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...
EUR/USD trades almost flat after climbing past the 1.1500 figure, following the Federal Reserve's (Fed) decision to hold rates unchanged, amid increasing tensions in the Middle East. This, along with comments from US President Donald Trump, boosted the Dollar, capping the Euro's (EUR) advance. At the time of writing, the pair trades at 1.1476, virtually unchanged. Recently, the Fed kept rates at the 4.25%–4.50% range, reaffirming that the economy is expanding solidly, with strong labor market conditions. The US central bank reiterated its commitment to monitoring risks associated with both...
Oil prices settled higher on Wednesday in a volatile session as investors weighed the chance of supply disruptions from the Iran-Israel conflict and potential direct U.S. involvement. Brent crude futures settled 25 cents higher at $76.70 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 30 cents at $75.14. Earlier in the session, prices were down around 2%. On Tuesday, prices jumped over 4%. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's demand for unconditional surrender, and Trump said his patience had run out but did not indicate what his next step...
The US Dollar Index (DXY) whipsawed on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve's (Fed) Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) kept interest rates unchanged, as investors had broadly expected. The Greenback continues to churn in a long-tailed midrange near the 98.60 region as traders await Fed Chair Jerome Powell's upcoming press conference and follow-up Q&A session. The Fed still sees an average of 50 basis points in interest rate cuts by the end of the year, following closely with what is priced in according to the CME's FedWatch Tool. However, ongoing trade policy uncertainty has pushed...
Gold was steady as traders watched for signs the conflict in the Middle East could widen to include the US, while also awaiting an interest-rate decision by the Federal Reserve later in the day. President Donald Trump declined on Wednesday to say whether the US plans to join Israel's military offensive on Iran. He met with his national security team on Tuesday, fueling speculation that the US may join Israel's attack. Ahead of the Fed's rate decision, the latest US data showed jobless claims ticked down last week, stabilizing near the highest levels in...
The Australian Dollar is paring some of Tuesday's losses, favoured by a mildly weaker US Dollar on Wednesday. The pair, however, remains unable to consolidate above 0.6500 with investors cautious amid geopolitical tensions ahead of the US Fed monetary policy decision. The Israel-Iran war reaches its sixth day with Tel Aviv pounding the Islamic Republic tirelessly and the US threatening to get involved after President Trump demanded the unconditional surrender of Tehran´s authorities. Concerns about a widespread regional war and its potential impact on commodity prices and on global...