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...
Silver price (XAG/USD) rises to near $32.60 per troy ounce during the Asian trading hours on Thursday, gaining ground for the third successive session. Precious metals, including Silver, attract buyers amid rising safe-haven demand over growing fiscal concerns in the United States (US). Moody's downgraded the US credit rating from Aaa to Aa1, following similar downgrades by Fitch Ratings in 2023 and Standard & Poor's in 2011. Moody's also predicted that US federal debt is expected to climb to around 134% of GDP by 2035, up from 98% in 2023, with the budget deficit expected to widen to...
Gold price (XAU/USD) prolongs the uptrend for the fourth consecutive day and climbs to a nearly two-week high, around the $3,344-3,345 area during the Asian session on Thursday. Investors remain on edge following the US sovereign credit rating downgrade by Moody's and growing worries about rising US deficit on the back of US President Donald Trump's sweeping tax bill. Moreover, renewed US-China trade tensions, along with geopolitical risks, hit the global risk sentiment and continue to benefit the safe-haven precious metal. Meanwhile, a poor response to the 20-year US bond auction...
Oil prices extended losses in Asian trading on Thursday after data showed a surprise build in U.S. crude stockpiles, while uncertainty ahead of renewed U.S.-Iran nuclear talks next week further fueled oversupply worries. In the previous session, oil closed lower after volatile moves, as it initially jumped over 1.5% on a CNN report stating Israel may potentially strike Iran's nuclear sites. As of 20:48 ET (01:55 GMT), Brent Oil Futures expiring in July fell 0.5% to $64.61 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 0.4% to $61.30 per barrel. US-Iran talks to...
The Japanese yen strengthened toward 143 per dollar on Thursday, reaching its highest level in over two weeks, as mounting concerns over the US fiscal outlook weighed on the greenback. The yen's rally was fueled by expectations that President Donald Trump's proposed tax cuts projected to add more than $3 trillion to US debt could destabilize financial markets and undermine confidence in US assets. On the diplomatic front, Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said he did not discuss exchange rate levels with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during the G7 meetings in Canada...
The dollar index fell to around 99.5 on Thursday, marking its fourth straight daily decline, as fiscal concerns weighed on sentiment. Investors are increasingly uneasy over Trump's proposed budget, which includes sweeping tax cuts projected to add between $3 trillion and $5 trillion to the national debt. However, the legislation hit a political snag as several blue-state Republicans warned they would withhold support unless the bill includes a larger deduction for state and local taxes. Further pressure on the dollar came from a lackluster 20-year bond auction, which signaled weakening...