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...
USD/CHF is trading with losses, holding near recent lows after a wave of weak US data and worsening macro signals from China triggered broad risk-off flows in the market. Sentiment was already fragile heading into Wednesday, and the release of disappointing US GDP data raised concerns over the health of the US economy. At the same time, weak Chinese manufacturing and services PMIs revealed the first clear signs of stress from the escalating trade war, raising fears of a global economic slowdown. The US dollar was broadly under pressure, struggling to gain any momentum despite the month-end...
Oil prices fell on Wednesday, posting their biggest monthly drop in nearly 3-1/2 years after Saudi Arabia signaled moves to produce more and expand its market share, while a global trade war eroded the outlook for fuel demand. Brent crude fell $1.13, or 1.76%, to settle at $63.12 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell $2.21, or 3.66%, to settle at $58.21, its lowest close since March 2021. Brent fell 15% for the month and WTI slid 18%, their biggest monthly percentage declines since November 2021. Both benchmarks slumped after Saudi Arabia, one of the world's biggest oil...
Gold prices pared some losses on Wednesday as bets that the U.S. Federal Reserve will cut interest rates grew after U.S. growth in the first quarter came in weaker than expected. Spot gold fell 0.2% to $3,308.32 an ounce by 1:58 AM ET (1758 GMT), but was on track for a fourth straight monthly gain, up nearly 6% so far in April. Bullion had fallen more than 1% earlier in the session. U.S. gold futures settled 0.4% lower at $3,319.10. Data showed U.S. gross domestic product contracted at an annualized rate of 0.3% in the last quarter, as businesses rushed to import goods ahead of expected...
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the performance of the US Dollar (USD) against six major currencies, trades flat at 99.30 at the time of writing on Wednesday. The Greenback is not really going anywhere as investors stay on the sidelines against key data releases during the American session. United States (US) President Donald Trump signed an executive order to ease the tariff impact on car parts and, during a rally in Detroit, lashed out at Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell again, proclaiming Trump knows more about interest rates than Powell does. On the economic calendar...
Gold futures slide as market turmoil eases and investors take profits. Futures are down 1.5% at $3,282.70 a troy ounce, though they remain up 22% in the year to date. There is a general sense of calm in the markets, with Treasury yields sliding and equity markets rebounding, SP Angel analysts say in a note. Reducing trade tensions between the U.S. and China, alongside rising hopes of a Russia-Ukraine peace deal, are reducing safe-haven demand for gold, SP Angel says. Exchange-traded funds are reporting gold outflows, further reinforcing expectations that profit-taking is driving gold lower,...