Strong evidence of a cooling US labor market rippled through Wall Street, spurring a rally in bonds as traders boosted their bets the Federal Reserve will cut rates in December. A slide in megacaps dragged down stocks. With the scarcity of data caused by the federal shutdown, investors have turned to private readings such as the Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. report showing companies announced the most job cuts for any October in over 20 years. Following the numbers, money markets now imply an about 60% chance of a...
WTI crude oil futures fell toward $66 per barrel on Friday, building on a more than 6% drop from the previous session, weighed down by continued pressure from the OPEC+ hike and global trade concerns. Eight key OPEC+ producers agreed to boost output by 411,000 barrels per day next month, well above the expected 140,000 and faster than planned. The group called the increase "equivalent to three monthly increments," noting it may pause or reverse hikes based on market conditions. This comes against a backdrop of broader market turmoil sparked by higher-than-expected US tariffs announced...
Gold hovered above $3,110 per ounce on Friday, poised for its fifth consecutive weekly gain after repeatedly breaking its all-time highs, driven by risk aversion stemming from US tariffs. Trump unveiled a 10% baseline tariff on imports from all countries, along with higher duties on some of the US's largest trading partners, triggering countermeasures from those nations. Meanwhile, gold pulled back on Thursday, pressured by profit-taking and reports that precious metals were excluded from Trump's tariffs. Despite this, gold's upward momentum remained intact, supported by safe-haven demand,...
GBP/USD briefly touched the 1.3200 level for the first time in six months on Thursday (03/4), climbing to a new high as the greenback turned sour across the board. The Trump administration's "reciprocal" tariffs and fixed tariffs have shaken market sentiment, although a delayed reaction to the tariff announcement came after the US market closed on Wednesday. Forex Today: US NFP to take centre stage The UK economic data schedule is relatively quiet this week, but a fresh report on US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) is due on Friday. The NFP data could have a significant impact on markets as the US...
During the Thursday (03/4) session, the USD/CHF pair experienced a sharp decline, falling to the 0.8600 region and marking its weakest level in almost six months. The bearish move came amid a broad-based US dollar weakness following President Donald Trump's aggressive announcement of reciprocal import tariffs. The US Dollar Index (DXY) took a heavy hit, falling decisively as traders fled US assets and reallocated portfolios away from the Greenback. Meanwhile, oversold signals from momentum indicators suggest the pair may be poised for a comeback. Tariff shock hits US dollar President...
Oil prices plunged on Thursday (03/4) and closed with their biggest percentage drop since 2022, after OPEC+ agreed to a surprise output increase a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping new import tariffs Brent crude futures settled at $70.14 a barrel, down $4.81, or 6.42%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude <CLc1> settled at $66.95 a barrel, down $4.76, or 6.64%. Brent was on track for its biggest percentage drop since Aug. 1, 2022, and WTI was on track for its biggest drop since July 11, 2022. At a ministerial meeting on Thursday, OPEC+ nations agreed to advance...