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 edges higher in the early Asian session amid worries over the Middle East conflict. "Recent escalation between the U.S. and Iran, marked by airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites, has introduced a new layer of uncertainty into global markets," DHF Capital's Bas Kooijman says. "The fear of a broader regional conflict in the Middle East has driven a surge in demand for gold as investors seek to mitigate risk," the CEO and asset manager adds. Spot gold is 0.2% higher at $3,373.57/oz. (alg) Source: Dow Jones Newswires
Oil prices fell on Friday, but remained on course for a third consecutive weekly rise, after the White House delayed a decision on U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict. Brent crude futures fell $1.89, or 2.4%, to $76.96 a barrel by 1000 GMT. They were still set to gain nearly 4% on the week. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for July - which did not settle on Thursday as it was a U.S. holiday and expires on Friday - was up 82 cents, or 1.1% to $75.96. The more liquid August contract was up around 0.4%, or 27 cents, to $73.77. On Thursday prices jumped almost 3% after Israel...
The EUR/USD pair is trading higher for the third consecutive day on Friday and has returned above the 1.1500 level, trading at 1.1520 at the moment of writing. US President Donald Trump's comments saying that he needs two weeks to decide on entering the Middle East conflict have eased investors' fears of an imminent attack and provided some support to the Euro. The pair, however, remains on track to a moderate weekly loss, as investors' concerns that the war between Iran and Israel might turn into a wider regional conflict have kept risk appetite subdued, boosting demand for the US Dollar...
Gold price (XAU/USD) is seen consolidating its intraday losses to over a one-week low and trades just below the $3,350 level during the first half of the European session. The US Federal Reserve (Fed) earlier this week trimmed the outlook for rate cuts in 2026 and 2027, which, in turn, is seen acting as a tailwind for the US Dollar (USD) and undermining demand for the non-yielding yellow metal. Apart from this, a generally positive tone around the European equity markets turns out to be another factor exerting pressure on the Gold price. However, rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle...
Brent crude oil prices pared gains from the previous session and fell nearly $2 on Friday after the White House delayed a decision on U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, but prices were still poised for a third straight week of gains. Brent crude was down $1.89, or 2.4%, at $76.96 a barrel by 0255 GMT. For the week, it was up 3.8%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for July - which did not close on Thursday because of a U.S. holiday and ends on Friday - rose 53 cents, or 0.7%, to $75.67. The more liquid WTI for August was up 0.2%, or 17 cents, to $73.67. Oil prices jumped...