European shares closed flat on Wednesday, surrendering early session gains, as healthcare stocks felt the pinch from U.S. President Donald Trump's latest threat to impose higher tariffs on pharmaceutical imports. The pan-European STOXX 600 index closed 0.06% lower, breaking its two-day winning streak despite starting the session on a positive note. Healthcare stocks bore the brunt of the selling pressure. The sector index plunged 2.8% to its lowest level in more than three months after Trump unveiled a graduated tariff plan targeting pharmaceutical imports that could see levies on the...
Gold prices weakened on Friday (July 25th), weighed down by a stronger US dollar and signs of progress in US-EU trade negotiations, which have reduced safe-haven demand. Spot gold fell 1% to $3,333.12 per ounce at 11:23 a.m. ET (15:23 GMT). US gold futures fell 1.2% to $3,333.70. The US dollar index rebounded from a more than two-week low, making bullion more expensive for overseas buyers, while the 10-year US Treasury yield held steady. "The Japan deal is significant, and there are hopes for a US-EU deal before the August 1st deadline. That's weakening safe-haven demand as rising risk...
The US dollar (USD) traded with positive sentiment for the second consecutive day on Friday (July 25th), driven by upbeat US economic data and renewed optimism about trade. On Thursday, better-than-expected weekly Initial Jobless Claims and a stable Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) figure helped ease recession fears, supporting the view that the US economy remains resilient. At the same time, recent progress on bilateral tariff agreements between the United States (US) and Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines has improved risk sentiment, limiting pressure on the US dollar. The US Dollar...
Oil was steady on optimism over US trade talks ahead of a key deadline next week, and as tightness in diesel markets boosts sentiment. Brent crude was above $69 a barrel after adding 1% on Thursday, while West Texas Intermediate traded near $66. Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said he was confident that his country could reach an agreement with the US before the Aug. 1 target date, while Brazil and Mexico looked to broaden trade ties. Oil Rises With US Trade Talks in Focus Optimism over prospect of successful trade agreements supports prices Meanwhile,...
Oil prices were stable on Friday, as trade talk optimism supported the outlook for both the global economy and oil demand, balancing news of the potential for more oil supply from Venezuela. Brent crude futures were up 38 cents, or 0.55%, at $69.56 a barrel at 0755 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 34 cents, or 0.51%, to $66.37. Brent was heading for a 0.4% weekly gain at that level, while WTI was down around 1.44% from where it closed last week. Brent prices have been largely range-bound between $67 and $70 a barrel for the last month, since the sharp drop in prices...
The EUR/USD pair remains practically flat on Friday, relatively close to three-week highs hit on the previous day. The US Dollar is a tad firmer, supported by positive US macroeconomic data which provide further reasons for the Federal Reserve (Fed) to keep rates ar high levels for a longer time after next week's meeting, while a poort Business Climate survey from Germany has added weight on the Euro. The Euro (EUR) is trading around the 1.1750 level at the early European trading session on Friday after pulling back from 1.1790 highs on Thursday, following the ECB's monetary policy...