Last Week Risers & Fallers:
- Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) – Netflix shares has increased by 0.95% for the week and 0.11% on Friday, closing at $611.66 per share. The good news for Netflix’s long-term investors is that the stock has been up by 389% over the last five years.
- PepsiCo (Nasdaq: PEP) – PepsiCo’s share price was up by 1.60% on Friday. The stock gained 1.72% over the last week and traded at $168.97 per share. The stock reached an all-time high this week, driven by the rise in holiday sales.
- FTSE 100 – The FTSE 100 was down 0.40% on Friday. The UK’s GDP data was weaker, showing a growth in the economy of 0.1%, lower than the anticipated 0.4%. This brought London’s markets down on Friday.
- USDJPY – USDJPY lost 0.07% on Friday, to 113.37 at the close of the market. The US dollar gained somewhat against the JPY; however, we might see more consolidation in price with the year coming to an end.
Major events to watch:
- USA (USD): Fed Interest Rate decision – Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) members vote on setting the rate. Traders watch interest rate changes closely as short-term interest rates are the primary factor in currency valuation. The current rate is set at 0.25%.
The report is due Wednesday, 15 December at 19:00 GMT.
- Switzerland (CHF): SNB Interest rate decision – The Swiss National Bank (SNB) governing board members agree on where to set the target range for the rate. Traders watch interest rate changes closely as short-term interest rates are the primary factor in currency valuation. The current rate is at -0.75%.
The report is due Thursday, 16 December at 08:30 GMT.
- UK (GBP): UK Retail Sales – Retail Sales measure the change in the total value of inflation-adjusted sales at the retail level. It is the leading indicator of consumer spending, which accounts for most overall economic activity. Retail sales increased by 0.8% last month, which was better than the forecast of 0.5%.
The report is due Friday, 17 December at 07:00 GMT.
