US stocks closed higher on Friday, with the S&P 500 up 0.8%, and the Nasdaq climbing nearly 1%, while the Dow gaining 206 points. Technology shares, led by Apple which surged 4.2% following its announcement of a $600 billion US investment plan helped lift the tech-heavy Nasdaq to new intraday highs. Investor optimism was also fueled by expectations of Federal Reserve rate cuts, with President Trump nominating Stephen Miran to the Fed Board, signaling possible shifts in monetary policy, despite concerns over new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on imports from multiple...
Gold steadied as investors pulled away from risky assets and waited for more clues on the Federal Reserve's rate path. Bullion traded near $3,180 an ounce, after dipping to the lowest level in more than a month earlier. Gold lost haven support in recent weeks as ebbing trade tensions between the US and China stoked risk-on sentiment, although that is now easing. On Wednesday, signs that there will be fewer Federal Reserve rate cuts than previously anticipated pushed gold to a slump of more than 2%. Traders now await a speech by Fed Chair Jerome Powell later...
Silver price (XAG/USD) bounces back to near $32.00 during European trading hours on Thursday after sliding to near the monthly low around $31.65 earlier in the day. The outlook of the Silver price remains bearish as trade relations between the United States (US) and China have improved further. During European trading hours, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signaled more talks with China to avoid trade tensions. "We are going into a series of negotiations with China to prevent escalation again," Bessent said. Meanwhile, Beijing also appears to be making efforts to improve relations with...
Oil prices fell by about $2 on Thursday on expectations for a U.S.-Iran nuclear deal that could result in sanctions easing, while a surprise build in U.S. crude oil inventories last week heightened investor concerns about oversupply. Brent crude futures were down $1.99, or 3%, to $64.10 a barrel at 0806 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down $2.05, or 3.3%, to $61.10. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States was getting very close to securing a nuclear deal with Iran, and Tehran had "sort of" agreed to the terms. This came after an...
The U.S. dollar lost its footing against major peers on Thursday ahead of retail sales later in the day that could offer clues on U.S. consumer strength in the face of tariff risks, while excitement over a Sino-US trade deal faded. The greenback has given up most of its gains from Monday after the United States and China announced a 90-day pause on most of the tariffs imposed on each other's goods since early April, easing fears of a global recession. "Markets have exhausted the positivity from the U.S.-China trade talk," said Benjamin Ford, strategist at Macro Hive in London. Safe-haven...
Gold prices hit a one-month low on Thursday as investors awaited key US inflation figures for clues on the Federal Reserve's monetary policy path, while easing US-China trade tensions also weighed on bullion's appeal. Spot gold fell 1.3% to $3,136.97 an ounce by 0536 GMT, after hitting its lowest since April 10 earlier in the session. US gold futures fell 1.5% to $3,140.00. The US and China agreed to drastically reduce tariffs and impose a 90-day pause, defusing a potentially damaging trade war between the world's two largest economies. "The intraday outlook today is weak for the yellow...