(Kitco News) - World stock markets were mixed overnight. U.S. stock indexes are pointed toward narrowly mixed openings when the New York day session begins.
Gold prices are trading modestly higher in pre-U.S. session trading.
The feature in the marketplace early this week is a continuation of the recent rally in the crude oil market. Nymex crude oil futures prices are challenging $50 a barrel Monday morning. Reports said Saudi Arabia and Russia have agreed to extend the current OPEC-Russia oil-production-reduction accord by nine months. Nymex crude oil prices have rallied around $6.00 a barrel from the May low.
The world marketplace has not reacted much to weekend news that North Korea launched another ballistic missile and that a major cyber-attack that started late Friday has hit computers around the world.
The other key outside market on Monday morning sees the U.S. dollar index trading lower. The greenback bears have the overall near-term technical advantage.
U.S. economic data due for release Monday includes the Empire State manufacturing survey, the NAHB housing market index and Treasury international capital data.
By Jim Wyckoff, contributing to Kitco News; [email protected]
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