Gold rose 1% on Monday to its highest level in more than seven years,

Last night in a media interview, Jerome Powell, chairman of the Federal Reserve, spoke of the potential for another three to six months of government financial assistance to companies and families.

European stocks rose at the beginning of weekly trading on Monday,

Initial data published today shows that the German economy fell into recession after experiencing the worst quarterly contraction since the 2009 financial crisis, as shops and factories closed in mid-March to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

Oil prices jumped more than 3% during today's trading to reach their highest levels in more than a month amid signs that demand for crude oil is rising.  Reports from China show an increase in the

Federal Reserve member Kaplan indicated in his address today

initial data for April released today shows that Japanese machinery tool orders fell to their lowest level in more than a decade, indicating that the coronavirus pandemic is causing heavy losses in the economy.

Australia lost the highest number of jobs ever recorded in April, as employers laid off hundreds of thousands of employees in response to the shutdown across the economy to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.