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...
The dollar headed for its strongest weekly performance in nearly three years against major currencies, maintaining momentum on Friday (August 1st) after US President Donald Trump imposed new tariffs on dozens of trading partners. Some currencies of the hardest-hit countries, such as Switzerland, which now faces 39% tariffs, fell sharply. The Swiss franc hit its weakest level in six weeks, while the Canadian dollar headed for its seventh straight weekly decline. The dollar also strengthened against other currencies due to factors other than tariffs. The yen headed for its biggest weekly...
Oil prices were little changed on Friday (August 1st) and headed for weekly gains, as investors weighed the impact of further tariffs and sanctions from US President Donald Trump. Brent crude futures rose 19 cents, or 0.26%, to $71.89 per barrel at 08:23 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 20 cents, or 0.29%, to $69.46 per barrel. Oil prices stabilized on Friday after falling more than 1% in the previous session. However, for the week, Brent is expected to rise 5%, and WTI around 6.6%. Investors have been focused on the potential impact of US tariffs on oil prices this week,...
Silver prices fell 0.5% to near $36.50 during the European trading session on Friday (August 1). The precious metal faced selling pressure as the confirmation of tariff agreements by the United States (US) with several of its major trading partners, such as Japan, the European Union (EU), South Korea, and others, as well as growing investor confidence that Washington will reach a deal with China, has reduced demand for safe-haven assets, such as silver. Safe-haven assets have performed strongly since US President Donald Trump's announcement of tariff policies, which aim to reduce the...
Silver prices hovered around $36.60 per ounce on Friday and were on track for a weekly loss of about 4%, pressured by a stronger US dollar. The dollar's strength was underpinned by renewed trade tensions after President Donald Trump reaffirmed a 10% global tariff and imposed reciprocal levies of up to 41% on countries without finalized trade deals. Investors also remained cautious ahead of the July US jobs report, which is expected to guide the Federal Reserve's next policy move. On Thursday, core PCE prices, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, rose 0.3% in June and 2.8% year-on-year,...
Gold prices ticked higher on Friday, supported by uncertainty stemming from a slew of U.S. tariffs slapped on trading partners, although a stronger dollar kept bullion on track for a weekly loss. Spot gold was up 0.2% at $3,299.08 per ounce, as of 0553 GMT. Bullion is down 1.2% so far this week. U.S. gold futures edged up 0.1% to $3,351.60. "Gold has been in a $3,250 to $3,450 range for about two months now, and we see it heading towards the bottom end of the range and perhaps breaking it," said Marex analyst Edward Meir, adding that the dollar's strength was driven by the Federal...