Gold prices fell slightly on Monday (August 4th) as investors took profits following the sharp rally in the previous session, driven by weaker-than-expected US employment data. Nonfarm payrolls data showed an increase of just 73,000 jobs in July, well below expectations, while June's figure was revised down to just 14,000, reinforcing market expectations of a Fed rate cut in September, with the probability now reaching 81% according to CME FedWatch. Amid this dovish sentiment, geopolitical uncertainty has risen again after US President Donald Trump imposed new tariffs on several countries,...
Stocks sold off on Friday as fresh U.S. data fueled investor concerns about a slowing economy and high inflation, sending them seeking safer assets. The losses deepened as traders worried about a weekend that could bring another barrage of headlines from the Trump administration, which has proposed a series of tariffs and other market-moving policy changes since taking office a month ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 724 points, or 1.6%, bringing its two-day loss to more than 1,200 points. Friday's loss was its biggest of the year. The S&P 500 traded 1.6% lower, falling for a...
European stocks closed slightly higher on Friday, paring losses from record highs earlier in the week as markets digested the latest PMI data and a slew of corporate earnings, while preparing for Germany's general election over the weekend. The STOXX 50 gained 0.3% and the STOXX 600 gained 0.5%. Private sector activity in the euro zone remained in slight expansion as strength in service providers offset another period of contraction for manufacturers. On the political front, the center-right CDU led the latest polls and the incumbent center-left SPD dropped to third place. Air Liquide jumped...
US stocks fluctuated on Friday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hovering near the flatline, while the Dow Jones dropped around 280 points. The health and energy sectors were among the biggest laggards. Shares of UnitedHealth plunged almost 10% after The Wall Street Journal reported that the Justice Department has launched an investigation into the company's Medicare billing practices in recent months, citing sources familiar with the matter. On the other hand, communication services outperformed. Also, AI-related stocks traded higher, including Nvidia (0.6%), boosted by strong earnings...
European stock markets were trading higher on Friday morning after a sell-off on Wall Street as earnings remain in focus for investors. The regional Stoxx 600 was up by 0.3%, the U.K.'s FTSE 100 and Germany's DAX were marginally higher by 0.1% at 8:10 a.m. London time. Meanwhile, France's CAC 40 was up 0.4% and Italy's MIB rose by 0.3%. European firms Kingspan Group, Air Liquide, Sika AG and others reported their fourth-quarter earnings. Standard Chartered for instance beat market expectations, and is now trading up by nearly 5%. Source: CNBC
The Nikkei 225 Index gained 0.26% to close at 38,777, while the broader Topix Index edged up 0.07% to 2,737 on Friday, reversing earlier losses. The rebound followed comments from Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda, who stated that the central bank is prepared to increase government bond purchases if long-term interest rates rise sharply. Meanwhile, data showed that core inflation in Japan accelerated to 3.2% in January, up from 3% in December, exceeding forecasts of 3.1%. Headline inflation also rose to 4%, up from 3.6%, the highest level in two years. These figures reinforced expectations...