US stocks rose on Friday (October 17th) as investors reacted positively to President Trump's remarks alleviating concerns about further trade escalation with China, while regional bank stocks rebounded after Thursday's sharp declines. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq each rose 0.5%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 239 points. Trump said his proposed 100% tariffs on Chinese goods would be unsustainable, although he blamed Beijing for recent trade tensions, and confirmed that his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping was still possible at the end of the month. Consumer staples,...
Gold rose for a fourth day as the dollar weakened and tensions in Ukraine raised demand for safe-haven assets. Bullion rose as much as 1% to trade near $2,665 an ounce on Friday, but was still down about 2% for the week after a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hezbollah earlier in the week. President Vladimir Putin warned Thursday that his forces could strike "decision-making centers" in Kyiv with ballistic missiles, in retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on Russia using Western missiles. The U.S. currency gauge fell on Friday, and was on track for its first weekly decline in eight weeks....
Gold rose near $2,660 an ounce on Friday, rising for a fourth straight session, supported by a weaker U.S. dollar and rising geopolitical tensions. Reports showed President Vladimir Putin warned of a potential new attack on Ukraine using nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, following Moscow's recent large-scale attacks on critical energy infrastructure. The precious metal is expected to fall more than 2% for the week, as markets await further U.S. data for additional insight into the Federal Reserve's monetary policy outlook. Earlier this week, core PCE prices in October matched...
Oil prices edged lower in Asian trade on Friday and were headed for a weekly loss on expectations of easing tensions in the Middle East, with focus shifting to the upcoming OPEC+ meeting. Crude was hit by the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, although whether the truce will hold remains unclear. Escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine - following a series of debilitating attacks on Kyiv - provided limited support to crude, while overall trading volumes were limited due to the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. Brent crude futures expiring...
The dollar index dropped below 106 on Friday, on track to lose about 1.5% for the week, marking its first weekly decline in nine weeks. The initial pullback was sparked by the nomination of Scott Bessent as US Treasury Secretary, which provided markets with a sense of stability and eased concerns over drastic policy shifts under the incoming Trump administration. The decline gained momentum on Wednesday after US PCE inflation data met expectations, signaling little change in the Federal Reserve's stance on interest rate cuts. Markets are now pricing in a 66.5% chance of a 25 basis point...
The Japanese yen jumped 1% to around 150 per dollar on Friday, hitting a six-week high as investors reacted to data showing Tokyo inflation rose above 2% in November. The inflation data reinforced expectations for another interest rate hike from the Bank of Japan in December. Markets now price in about a 60% chance of a 25 basis point rate hike next month, up from about 50% a week ago. Tokyo's inflation figures are often seen as a leading indicator of national price trends, with national CPI data usually following in about three weeks. However, national CPI for November will not be...