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...
Gold prices remain bid during the North American session as breaking news revealed Iran's attack on US bases in Qatar, in retaliation for the over-the-weekend attack on Iran's nuclear installations by the White House. Meanwhile, US economic data was overlooked mainly as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East intensified. At the time of writing, XAU/USD trades at $3,385, up 0.39%. Macroeconomic data has been pushed aside as geopolitics grabs most headlines. Iran reported the launch of missiles at US bases in Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq, according to Al Arabiya, citing Israeli media. Alongside...
Oil prices fell 1% on Monday after touching a five-month high as markets tried to gauge the impact on transit of oil and gas via the Strait of Hormuz after U.S. airstrikes against Iran at the weekend. Brent crude futures were down 70 cents, or 0.9%, at $76.31 a barrel by 10:46 a.m. ET (1446 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) fell 76 cents, or 1%, to $73.09. Earlier in the session, Brent and WTI touched five-month highs of $81.40 and $78.40 respectively, before seesawing between positive and negative territory throughout the European trading session. U.S. President Donald Trump...
The US Dollar Index (DXY) is edging lower after a strong start on Monday as markets monitor the risks of an Iranian retaliation against the United States (US) and look ahead to Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell's upcoming testimony on Tuesday. Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump confirmed that American forces struck three Iranian nuclear sites, prompting fears of retaliation from Tehran. The possibility that Iran could respond by disrupting Oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz a critical maritime chokepoint has kept risk sentiment on edge. The Dollar Index, which...
Gold prices are recovering during the US session on Monday, as escalating geopolitical tensions and shifts in the Federal Reserve's (Fed) interest rate narrative have led to a resurgence in bullish momentum. The US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend triggered a sharp response from Tehran, which condemned the attacks as a major provocation and launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes on Israel. The renewed conflict has heightened fears of a broader regional escalation. Meanwhile, Fed Governor Michelle Bowman signaled openness to a potential interest rate cut as early...
Oil erased earlier gains as fears began to fade of an immediate disruption to supplies from the Middle East, following US strikes on key Iranian nuclear sites. Global benchmark Brent initially surged as much as 5.7% to $81.40 a barrel in heavy trading, but later dropped below $77. US President Donald Trump said that air attacks over the weekend had "obliterated" a trio of targets in Iran, and threatened more military action if the country didn't make peace. In reply, Tehran warned that the strikes would trigger "everlasting consequences." The oil...