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Market news – Week 2, January 2023
After missing their annual Santa Claus run in 2022 and starting the New Year in the red, US stocks registered significant gains this week to snap out of their 4-week bear run.
After missing their annual Santa Claus run in 2022 and starting the New Year in the red, US stocks registered significant gains this week to snap out of their 4-week bear run.
Forex
The EUR/USD closed the week on a strong footing as the US dollar couldn’t capitalise on the encouraging non-farm payrolls (NFP) data released on Friday, 6 January. The report by the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) revealed a rise in NFP by 223,000 and a 3.5% decline in unemployment rate in December. It also showed a decrease in annual wage inflation from 4.8% to 4.6%.
Moreover, the Institute for Supply Management’s Services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) survey — released on Friday, 6 January — showed a contraction in the services sector during December. These releases contributed to the 10-year US Treasury bond yield losing more than 4% on the day, resulting in heavy selling pressure on the US dollar that capped its possible upward movement.
Meanwhile, the British pound sterling continued its strong run, which led to the GBP/USD pair posting its biggest daily jump for the week on Monday, 2 January, before ultimately closing at $1.21. A price cap on energy prices in the United Kingdom has contributed towards an ease in inflation, bolstering the pound.
This week will see the release of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data in the United States on Thursday, 12 January. Meanwhile in the United Kingdom, the gross domestic product (GDP) and the manufacturing production data will be released on Friday, 13 January.
Level up your trading strategy with the latest market news and trade CFDs on your Deriv X account.
Commodities
Gold prices continued their bullish run to end last week at $1,866, flirting with their highest level in 7 months. The selling of the US dollar, despite encouraging jobs data, downbeat PMI numbers, and the fall in treasury bond yields all contributed to the rise in the price of the yellow metal.
Amid the surge in prices of the commodity, China reported an increase in its gold reserves for a second straight month, having raised its holding by 30 tonnes in December 2022 and by 32 tonnes in the month prior. The total gold reserves in China now stands at 2,010 tonnes.
Last week, both the major oil benchmarks — West Texas Instruments (WTI) and Brent — dropped over 8% to register their biggest declines at the start of a year since 2016.
Oil prices were impacted by the fears of a rise in Covid infections in China as the country opened its borders for the first time in 3 years. The resulting increase in travellers could lead to an increase in Covid cases. If such a scenario were to materialise, it could potentially lead to a lack of demand for oil. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia slashed the price of its oil sold to Asia and Europe in February 2023, signalling concerns of a slowdown in demand in the near-term.
Cryptocurrencies
Cryptocurrency price movement was slow at the start of the week due to the holiday season, but it picked up pace later in the week to finish strongly. The global cryptocurrency market capitalisation crossed the $850 billion mark on Sunday, 8 January.
The world’s largest cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, started trading above the $16,800 level on Wednesday, 4 January, as market volatility remained high. Bitcoin breached the $17,000 mark last week and was trading at $17,068 on Sunday, 8 January. Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency in the world, was trading at $1,290 at the time of writing.
In an interesting turn of events, the United Kingdom has enforced a tax exemption for foreign investors buying cryptocurrencies through local investment managers or brokers. The tax break is a part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's plans to turn the United Kingdom into a cryptocurrency hub, and will lend credibility to the industry.
Meanwhile in the US, the bankruptcy team of Future's Exchange, commonly known as FTX, has agreed to coordinate with liquidators who are winding down the exchange's operations in the Bahamas, resolving a dispute that threatened the recovery of billions of dollars in lost funds.
Take advantage of market opportunities by sharpening your trading strategy and trading the financial markets with options and multipliers on Deriv Trader.
US stock markets
The encouraging jobs data in the United States lifted Wall Street’s gloom as major stock indices finished the week with substantial gains, ending a month-long bearish run. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.46% to close at 33,630.61, the S&P 500 gained 1.45% to end at 3,895.08, and the Nasdaq Composite was up by 0.92% to finish the week at 11,040.35.
The upbeat NFP data fuelled belief among investors that inflation is decreasing and that the US Federal Reserve will tone down its aggressive stance on interest rates. Since the March 2022 quarter, the Fed has increased rates 4.50% cumulatively from 0.25%.
Nevertheless, the likelihood of a Fed rate hike remains high as Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic said that he expects the rates to rise above 5% and to stay there until “well” into 2024.
The CPI data as well as Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s remarks scheduled for Tuesday, 10 January, will be closely watched and will determine the course of the stock market movements this week.
Now that you’re up-to-date on how the financial markets performed last week, you can improve your strategy and trade CFDs on Deriv MT5.
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Market news – Week 4, December 2022
An inevitable recession in the US, layoffs in the banking industry, and the looming threat of increasing Covid cases have continued to be causes of concern for cryptocurrency traders.
An inevitable recession in the US, layoffs in the banking industry, and the looming threat of increasing Covid cases have continued to be causes of concern for cryptocurrency traders.
Forex
EUR/USD traded at $1.0735 on Thursday, 15 December, its highest level since early June. The currency pair closed the week under $1.06, holding onto substantial gains.
The US Consumer Price Index (CPI) for November was released on Tuesday, 13 December, with an annual rate of 7.1%, down from the previous month’s 7.7%. It was also below the market expectations of 7.3%. As price pressures eased, the US Federal Reserve announced a 50 basis point rate hike, boosting optimism in the market. The latest rate hike follows four straight 75 bps increases.
The euro rose after the European Central Bank (ECB) announced a 50 basis points rate hike of its own, but ECB president Christine Lagarde was hawkish for a change. Through the end of the Asset Purchase Programme (APP), she announced further quantitative tightening.
On the other hand, with the Fed and the Bank of England (BoE) diverging once again on monetary policy, the GBP/USD pair reversed sharply from a six-month peak, and ended the week marginally lower than at the start of the week.
The macroeconomic calendar this week offers little relevance as we enter the winter holiday season. The most important figures will be the final estimates of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the UK and the US, both of which will be announced on Thursday, 22 December. The core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) and the durable goods orders — which measures current industrial activity — will be released on Friday, 23 December.
Level up your trading strategy with the latest market news and trade CFDs on your Deriv X account.
Commodities
Investors evaluated the US inflation report and the Fed's policy outlook last week, and the latter’s potential effects on global economies caused gold prices to fluctuate wildly throughout the week. There was a 2% drop in platinum for the week, and a 1.9% fall in silver.
Meanwhile, signs of tightening supply and improved Chinese demand helped oil rise to its highest since early October. The oil prices climbed despite downward pressure from interest-rate hikes by the US Fed and the ECB.
After central banks across Europe and North America signaled that they will continue to fight inflation aggressively, oil fell by more than $2 per barrel on Friday, 15 December, amid fears of a looming recession.
As the holiday season approaches, gold prices may find it harder to make a decisive move in either direction due to the thinning trading conditions in the economic calendar.
Cryptocurrencies
It was a volatile week for cryptocurrencies as prices rose following an optimistic CPI report, only to see those gains wiped out overnight. The global crypto market capitalisation now stands at around $800 billion.
A possible announcement of an inevitable recession in the US, massive layoffs in the banking industry, and the Covid pandemic threatening to spread like wildfire once again have continued to be causes of concern for cryptocurrency enthusiasts. More than $117 million in leveraged positions across the market have been blown out, with Bitcoin and Ethereum accounting for the majority of these positions. Following them, Dogecoin and Litecoin were the next largest liquidations, according to data gathered by Coinglass.
Bitcoin’s price slipped on Friday as the US Federal Reserve approved a smaller interest-rate hike (50 bps) than the previous ones this year. The world’s largest cryptocurrency is trading at $16,741.10 at the time of writing. Ethereum — which follows behind Bitcoin as the cryptocurrency with the second-highest market capitalisation — is currently trading at $1,183.32 after reaching a high of $1,319.17 on Tuesday, 13 December.
Take advantage of market opportunities by sharpening your trading strategy and trading the financial markets with options and multipliers on Deriv Trader.
US stock markets

*Net change and net change (%) are based on the weekly closing price change from Friday to Friday.
The stock market fell as a result of the Fed’s 50 basis point interest rate hike announced on Wednesday, 14 December, which caused the interest rate to reach a 15-year high. Its effect was reflected in the performance of the biggest stock indices in the US.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 142 points after the Fed's interest rate hike announcement on Wednesday, and 764 points the following day, resulting in an overall weekly loss of 1.66%. The S&P 500 fell 2.08%, taking up its cumulative December losses to 5.58%. The Nasdaq too traded in the red and dropped 2.76% during the course of the week.
Traders have been hoping for a Santa Claus rally — a sustained rise in the stock market that occurs around year-end holidays. However, it looks like this year's hopes for a rally have been dampened by the recent events in the financial world.
In the coming week, the PCE price index, which is set for release on Friday, 23 December, is the most significant data that might dictate further movement in the stock market.
The earnings lineup will offer traders the final clues heading into the final weeks of the year, with corporate giants like Nike and FedEx set to release earning reports ahead of the holiday shopping season.
Now that you’re up-to-date on how the financial markets performed last week, you can improve your strategy and trade CFDs on Deriv MT5.

Year-end market holidays 2022 — what to expect
As the holidays are rapidly approaching, you'll likely want to ensure you’re on top of your trades. Seasonality greatly impacts how financial markets perform. Before the holidays, there is a seasonal market trend called the pre-holiday effect, when the markets usually experience higher volatility than on regular trading days.
As the holidays are rapidly approaching, you'll likely want to ensure you’re on top of your trades. Seasonality greatly impacts how financial markets perform. Before the holidays, there is a seasonal market trend called the pre-holiday effect, when the markets usually experience higher volatility than on regular trading days.
To help you prepare and refine your trading strategies, here’s what you can expect this upcoming holiday season.
Stock market
During the holidays, stock prices fluctuate due to several contributing factors, including
- the number of active traders
- the end of a financial quarter for companies (when they rebalance their portfolios based on which investments performed well or poorly)
- investors selling their unprofitable shares
With the expected rises and dips in price movements this time of the year, most traders rely on technical and fundamental analysis to study the seasonal stock trend of a particular asset to strategise better.
Stock exchanges holiday calendar
Stock markets are only open for trading on normal business days — Monday to Friday. Listed below are the holiday schedules of some of the major stock indices that we offer.

*Stocks and stock indices can be traded on Deriv MT5 and Deriv Trader, Deriv Bot, and SmartTrader.
Forex market
The forex market is the world's largest financial market, with a daily trading volume of over 6 trillion US dollars. It’s dominated by financial companies, hedge funds (also known as offshore investment funds), and banks.
These key market players are absent during the holiday season, resulting in lower liquidity. Their absence also leads to heightened volatility with higher chances of false breakouts, which some traders find unrewarding as there’s less potential for gains.
In a decentralised market like forex, there is no way of knowing how prices will move, so trading under such unpredictable market conditions can be challenging. Most traders rely on technical and fundamental analysis to study forex price movements.
*Forex can be traded on Deriv MT5, Deriv X, DTrader, DBot, and SmartTrader.

Commodities
The holiday season generates a high demand for commodities — from natural resources to precious metals — resulting in bullish markets that most traders take advantage of. This demand increase strengthens their prices, paving the way for more potential positive returns.

*Commodities can be traded on Deriv MT5, Deriv X, Deriv Trader, Deriv Bot, and SmartTrader.
Other markets
Cryptocurrencies and synthetic indices are the markets that never sleep. On Deriv, these markets are available to trade 24/7, even throughout the holiday seasons and on public holidays.
*Cryptocurrencies can be traded on Deriv MT5, Deriv X, and Deriv Trader. Synthetics can be traded on Deriv MT5, Deriv X, Deriv Bot, Deriv Trader, and SmartTrader.
Important: We’re open for business throughout the holiday season. The schedules mentioned are for guidance only and are subject to change.
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Market news – Week 5, December 2022
The threat of sanctions against Russia by the European Union for the ongoing war in Ukraine, plus reduced production in the US due to the weather pushed oil prices to a 3-week high.
The threat of sanctions against Russia by the European Union for the ongoing war in Ukraine, plus reduced production in the US due to the weather pushed oil prices to a 3-week high.
Forex
The British pound traded marginally lower for the week. With the miss on the United Kingdom Gross Domestic Product (GDP), over both the year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter basis, the UK economy registered its first negative quarter of growth in 2022.
The Bank of England (BoE) is also facing a tough scenario due to strikes by the rail, maritime, and transport workers in the UK, contributing to lower household income while inflation continues to climb. The rising inflation may lead to the BoE ending rate hikes sooner than the US Federal Reserve, which may favour the US dollar in 2023.
A rebound in EUR/USD occurred after the euro registered small losses on Thursday, 22 December, climbing above $1.06. In its latest report issued on the same day, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) revised the annualised growth rate of the third quarter to 3.2% from 2.9% previously.
In response to the upbeat BEA data, the US dollar strengthened against its major rivals and pushed EUR/USD lower. As trading conditions weakened going into the Christmas holiday, the EUR/USD pair failed to gain enough momentum to make a decisive move.
Level up your trading strategy with the latest market news and trade CFDs on your Deriv X account.
Commodities
There's a lot of optimism about the continuing rise in gold prices, or them at least staying sideways if the coil market holds. With the impending Christmas holidays, gold prices edged up on Friday, 23 December, supported by the lower-than-expected inflation data. Meanwhile, after a half-percent drop from October, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index stood at 5.5% year-over-year.
Russia warned on Friday, 23 December, that it might reduce oil production by as much as 700,000 barrels a day in response to sanctions against the country's crude by the European Union (EU).
Despite a winter freeze sweeping across the US, Russia's threat of reduced oil production outweighed dwindling trading volumes heading into Christmas. On the Texas Gulf Coast, one-third of refining capacity has been shut down, while in North Dakota, up to 350,000 barrels of crude oil is being produced per day.
The threat of sanctions against Russia and reduced production in the US helped oil prices rally to a 3-week high on Friday, 23 December, after rising for a second straight week. Despite a volatile year for oil prices dominated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, crude prices are still on track for a modest gain on a yearly basis.
Cryptocurrencies
Cryptocurrency prices remained largely stable through much of the week, with an absence of a macro trigger reinforcing lacklustre performance. The global cryptocurrency market capitalisation stood at USD 811 billion on Sunday, 25 December.
Christmas has offered nothing for the Bitcoin bulls or bears, and cryptocurrency enthusiasts are growing increasingly tired as Bitcoin's price has plunged over 75% from its all-time high of $69,000 that it scaled last year.
It is currently trading at $16,829 after reaching $16,907.50 on Tuesday, 20 December. Meanwhile, the world’s second-largest digital currency by market capitalisation, Ethereum, was trading at $1,218.21 at the time of writing.
Following the prosecution of FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, the US Deputy Attorney General, Lisa Monaco, along with the US Justice Department, has started building expertise across the 93 US attorney offices to enhance cryptocurrency enforcement regulations and is coordinating those efforts through a 25-member national cryptocurrency enforcement team. FTX was one of the largest cryptocurrency exchange platforms before it imploded in November, leading to a crash in the prices of digital assets. The latest move to enhance regulations and accountability will likely strengthen trust in cryptocurrencies.
Take advantage of market opportunities by sharpening your trading strategy and trading the financial markets with options and multipliers on Deriv Trader.
US stock markets

*Net change and net change (%) are based on the weekly closing price change from Friday to Friday.
Santa Claus seems to have evaded Wall Street this year as major US stock indices lacked the upward force that they are used to experiencing towards the end of each year.
As traders hoped for a so-called Santa Claus rally to kick in, the S&P 500 ended the week down about 0.2% for the week and the Nasdaq lost over 2%, both indices recording a third consecutive week in the red. However, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was the outlier, posting a weekly gain of 0.86%.
Several factors contributed to the underwhelming performance of the stock indices, however, the major factors are still inflation and fears of an impending recession, come 2023. Furthermore, the core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index came in slightly higher-than-expected on a year-over-year basis. This is indicative of inflationary pressures on the stock indices.
This December has marked an exception in equities as major indices have been weighed down by hefty declines in shares of Tesla, Amazon, and other big name stocks that had pushed markets higher in previous years.
The market trajectory would still be dictated by inflation and whether the US Federal Reserve stops raising interest rates sooner than projected.
Now that you’re up-to-date on how the financial markets performed last week, you can improve your strategy and trade CFDs on Deriv MT5.

Market news – Week 3, December 2022
The 3 major US stock indices — the Nasdaq, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and S&P 500 — traded in the red, with the latter two undergoing their worst week since late September.
The 3 major US stock indices — the Nasdaq, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and S&P 500 — traded in the red, with the latter two undergoing their worst week since late September.
Forex
The EUR/USD pair has been trending lower for most of this year. However, hints of lowering inflation in the US have resulted in markets pricing in a weaker dollar in the belief that the US Federal Reserve’s funds rate would not need to rise as high, or remain as high, as previously predicted.
A weaker dollar and falling US treasury rates have been driving the EUR/USD rally.
As a consequence, the developments in the US this week will be focused on the interest rate decision by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). The Consumer Price Index (CPI) print for November — which will follow the colder October report — and the European Central Bank (ECB) monetary policy decisions will also be significant for the EUR/USD pair.
The GBP/USD pair ended the week roughly unchanged. The pound sterling’s recent gains were capped by a pause in the decline of the US dollar.
The release of the United Kingdom's monthly Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data will start off this week. It will be followed by the Bank of England's (BoE) monetary policy announcement on Thursday, 15 December. A 50 basis point rate hike is already baked in, so all eyes will be on the BoE’s rate hike forecast for 2023.
Level up your trading strategy with the latest market news and trade CFDs on your Deriv X account.
Commodities
A bearish trend started the week for gold and it lost more than 1.5% on Monday, 5 December, before regaining momentum. Although the price of gold rebounded toward $1,800 in the second half of the week, it ended up close to its price at the start of the week.
On Tuesday, 13 December, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) will issue November inflation figures. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is expected to be at 7.3% on an annual basis, down from 7.7% in October.
The FOMC interest rate decision will be another important factor to consider this week. Especially after FOMC Chairman Jerome Powell suggested in a recent public appearance that it would be wise to slow interest rate rises. A 50 basis point increase should not be surprising. However, a 75 bps Fed rate hike, which seems unlikely at this point, will put significant pressure on gold prices and will likely lead to rapid declines.
Oil prices underwent their worst weekly decline since early August. The downturn was attributed to weak economic data from China, Europe, and the United States. As a result of an increase in Covid-19 infections, economists expect China’s economic growth to slow down despite some restrictions being eased. The rise in Covid cases may further impact oil prices.
Cryptocurrencies
The cryptocurrencies market showed little signs of recovery this week, with most digital tokens trading sideways. The global crypto market stood at USD 840 billion as of Sunday, December 11, 2022.
Last week, Bitcoin — the world’s largest cryptocurrency — was able to clear the $17,000 resistance zone. At the time of writing, Bitcoin was trading at $17,805.20. Ethereum, the digital currency with the second-highest market capitalisation, was trading at $1,262.92.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released a guidance on Thursday, 8 December, instructing companies to disclose crypto asset holdings and risk exposures to market developments in their public filings. The guidance comes as a consequence of the implosion at FTX —- a leading cryptocurrency exchange platform — which affected over 100,000 customers.
Coinbase, one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world, has waived conversion fees for traders who wish to switch from Tether (USDT) to "stablecoin" USDC. Coinbase is an investor in USDC. At present, Tether is the third-most widely traded asset on Coinbase, representing 5% of the trade volume on the platform. The move to switch from USDT was made when Tether briefly lost its one-to-one peg to the USD as a result of the collapse at FTX.
In South America, the Brazilian government approved a bill to regulate digital currencies in order to protect retail investors’ interests. The move is likely to boost crypto adoption amongst the masses.
Take advantage of market opportunities by sharpening your trading strategy and trading the financial markets with options and multipliers on Deriv Trader.
US stock markets

*Net change and net change (%) are based on the weekly closing price change from Friday to Friday.
The US stock market had a declining week as traders had to up their game during the challenging trading sessions. When the closing bell rang on Wall Street on Friday, the S&P 500 dropped 3.4%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 2.8%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq fell 4%. It was the worst week since late September for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones.
The waves of inflation seem to continually strike the stock market as the major indices brace for impact from the latest CPI data. Furthermore, the Fed’s interest rate decision will set the direction for markets for the remainder of this year and the start of 2023.
The stronger-than-expected Producer Price Index (PPI) data caused the S&P 500 to fall after two consecutive weeks of gain over fears that the Fed might keep interest rates higher for longer, which is indicative of a recession.
The coming week will impact the movement of the stock market for what remains of 2022 as Fed Chair Powell will hold his last press conference of the year on Wednesday, 14 December. He might give his take on inflation and the future of the interest rate hikes at the conference.
Now that you’re up-to-date on how the financial markets performed last week, you can improve your strategy and trade CFDs on Deriv MT5.

How to make a deposit via Skrill
Experience smooth transactions with Skrill! Watch the video below for a step-by-step guide on depositing funds into your trading account using this method.
Welcome to our tutorial on making quick and secure deposits using the Skrill payment method! Whether you’re new to online transactions or a seasoned user, this video will guide you through the simple steps to fund your account effortlessly.

Market news – Week 2, December 2022
Favourable market conditions helped the euro achieve gains despite a minor blip caused by US non-farm payrolls data on 2 December. Meanwhile, the encouraging employment numbers helped the 3 major US indices — the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq, and S&P 500 — make gains two weeks in a row for the first time in 3 months.
Favourable market conditions helped the euro achieve gains despite a minor blip caused by US non-farm payrolls data on 2 December. Meanwhile, the encouraging employment numbers helped the 3 major US indices — the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq, and S&P 500 — make gains two weeks in a row for the first time in 3 months.
Forex
Following the better-than-expected US non-farm payroll (NFP) data on Friday, 2 December, the euro slipped below $1.05 briefly before rising again. Despite its brief fall, much is moving in favour of the euro, including external factors such as China’s lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, a dovish US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell, cheaper gas prices, and declining inflation in the United States. Any flip in the tide will put pressure on the currency.
The GBP/USD pair extended its four-week winning run amid the ongoing US dollar weakening and a risk-on market environment i.e. a market where stocks are outperforming bonds. The monetary policy difference between the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England (BoE) has reduced slightly, fuelling the rise of pound sterling.
On the reports front, the US services data from the Institute of Supply Management (ISM) is expected this week. Since the US economy is largely a services economy, this statistic is essential to determining the country’s economic health. As inflation has shown signs of decline, the Producer Price Index (PPI) report, which is due on 9 December, will also be important.
As there is little UK economic data to boost the pound, traders will look to the meeting of the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee (MPC) on 15 December as the next possible catalyst for the currency’s movements.
Level up your trading strategy with the latest market news and trade CFDs on your Deriv X account.
Commodities
The US dollar depreciated which resulted in gold rising about 2% this week. The demand for gold improved over renewed confidence about China's move away from its zero-Covid policy.
Following the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report that non-farm payrolls increased by 263,000 in November — which exceeded the market's forecast of 200,000 —- gold gave up some of its weekly gains. Furthermore, the BLS reported a yearly wage inflation increase of 5.1%.
China’s ease of Covid restriction also saw oil arrest its three-week fall. However, some of its gains on Friday were muted as the markets awaited the announcement of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC+) January output cuts.
Another factor that contributed to the drop in oil prices on Friday was the news that the European Union had agreed to cap Russian oil exports at $60 per barrel as a consequence of the war in Ukraine. Currently, Russia sells most of its oil at a price higher than the cap. The measure's primary objective is to keep Russian oil flowing to the global markets.
Cryptocurrencies
This was a relatively quiet week for major cryptocurrencies, with prices remaining range-bound, even though the effect of the implosion at FTX — a leading cryptocurrency exchange — continues to impact the market. The global crypto market capitalisation stands at USD 870 billion at the time of writing.
The wider crypto market surged after the US Federal Reserve chairman Powell hinted at less aggressive interest rate hikes in the future (the Fed has raised the rate by 75 basis points four consecutive times). Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market cap, is currently trading at USD 17,131.40. The currency rose above the USD 17,000 mark on Wednesday as traders reacted to the latest US consumer confidence report.
Meanwhile, Ethereum, the second largest digital asset, is currently trading at USD 1,281.41 at the time of writing.
The effects of the fiasco at FTX continue to cast a shadow on the digital currency ecosystem as cryptocurrency firm BlockFi has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. BlockFi, which allowed users to earn yield for depositing digital currencies on their platform, first halted withdrawals on the same day that FTX filed for bankruptcy. BlockFi had significant exposure to FTX and associated entities.
Meanwhile in Europe, the Italian government in its latest budget published on 1 December intends to impose a 26% tax on cryptocurrency trading profits exceeding EUR 2,000 per transaction.
Take advantage of market opportunities by sharpening your trading strategy and trading the financial markets with options and multipliers on Deriv Trader.
US stock markets

*Net change and net change (%) are based on the weekly closing price change from Friday to Friday.
The better-than-expected employment report came to the rescue of the US stock market as major stock indices made up for the losses incurred earlier in the week. Friday’s close marked the first time the 3 major indices notched back-to-back weekly gains since October.
According to the BLS report, the average hourly earnings came in higher by 0.6% compared to last month and the unemployment rate stayed put at 3.7%. The favourable data has caused traders to reassess expectations about when the US central bank will stop its interest rate hiking spree.
The Nasdaq posted the largest weekly gain at just over 2%. The S&P 500 was up by 1.1%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average ticked up by 0.2%.
The markets will look at the outcome of the US Fed’s last meeting of 2022 — which is scheduled for 14 December — with the expectation of a lower interest rate hike of 50 bps. The final set of earnings reports are set to be released this week.
Now that you’re up-to-date on how the financial markets performed last week, you can improve your strategy and trade CFDs on Deriv MT5.

How to make a withdrawal via Skrill
Learn how to effortlessly withdraw funds from your Deriv account using the secure and reliable Skrill payment method.
Watch our tutorial as we guide you through the seamless process of withdrawing funds from your Deriv account using the Skrill payment method.

How to use the Deriv P2P app
Find out how to create ads, and how to transfer funds in and out of your Deriv account via P2P payments.
Deriv P2P is our peer-to-peer deposit and withdrawal platform facilitating seamless transactions among traders. Discover the process of creating advertisements and managing funds between your Deriv account and P2P payments through this instructional video.
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