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...
EUR/USD begins the week on a lower note, down 0.30% as traders await the outcome of the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy, after the former met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin last Friday. The pair trades at 1.1669 after hitting a daily high of 1.1715. Positive news emerged from the meeting between Trump, Zelensky, and European leaders in the White House. Trump said that the day has been successful so far as Russia agreed to security guarantees, though in exchange for some territory. He answered German Chancellor Merz's demands about a...
Oil prices settled 1% higher on Monday after talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart in the wake of an inconclusive U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska on Friday. Brent crude futures settled 75 cents, or 1.14%, higher at $66.60 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained about 62 cents, or 0.99%, to $63.42. Last week, Brent eased by 1.1% while WTI dropped 1.7%. Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met on Monday at the White House to discuss a path to ending Russia's war in Ukraine. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office with Zelenskiy...
The Australian Dollar (AUD) is losing ground against its US counterpart to kick off the week, with the AUD/USD pair slipping below the 0.6500 mark during the New York session on Monday. The move reflects a firmer US Dollar (USD), supported by rising Treasury yields and cautious market sentiment as a high-stakes meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gets underway in Washington. The US Dollar Index (DXY), tracking the Greenback against a basket of major currencies, is trading near 98.14, recovering modestly after hitting a near two‑week low last...
Gold (XAU/USD) kicks off the week on a volatile note, staging a sharp intraday recovery after briefly dipping to an 11-day low near $3,323 during early Monday trade. The rebound appears to be driven by renewed safe-haven demand amid geopolitical uncertainties surrounding the Russia-Ukraine peace talks, after the weekend summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to deliver a breakthrough. At the time of writing, the precious metal is trading around $3,348 during the European session, up 0.36% on the day. Despite the sharp intraday rebound, price...
Crude oil futures prices rose slightly on Monday (August 18, 2025), but remained within a narrow range. Market participants were monitoring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Washington following the Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska, which touched on a potential end to the Russia-Ukraine war. Market analyst Peter Cardillo of Spartan Capital noted that while a peace deal appears to be forming, Trump's insistence on Zelensky abandoning NATO membership ambitions and ceding territory could trigger a negative reaction in international markets. "Skepticism and caution may emerge," he...