US Stocks plunged on Friday, as investors reacted to a weak July jobs report and a fresh round of tariffs announced by President Trump. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq fell 1.6% and 2.2%, their steepest drops since April, while the Dow lost 542 points. Payrolls rose by just 73,000 in July, far below expectations, with sharp downward revisions to prior months signaling deeper labor market weakness. Treasury yields fell and the odds of a September Fed rate cut rose above 80%. Sentiment worsened after new tariffs of 10% to 41% were imposed on imports from key partners including Canada, India, and...
Oil prices $2 a barrel on Friday because of jitters about a possible increase in production by OPEC and its allies, while a weaker-than-expected U.S. jobs report fed worries about demand. Brent crude futures settled at $69.67 a barrel, down $2.03, or 2.83%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude finished at $67.33 a barrel, down $1.93, or 2.79%. Brent finished the week with a gain near 6%, while WTI rose 6.29%. Three people familiar with discussions among OPEC members and allied producers said the group may reach an agreement as early as Sunday to boost production by 548,000 barrels per day...
The yen has suffered a difficult month, but BCA Research thinks the Japanese currency is primed for a multi-year rally. At 08:30 ET (12:30 GMT), USD/JPY traded 0.2% lower at Y150.49, having earlier in the session climbed as high as Y150.91, the Japanese currency's lowest level since March 28. However, BCA Research sees the potential for a sharp recovery, basing its bullish cyclical thesis for the yen rests on three pillars: valuations, balance of payments, and policy normalization. The bank's long-term valuation models are unequivocal: the yen is attractively priced, especially versus the...
The EUR/USD surges more than 1% on Friday as the Greenback gets battered on a worse-than-expected jobs report in the United States (US), which triggered investors' reaction to price in two interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve (Fed). Data across the pond was shrugged off by traders, which sent the pair from around lows of 1.1391 toward 1.1597. Wall Street extended its losses amidst fears of an economic slowdown in the US. July Nonfarm Payroll (NFP) figures were expected to be weaker compared to June's, but the downward revisions of the previous two months, alongside last month's print,...
Gold price rallies more than 1.50% on Friday following the release of a dismal Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report in the United States (US), which showed the jobs market is cooling faster than expected. Also, an escalation of geopolitical risks between Russia and the US prompted traders to buy Gold, which hovers near $3,350 at the time of writing. Market participants had begun to price in an interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve (Fed), following July's jobs data. Although the Unemployment Rate was nearly unchanged, cracks in the labor market vindicated Fed Governors Michelle Bowman and...