Global stock markets rallied at the start of the week amid growing optimism that the US government shutdown will soon end. S&P 500 futures rose 0.5%, while the Nasdaq 100 gained 0.8%, after Senate Republican leader John Thune said a deal to end the 40-day shutdown was "taking shape." Several Democratic senators were reportedly ready to support the bill if final details could be agreed upon. Positive sentiment was also evident in Asian markets, with South Korean stocks leading the gains. Meanwhile, US Treasury yields rose to 4.12% as investors shifted to riskier assets, while the...
The AUD/USD pair is trading around 0.6510 on Friday. The Australian Dollar (AUD) declines against the US Dollar (USD). The AUD/USD pair may remain stable amid market caution, as traders await the upcoming US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report, due later in the day, seeking fresh insights into the United States (US) economy. Market sentiment improved following a productive phone call between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump expressed that the call was productive and prepared to continue tariff negotiations. However, Trump and his team struggled to stay composed...
Silver held near a 13-year high, supported by a technical breakout that also drove platinum to the highest level since 2022, signaling growing investor appetite for precious metals used by the industrial sector. Spot silver rose as much as 4.5% on Thursday to $36.06 an ounce — the highest since February 2012 — while platinum surged 4.8% to above $1,146 an ounce. Prices on Friday held close to those peaks. The metals were aided by technical momentum across the metals complex as well as improving fundamentals, with strong appetite for physical silver in India and resurgent...
Gold edges higher in the early Asian session amid weak U.S. economic data and signs of easing U.S.-China tensions. Thursday's data, showing rising jobless claims and a sharp decline in imports, raised the prospect of slowing economic growth. Meanwhile, President Trump said his conversation with Chinese leader Xi Jinping was productive and both sides agreed to meet soon. Investors could remain cautious ahead of tonight's U.S. nonfarm payrolls report, Kudotrade's Konstantinos Chrysikos says. "A strong reading could challenge the current rate-cut narrative and weigh on gold, while any...
EUR/USD held onto earlier gains of more than 0.20% after the European Central Bank (ECB) made headlines, cutting interest rates but leaving open the possibility of a pause at its upcoming July 24 meeting. At the time of writing, the pair was trading at 1.1441 after bouncing off a daily low of 1.1404. The ECB decided to cut interest rates to 2%, as expected by market participants, although it had left open the possibility of a pause. The decision was not unanimous, with one dissenter, most likely Robert Holzmann, who, ahead of the meeting, had favored a cut after the June or July...
Oil prices rose on Thursday, recovering from the previous day's decline, on news that the US and China agreed to further trade talks after a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Brent crude futures were up 48 cents, or 0.7%, at $65.34 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 52 cents, or 0.8%, at $63.37 a barrel. "If we move away from the brink of a major trade war, that would raise expectations for oil demand both in the US and China," said Phil Flynn, senior analyst at Price Futures Group. The official Xinhua news agency reported...