US Stocks plunged on Friday, as investors reacted to a weak July jobs report and a fresh round of tariffs announced by President Trump. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq fell 1.6% and 2.2%, their steepest drops since April, while the Dow lost 542 points. Payrolls rose by just 73,000 in July, far below expectations, with sharp downward revisions to prior months signaling deeper labor market weakness. Treasury yields fell and the odds of a September Fed rate cut rose above 80%. Sentiment worsened after new tariffs of 10% to 41% were imposed on imports from key partners including Canada, India, and...
Oil prices rebounded more than $1 a barrel on Monday after OPEC+ decided to increase output in July by the same amount as it did in each of the prior two months, in line with market expectations. Brent crude futures climbed $1.19, or 1.9%, to $63.97 a barrel by 0044 GMT after settling 0.9% lower on Friday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $62.09 a barrel, up $1.30, or 2.14%, following a 0.3% decline in the previous session. Both contracts were down more than 1% for the week. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies decided on Saturday to raise output...
The Australian dollar rose to around 0.646 on Monday, supported by a weakening greenback amid investor concerns over US President Donald Trump's tariff measures. On Friday, Trump announced plans to double tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from 25% to 50% effective June 4. The announcement, along with escalating US–China trade tensions, deepened investor anxiety over slowing growth and mounting inflationary pressures. In Australia, data showed the manufacturing sector weakened for the second consecutive month in May, falling to its lowest level since February a sign of slowing...
The euro (EUR) held steady against the US dollar (USD) on Friday (5/30) after a weaker-than-expected US Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index, which is close to the Federal Reserve's (Fed) 2% target, lifted the pair from an intraday low of 1.1312. EUR/USD was trading at 1.1361, barely changed on the day. The market mood remains fragile, shifting between optimism and pessimism, with US equities weighed on tariffs and trade news. The US Court of International Trade ruled that the tariffs were illegal and ordered Washington to lift them within ten days. However, the Trump...
U.S. crude futures fell on Friday as traders expected OPEC+ to decide on Saturday to increase oil output for July beyond previous estimates. Brent crude futures settled down 25 cents, or 0.39%, at $63.90 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude settled down 15 cents, or 0.25%, at $60.79 a barrel, after earlier dropping more than $1 a barrel. Brent July futures expire on Friday. The more liquid August contract fell 71 cents, or 1.12%, to $62.64 a barrel. At that level, the benchmark front-month contract was headed for a weekly loss of more than 1%. Prices dipped into negative territory...
Gold prices fell on Friday as the dollar strengthened and markets digested the latest tariff developments, while a softer inflation report kept hopes of a U.S. interest rate cut alive. Spot gold fell 0.7%, to $3,293.59 an ounce, by 2:26 p.m. ET (1826 GMT) and is down 1.9% so far this week. U.S. gold futures settled 0.9% lower at $3,315.40. The dollar index rose 0.1%, making gold more expensive for holders of other currencies. A federal appeals court temporarily reinstated President Donald Trump's most sweeping tariffs on Thursday, a day after a U.S. trade court ruled that Trump had...