US stocks rebounded from early losses to close mostly higher on Friday amid hopes that Congress members were making progress toward ending the government shutdown. The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones closed 0.3% higher, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq closed near the flatline as AI giants remained under pressure. Senate Republicans rejected Democrats' offer to scale down shutdown demands, but lingering hopes of an incoming agreement improved risk sentiment before the closing bell. The suspension of operations and government data were evidenced by the deteriorating consumer confidence measured by...
Sterling falls to a two-week low against the dollar as the U.S. currency recovers and U.K. fiscal concerns mount. The dollar rises on hopes for trade deals as the President Trump confirmed a three-week extension to the deadline for trade negotiations until August 1. In the U.K., the Labour government recently made major concessions to its welfare reforms following a backlash from party MPs. Efforts to rein in special educational needs spending face a similar fate, Monex Europe analysts say in a note. That sets up another political fight in the coming weeks that could weigh further on...
Oil prices steadied Tuesday as investors assessed the impact of President Donald Trump's tariff hikes on key trade partners as well as lingering oversupply concerns from rising OPEC+ output. At 08:35 ET (12:35 GMT), Brent Oil Futures expiring in September rose 0.1% to $69.66 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures dropped 0.1% to $67.90 per barrel. Trump starts sending tariff letters; S. Korea, Japan face 25% levyU.S. President Donald Trump on Monday escalated his global trade campaign by notifying 14 countries that sharply higher tariffs will take effect on August 1....
Gold (XAU/USD) remains in a well-defined range between $3,320 and $3,350 at the time of writing on Tuesday, amid a looming tariff deadline and potential trade deals. US President Donald Trump's consistent tariff threats have temporarily muted demand for the yellow metal while supporting the demand for the Greenback. The president has announced new tariffs on countries, with Japan at 25% and South Korea at 30% standing out. He has also given a new deadline, August 1, instead of July 9. The yellow metal is down 0.43% intraday, and the lack of conviction reflects ongoing indecision amid...
The Pound Sterling (GBP) trades lower against its major peers on Tuesday. The British currency remains on the back foot due to the overhang of mounting fiscal risks in the United Kingdom (UK) following the presentation of a higher welfare spending bill by the Labour government before the House of Commons last week. The welfare bill announced showed an increase in the standard allowance for Universal Credit (UC), which is expected to raise the debt financial burden by £4.8 billion by fiscal year 2029-2030.. This led to investors dumping UK gilts as the bill raised financial...
Oil slipped as traders weighed the impact of President Donald Trump's latest wave of tariff threats and fresh attacks on Red Sea shipping. Brent traded near $69 a barrel, after jumping almost 2% on Monday. The US unveiled a slew of letters warning key trading partners of high tariff rates. Meanwhile, another ship in the Red Sea was under attack. "Traders are watching Trump's new tariff threats and global growth risks, which could soften demand," said Haris Khurshid, chief investment officer at Karobaar Capital LP. "Looking ahead, we should be paying attention to...