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 U.S. dollar fell broadly on Monday, hitting its lowest point in more than a week against the yen, Swiss franc and euro, pressured by a surprise downgrade of the U.S. government's credit rating late Friday, even as trade tensions also escalated. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a television interview Sunday that President Donald Trump would impose tariffs at the level he threatened last month on trading partners that do not negotiate in "good faith." However, Moody's cutting the United States' top sovereign credit rating by one notch on Friday began to weigh on the dollar....
Oil prices were steady on Monday as signs of a breakdown in U.S. talks with Iran over its nuclear program offset pressure from a Moody's downgrade of the U.S. sovereign credit rating. Brent crude futures were down 20 cents at $65.21 a barrel by 1:36 p.m. ET (1736 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up 3 cents, or 0.1%, at $62.52 a barrel. Both contracts rose more than 1% last week. Nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S. will yield nothing if Washington insists Tehran halt its uranium enrichment activities, Iranian state media quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Majid...
Gold rose as the dollar slumped after Moody's Ratings removed the U.S.'s last top credit rating because of ballooning debt and deficits. Moody's blamed successive administrations and Congress for ballooning budget deficits that it said showed no sign of abating. And there are concerns the situation could get worse, with Republican lawmakers debating President Donald Trump's tax and spending package that critics say will add trillions more to the federal debt over the next decade. The precious metal has been on a roller coaster in recent months. It suffered its biggest weekly loss since...
Silver (XAG/USD) traded marginally higher on Monday (5/19), holding above the $32.00 level during the US session, as broader US Dollar (USD) weakness fueled demand for alternative safe-haven assets. The move came in response to Moody's downgrade of the US sovereign credit rating, which has added to market concerns over fiscal sustainability and long-term growth prospects. At the time of writing, Silver prices were up 0.05% on the day, with spot XAG/USD last seen trading around $32.30. The metal is attempting to reclaim the 50-day Simple Moving Average near $32.75, which has capped gains in...
Oil prices were steady on Monday despite Moody's downgrading the US sovereign credit rating and official data showing a slowdown in growth in industrial production and retail sales in China. The developments have raised concerns about the outlook for the world's two largest economies and expectations that demand for oil could slow, after Beijing and Washington agreed to lift most tariffs on each other's goods, boosting prices. "The weaker-than-expected Chinese data did not help crude, although I would describe the setback as modest," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo. Brent crude futures...