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...
Gold price (XAU/USD) struggled to capitalize on the previous day's strong recovery move from the $3,246-3,245 region, or over a one-week low, and attracted fresh sellers during the Asian session on Friday. The US Dollar (USD) regains some positive traction following Thursday's dramatic intraday turnaround, amid some repositioning trade ahead of the pivotal inflation report from the US. This, in turn, is seen undermining demand for the bullion. However, a combination of factors should act as a tailwind for the commodity and help limit deeper losses. A federal appeals court on Thursday paused...
The US dollar index hovered around 99.4 on Friday, steadying after a volatile session as traders awaited the release of the PCE price index, the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation. The report could offer early signals on whether tariffs are beginning to feed into price pressures, potentially influencing the Fed's next policy decision. On Thursday, government data confirmed the US economy contracted in the first quarter, marking the first negative growth reading in three years, further complicating the Fed's rate outlook. Meanwhile, San Francisco Fed's Mary Daly said the...
Oil prices were on track to end the week down more than 1% on Friday amid whipsawing tariff rulings in the U.S. and as the market braced for a potential OPEC+ output hike. Brent crude futures slipped 26 cents, or 0.41%, to $63.89 a barrel by 0104 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 27 cents, or 0.44%, to $60.67 a barrel. The Brent July futures contract is due to expire on Friday. In the U.S., President Donald Trump's tariffs were to remain in effect after a federal appeals court temporarily reinstated them on Thursday, reversing a trade court's decision on Wednesday to put an...
Gold recovered some heavy losses sustained earlier this week, as markets were once again rattled by uncertainties around US President Donald Trump's global tariffs agenda and the strength of the US economy. The precious metal traded near $3,314 an ounce, following a gain of nearly 1% on Thursday after a federal appeals court offered Trump a temporary reprieve from a ruling threatening to throw out the bulk of his tariff agenda. A weakening dollar also helped, driven by growing fiscal risks and renewed political pressure on the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. Disappointing...
Oil is on track for a second weekly decline ahead of an OPEC+ meeting on output policy that is expected to lead to another supply increase. West Texas Intermediate crude was steady below $61 a barrel after falling 1.5% on Thursday. Brent settled lower near $64. A subgroup led by Saudi Arabia will meet on Saturday to decide on July output levels, with talks earlier this week discussing a third straight supply increase. The faster-than-expected production increase by OPEC and its allies has raised concerns about a looming supply glut and helped drag oil prices lower. Concerns about a global...