Three major US indexes closed at new record highs after a lower-than-expected inflation report raised the possibility of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut later this year and prompted investors to shift to riskier assets. The S&P 500 rose 0.8%, the Nasdaq rose 1%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 470 points. Technology stocks led the rally, with AMD and IBM surging 7.5% and 8.77%, respectively, after IBM said it had successfully implemented a key quantum error correction algorithm on AMD chips, boosting sentiment across the sector. Intel rose 1.6% after returning to...
Gold was steady after its biggest one-day drop since July, as traders took profits near record-high levels and strong US data weakened the case for further monetary easing. Bullion traded near $2,745 an ounce and was on track to end this week little changed. The metal fell from a record-high on Thursday as Treasury yields climbed, reflecting a drop in expectations for aggressive Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts following an unexpected drop in new jobless claims and a pick up in underlying inflation. Higher rates tend to weigh on gold, which...