Bitcoin quotations on online exchanges soared by more than $5 thousand immediately after it became known that Elon Musk's Tesla invested in the cryptocurrency. The weighted average rate of Bitcoin, according to Coindesk, reached $44.8 thousand, which was a new all-time high for the digital currency. The electric car maker invested $1.5 billion in Bitcoin last year and does not rule out that it...

International investors have reduced their investments in developed markets. Renewal of historical highs by US indices during the last months, as well as uncertainty with the next tranche of monetary stimulus, is forcing investors to choose more profitable directions, first of all developing countries. China, which is expected to improve its relations with the USA, remains a winner. The latest...

Nikkei 225, the main index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, reflecting the dynamics of stock prices of 225 leading companies in Japan, reached its highest level since August 1990. It rose to 29,351.54 points (+2%), according to the exchange website.  The maximum value of the Nikkei 225 at the beginning of trading on Feb. 8 was 29,397.57 points. The previous maximum of a key Japanese stock...

Global food prices rose 4.3 per cent in January from December 2020 levels, reaching the highest level since July 2014, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said. The organisation said the prices have been rising for the eighth consecutive month. The growth is primarily due to strong increases in price indices for sugar, cereals and vegetable oils, the FAO explained. Prices of meat and...

US pharmaceutical company Pfizer has published its results for the fourth quarter and full year 2020. Revenues in the fourth quarter were $11.7bn, up 12% year-on-year, and profits were $2.4bn, up 15%.  For the full year 2020, the company's revenue was up just 2% to $41.9bn and net profit was up 16% to $12.5bn compared to 2019. Pfizer has also given a forecast for the current year in...

European oil prices hit a new yearly high, comfortably above the $58 per barrel level. According to Reuters, European oil prices have surpassed $58 a barrel for the first time since the second decade of February 2020. Quotes for Russia's Urals reached $58.6 a barrel, while North Sea Brent rose to $58.3 a barrel.  The value of the nearest futures for Brent oil reached $58.05 per barrel. The...

The US Federal Open Market Committee refrained from changing the rate at the end of its first meeting of the year. The last time the rate was changed was in March 2020, when it was urgently cut to 0-0.25%. Recall that the rate forecasts updated in December did not suggest an increase until at least the end of 2023. In a statement on Wednesday, the regulator separately noted that the pace of...

The number of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the world in the second half of last year increased by 18% compared with the first half, reaching 26.2 thousand. The total amount of M&A grew even more: by 94%, to more than $2 trillion. This data was published by PwC in its new report. The number of mega-deals worth more than $5bn also rose sharply - there were 57 mega-deals worth $688bn in the...

Former US Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, whom President-elect Joe Biden is set to appoint as Treasury Secretary, warned about the risks of a longer and more painful recession. This will happen if the Congress fails to approve additional support measures and calls to take "sweeping action" to stimulate an economic recovery. The Wall Street Journal reports that Yellen will address the Senate...