By 10:50 AM ET (1450 GMT), it was up 0.4% on the day at $1.2480.

Elsewhere, traders pushed the rand higher after the South African Reserve Bank cut its key interest rate by 25 basis points to 6.5% and cut its growth forecast to 2019 to a mere 0.6%. The dollar fell 0.7% against the rand to test a new seven-month low at below 13.8900.

That followed an interest rate earlier in the day by the central bank of South Korea, after which the won strengthened some 0.2%.

Ongoing trade disputes between the U.S. and China also weighed on the dollar. The Wall Street Journal reported that the two have stalled on progress towards a deal over disputes on how to ease restrictions on Chinese tech giant Huawei.

Elsewhere, EUR/USD was flat at 1.1221, while USD/CAD gained 0.2% to 1.3075.

Investing.com - IBM (NYSE:IBM) rose by 4.05% to trade at $148.87 by 10:59 (14:59 GMT) on Thursday on the NYSE exchange.

The volume of IBM shares traded since the start of the session was 4.52M. IBM has traded in a range of $142.20 to $148.87 on the day.

The stock has traded at $148.9100 at its highest and $139.7900 at its lowest during the past seven days.

Investing.com – Saudi Arabia stocks were lower after the close on Thursday, as losses in the Telecoms&IT, Media&Publishing and Agriculture&Food sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Saudi Arabia, the Tadawul All Share declined 0.46%.

The best performers of the session on the Tadawul All Share were Arabian Centres Co (SE:4321), which rose 6.47% or 1.75 points to trade at 28.80 at the close. Meanwhile, Eastern Province Cement Co. (SE:3080) added 2.82% or 0.90 points to end at 32.80 and Arabia Insurance Cooperative Co (SE:8160) was up 2.22% or 0.42 points to 19.32 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Jadwa REIT Al Haramain Fund (SE:4332), which fell 3.35% or 0.28 points to trade at 8.07 at the close. Etihad Etisalat Co (SE:7020) declined 3.00% or 0.80 points to end at 25.85 and Saudi Industrial Export Co (SE:4140) was down 2.69% or 2.10 points to 76.00.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Saudi Arabia Stock Exchange by 116 to 64 and 15 ended unchanged.

Shares in Arabian Centres Co (SE:4321) rose to all time highs; gaining 6.47% or 1.75 to 28.80. Shares in Eastern Province Cement Co. (SE:3080) rose to 52-week highs; gaining 2.82% or 0.90 to 32.80.

Crude oil for August delivery was down 1.67% or 0.95 to $55.83 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in September fell 1.56% or 0.99 to hit $62.67 a barrel, while the August Gold Futures contract fell 0.04% or 0.55 to trade at $1422.75 a troy ounce.

EUR/SAR was up 0.01% to 4.2093, while USD/SAR rose 0.00% to 3.7504.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.01% at 96.843.

Investing.com - Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) fell by 9.75% to trade at $327.08 by 09:31 (13:31 GMT) on Thursday on the NASDAQ exchange.

The volume of Netflix shares traded since the start of the session was 2.36M. Netflix has traded in a range of $323.00 to $327.11 on the day.

The stock has traded at $384.5400 at its highest and $323.0100 at its lowest during the past seven days.

Investing.com - Stocks in focus in premarket trading on Thursday:

• Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) stock tumbled 10.9% by 8:18 AM ET (12:18 GMT) after it said it added only 2.7 million new subscribers in the second quarter, well below guidance of 5 million.

• Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) stock slipped 0.9% as it followed other banks in reporting falling earnings and revenue albeit strong wealth management performance meant that the declines were gentler than expected.

• SAP (NYSE:SAP) stock slumped 6.4% after the German software giant’s revenue came in below forecasts due to weakness in Asia, which it attributed largely to uncertainties over trade policy.

• IBM (NYSE:IBM) stock declined 1% after its revenue overall declined for the fourth straight quarter, despite its cloud-based business pushing earnings higher.

• UnitedHealth (NYSE:UNH) stock was up 0.6% after it reported a 13% rise in second-quarter profit.

• Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) stock fell 1.1% after it was fined 242 million euros ($272 million) by the European Commission for blocking a rival from the market a decade ago.

• Honeywell International (NYSE:HON) stock slipped 0.9% after its revenue was below expectations, although it raised its full-year sales and profit forecasts a fraction.

• Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) stock gained 2.8% after the railroad company’s earnings beat analyst estimates. It had fallen 6.4% on Wednesday after weak earnings from rival CSX (NASDAQ:CSX). Net income was $1.6 billion or $2.22 per diluted share.

• Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) stock rose 0.3% after it was upgraded to “outperform” from “market perform” at Raymond James, citing its upcoming 5G iPhone, according to CNBC.

Investing.com - Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) followed the trend set by rivals this week in reporting a drop in profit due to choppy market conditions.

Earnings per share fell over 5% from a year earlier to $1.23, but were still higher than the $1.15 expected by analysts. Strong revenue gains of more than 20% in its wealth management and investing management businesses helped to offset a decline in revenues at institutional securities which includes investment banking and its sales and trading division.

Overall revenue fell 3.5% to $10.24 billion, fractionally ahead of forecasts for $10.01 billion.

The bank's shares traded largely sideways in premarket after the release. By 08:10 AM ET (12:10 GMT) in premarket trade, they were at $43.65, unchanged from before the publication. They've lost 2.5% this week as most of its Wall Street rivals have reported declining trading income and a squeeze on lending margins. Morgan Stanley has one of the smallest lending businesses of the big Wall Street banks.

The bank saw a decline of 3% in net interest income from a year earlier, matching similar reports from rivals this week. Margins have been squeezed as the spread between short- and long-term interest rates has shrunk, crimping banks' ability to invest customer deposits profitably.

Morgan Stanley is the last of the six largest U.S. banks to report earnings in a difficult environment. Rising geopolitical uncertainties and the impact of future interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve present challenges to banks’ efforts to increase revenue.

Rival Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) noted that fact on Wednesday after its own earnings report, saying that Fed policy easing will likely hit net interest income.

Markets are currently pricing in a 25 basis point reduction at the Fed’s July 30-31 meeting with an additional two rate cuts by the end of the year.

Morgan Stanley follows other major Financial sector earnings this month

On Tuesday, JPMorgan reported second quarter EPS of $2.82 on revenue of $29.57B, compared to forecasts of EPS of $2.51 on revenue of $28.84B.

Bank of America earnings beat analysts' expectations on Wednesday, with second quarter EPS of $0.74 on revenue of $23.08B. Investing.com analysts expected EPS of $0.71 on revenue of $23.12B

Stay up-to-date on all of the upcoming earnings reports by visiting Investing.com's earnings calendar

By Geoffrey Smith

Investing.com -- CSX (NASDAQ:CSX) and Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) set the tone for a sell-off in stocks on Wednesday, but Europe’s blue chips have followed swiftly in putting out some equally dismal updates this morning.

The benchmark Stoxx 600 was down 0.5% at a three-week low of 385.68 by mid-morning in Europe, a performance that would have been even worse without a bright update from pharma giant and index heavyweight Novartis (SIX:NOVN), which rose 3.3% to an all-time high after raising its full-year guidance.

Germany’s Dax and Spain’s IBEX were both down 1%, while the U.K. FTSE 100 fell 0.6%.

Software giant SAP (DE:SAPG), Germany’s most valuable company, fell 6.5% after revenue fell short of forecasts due to weakness in Asia, something that looks set to be a recurring theme for this quarter. SAP touched a nerve already laid bare overnight by another sharp fall in Japanese exports and an unexpected interest rate cut from South Korea.

The IBEX’s problems were due largely to construction group ACS (MC:ACS), which fell 5.6% after a disappointing update from its Australian subsidiary.

Nordea (HE:NDAFI), the biggest bank in the Nordic region, fell 6.1% after missing consensus on profit by some 10% and announcing it would review its financial targets for the year. Higher compliance costs in the wake of a money-laundering scandal and rock-bottom interest rates were largely responsible for the miss.

Anglo American (LON:AAL), the world’s biggest producer of diamonds, fell 1% after announcing a drop in gem sales in the first half of the year. It revised down its forecasts for diamond output this year, citing weak demand. However, it raised its forecast slightly for iron ore output and maintained its guidance on copper and coal.

Fast fashion group ASOS (LON:ASOS) continued its fall from grace, saying that problems with its new warehouses would lead to this year’s pretax profit being barely half of consensus forecasts. The stock fell as much as 14% before paring losses. It’s now wiped out its gains for this year and is testing a five-year low.

And luxury goods group Richemont (SIX:CFR), the owner of jeweler Cartier, fell as much as 4% after announcing results that suffered from the political unrest in Hong Kong, one of its most important markets. Like Swatch (SIX:UHR) and Burberry (LON:BRBY) before it, the company noted that tourist numbers had dropped, and that it had closed its stores out of safety concerns. The stock found bidders at lower levels and traded down only 0.6% by 4:45 AM ET (0845 GMT).

Investing.com – India stocks were lower after the close on Thursday, as losses in the Auto, Metals and Public Sector Undertakings sectors led shares lower.

At the close in NSE, the Nifty 50 fell 0.78%, while the BSE Sensex 30 index fell 0.81%.

The best performers of the session on the Nifty 50 were Wipro Ltd (NS:WIPR), which rose 3.14% or 8.15 points to trade at 269.10 at the close. Meanwhile, Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NS:HDFC) added 2.24% or 51.30 points to end at 2345.15 and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (NS:ZEE) was up 2.12% or 7.50 points to 360.10 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Yes Bank Ltd (NS:YESB), which fell 12.70% or 12.50 points to trade at 85.80 at the close. Oil And Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (NS:ONGC) declined 4.40% or 6.60 points to end at 143.40 and Tata Motors Ltd (NS:TAMO) was down 4.11% or 6.90 points to 160.75.

The top performers on the BSE Sensex 30 were Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd (BO:HDFC) which rose 2.26% to 2338.00, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. (BO:KTKM) which was up 0.31% to settle at 1537.60 and HDFC Bank Ltd (BO:HDBK) which gained 0.26% to close at 2403.90.

The worst performers were Yes Bank Ltd (BO:YESB) which was down 12.85% to 85.80 in late trade, Tata Motors Ltd DVR (BO:TAMdv) which lost 4.24% to settle at 76.85 and Oil And Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (BO:ONGC) which was down 4.24% to 143.50 at the close.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the India National Stock Exchange by 1217 to 352 and 71 ended unchanged; on the Bombay Stock Exchange, 1685 fell and 709 advanced, while 135 ended unchanged.

Shares in Yes Bank Ltd (NS:YESB) fell to 5-year lows; down 12.70% or 12.50 to 85.80. Shares in Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NS:HDFC) rose to all time highs; gaining 2.24% or 51.30 to 2345.15. Shares in Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd (BO:HDFC) rose to all time highs; up 2.26% or 51.70 to 2338.00. Shares in Yes Bank Ltd (BO:YESB) fell to 5-year lows; falling 12.85% or 12.65 to 85.80. Shares in Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. (BO:KTKM) rose to all time highs; rising 0.31% or 4.70 to 1537.60.

The India VIX, which measures the implied volatility of Nifty 50 options, was down 0.42% to 11.7500.

Gold Futures for August delivery was down 0.17% or 2.45 to $1420.85 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in August rose 0.74% or 0.42 to hit $57.20 a barrel, while the September Brent oil contract rose 0.90% or 0.57 to trade at $64.23 a barrel.

USD/INR was up 0.17% to 68.947, while EUR/INR rose 0.05% to 77.2865.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.06% at 96.915.

Investing.com - Honeywell (NYSE:HON) raised its full-year outlook for profits and organic sales growth on Thursday, after reporting second-quarter earnings that beat analysts' expectations.

The firm reported earnings per share of $2.1 on revenue of $9.24B, with the group's U.S. and international defense and space divisions growing particularly strongly.

Analysts polled by Investing.com expected EPS of $2.08 on revenue of $9.35B. That compared to EPS of $2.12 on revenue of $10.92B in the same period a year earlier. The company had reported EPS of $1.92 on revenue of $8.88B in the previous quarter.

“We are making significant progress in transforming Honeywell into a premier software-industrial company, with connected software sales continuing to grow at a double-digit rate organically,” said CEO and chairman Darius Adamczyk.

The company bumped up its EPS guidance by 5c to a range of $7.95 to $8.15. It now expects organic sales to grow by between 4% and 6% this year, up from a prior estimate of 3% to 6%.

Honeywell follows other major Capital Goods sector earnings this month

On Wednesday, ASML ADR reported second quarter EPS of $1.27 on revenue of $2.88B, compared to forecasts of EPS of $1.08 on revenue of $2.9B.

Fastenal earnings missed analysts' expectations on July 11, with second quarter EPS of $0.36 on revenue of $1.37B. Investing.com analysts expected EPS of $0.37 on revenue of $1.38B

Stay up-to-date on all of the upcoming earnings reports by visiting Investing.com's earnings calendar

Investing.com - SunTrust Banks (NYSE:STI) reported second quarter earnings that missed analysts' expectations on Thursday and revenue that topped forecasts.

The firm reported earnings per share of $1.44 on revenue of $2.58B. Analysts polled by Investing.com expected EPS of $1.45 on revenue of $2.39B. That compared to EPS of $1.49 on revenue of $2.32B in the same period a year earlier. The company had reported EPS of $1.24 on revenue of $2.33B in the previous quarter.

SunTrust Banks follows other major Financial sector earnings this month

On Tuesday, JPMorgan reported second quarter EPS of $2.82 on revenue of $29.57B, compared to forecasts of EPS of $2.51 on revenue of $28.84B.

Bank of America earnings beat analysts' expectations on Wednesday, with second quarter EPS of $0.74 on revenue of $23.08B. Investing.com analysts expected EPS of $0.71 on revenue of $23.12B

Stay up-to-date on all of the upcoming earnings reports by visiting Investing.com's earnings calendar

Investing.com - Danaher (NYSE:DHR) reported second quarter earnings that beat analysts' expectations on Thursday and revenue that topped forecasts.

The firm reported earnings per share of $1.19 on revenue of $5.16B. Analysts polled by Investing.com forecast EPS of $1.16 on revenue of $5.08B. That compared to EPS of $1.15 on revenue of $4.98B in the same period a year earlier. The company had reported EPS of $1.07 on revenue of $4.88B in the previous quarter.

Danaher follows other major Technology sector earnings this month

On Thursday, Taiwan Semiconductor reported second quarter EPS of $2.57 on revenue of $241B, compared to forecasts of EPS of $0.41 on revenue of $7.6B.

Oracle earnings beat analysts' expectations on June 19, with fourth quarter EPS of $1.16 on revenue of $11.14B. Investing.com analysts expected EPS of $1.07 on revenue of $10.93B

Stay up-to-date on all of the upcoming earnings reports by visiting Investing.com's earnings calendar

Investing.com - Stellar was trading at $0.08818 by 05:58 (09:58 GMT) on the Investing.com Index on Thursday, up 10.16% on the day. It was the largest one-day percentage gain since July 12.

The move upwards pushed Stellar's market cap up to $1.59483B, or 0.60% of the total cryptocurrency market cap. At its highest, Stellar's market cap was $12.12000B.

Stellar had traded in a range of $0.07923 to $0.08820 in the previous twenty-four hours.

Over the past seven days, Stellar has seen a drop in value, as it lost 8.71%. The volume of Stellar traded in the twenty-four hours to time of writing was $395.24194M or 0.48% of the total volume of all cryptocurrencies. It has traded in a range of $0.0758 to $0.1009 in the past 7 days.

At its current price, Stellar is still down 90.41% from its all-time high of $0.92 set on January 3, 2018.

Elsewhere in cryptocurrency trading

Bitcoin was last at $9,831.6 on the Investing.com Index, up 3.96% on the day.

Ethereum was trading at $214.13 on the Investing.com Index, a gain of 5.48%.

Bitcoin's market cap was last at $174.64330B or 65.35% of the total cryptocurrency market cap, while Ethereum's market cap totaled $23.01254B or 8.61% of the total cryptocurrency market value.

Investing.com - The U.S. dollar was slightly weaker against a currency basket on Thursday as lower U.S. yields and a recovery in the British pound weighed.

The U.S. dollar index versus a basket of six major currencies dipped to 96.76 by 02:49 AM ET (06:49 GMT) after shedding 0.2% on Wednesday.

The index had climbed to a one-week high of 97.44 on Wednesday on stronger-than-expected U.S. retail sales and a slump in sterling. But it reversed course as Treasury yields fell following weak U.S. housing market data.

Concerns over the ongoing U.S.-China trade war also weighed after the Wall Street Journal reported that progress toward a deal had stalled.

"The dollar basically handed back earlier gains as Treasury yields pulled back and on IMF comments, and came back to where it was a few days ago," said Takuya Kanda, general manager at Gaitame.Com Research Institute.

Various economic data have given conflicting signs regarding the state of the U.S. economy, but that does not change the bigger picture of the dollar facing downward pressure due to an impending rate cut by the Federal Reserve, Kanda said.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday said the greenback was overvalued by 6% to 12%, based on near-term economic fundamentals.

The Fed is widely expected to cut interest rates by 0.25% at its July meeting, with some in the market pricing in a larger 0.5% rate cut.

The British pound was almost unchanged at 1.2432. It hit a low of 1.2382 in the previous day, its weakest level since April 2017 amid growing fears over the prospect of a no-deal Brexit, before selling abated.

The euro was a touch higher at 1.1234 after edging up 0.1% on Wednesday. The single currency's gains were modest as it was restrained by expectations of easing from the European Central Bank as early as next week.

The dollar was weaker against the yen, down 0.3% to 107.71 following an overnight loss of 0.3%.

The New Zealand dollar hovered near a three-month peak of 0.6745 scaled overnight. The kiwi has gained more than 0.5% this week, supported by positive domestic factors such as strong inflation.

The Australian dollar was up 0.36% at 0.7032 after ending the previous day little changed. Data overnight showed that Australian full-time employment surged in June, but the unemployment rate stayed stuck at 5.2% for a third straight month.

The data reinforced the view that labor market conditions have eased, underlining expectations for further rate cuts by the country’s central bank later this year.

--Reuters contributed to this report

Investing.com – Japan stocks were lower after the close on Thursday, as losses in the Paper&Pulp, Railway&Bus and Real Estate sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 lost 1.97%.

The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Chiyoda Corp. (T:6366), which rose 1.32% or 4.0 points to trade at 308.0 at the close. Meanwhile, Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd. (T:7735) added 0.79% or 40.0 points to end at 5120.0 and Sumitomo Realty&Development Co. (T:8830) was up 0.03% or 1.0 points to 3999.0 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Idemitsu Kosan Co Ltd (T:5019), which fell 5.05% or 160.0 points to trade at 3010.0 at the close. Konica Minolta, Inc. (T:4902) declined 4.96% or 54.0 points to end at 1034.0 and Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, Ltd. (T:5901) was down 4.91% or 99.0 points to 1919.0.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 3272 to 342 and 103 ended unchanged.

Shares in Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, Ltd. (T:5901) fell to 52-week lows; down 4.91% or 99.0 to 1919.0.

The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was unchanged 0.00% to 13.43.

Crude oil for August delivery was down 0.21% or 0.12 to $56.66 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in September unchanged 0.00% or 0.00 to hit $63.66 a barrel, while the August Gold Futures contract fell 0.12% or 1.65 to trade at $1421.65 a troy ounce.

USD/JPY was down 0.18% to 107.75, while EUR/JPY fell 0.05% to 121.08.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.10% at 96.757.

Investing.com - Bitcoin rose above the $10,018.2 threshold on Thursday. Bitcoin was trading at 10,018.2 by 02:30 (06:30 GMT) on the Investing.com Index, up 4.66% on the day. It was the largest one-day percentage gain since July 15.

The move upwards pushed Bitcoin's market cap up to $176.4B, or 65.48% of the total cryptocurrency market cap. At its highest, Bitcoin's market cap was $241.2B.

Bitcoin had traded in a range of $9,617.8 to $10,027.9 in the previous twenty-four hours.

Over the past seven days, Bitcoin has seen a drop in value, as it lost 15.07%. The volume of Bitcoin traded in the twenty-four hours to time of writing was $23.9B or 29.44% of the total volume of all cryptocurrencies. It has traded in a range of $9,082.5625 to $11,881.4180 in the past 7 days.

At its current price, Bitcoin is still down 49.58% from its all-time high of $19,870.62 set on December 17, 2017.

Elsewhere in cryptocurrency trading

Ethereum was last at $219.53 on the Investing.com Index, up 8.06% on the day.

XRP was trading at $0.31695 on the Investing.com Index, a gain of 5.78%.

Ethereum's market cap was last at $23.3B or 8.66% of the total cryptocurrency market cap, while XRP's market cap totaled $13.5B or 5.01% of the total cryptocurrency market value.

Investing.com - Bitcoin prices recovered on Thursday in Asia but were still trading below the $10,000 level.

Bitcoin last traded at $9,800.5 by 12:23 AM ET (04:23 GMT), up 4.1%.

Ethereum jumped 7.7% to $214.33, XRP gained 4.8% to 0.31278 while Litecoin surged 11.2% to 89.128.

The gains came after some heavy selling in the past week after global central banks warned against Facebook's plan to launch its own cryptocurrency, Libra.

Several lawmakers on Wednesday called on Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) to halt its development until Congress and regulators had the opportunity to assess concerns around the social media company's cryptocurrency.

The lawmakers described the company's proposal as a toddler playing with matches who burns the house down and criticised the company for repeatedly violating consumers' privacy. During the hearing, a U.S. senator said the social media giant was "delusional" to believe people will trust it with their money.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin also joined critics on Libra, expressing serious concerns about the proposal earlier this month.

In other news, Reuters reported on Thursday that Japan is leading a global development to set up an international network for cryptocurrency payments.

Citing a person familiar with the plan, the report said the network is expected to be in place in the next few years, although the article did not explain how the network would work.