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 dropped by nearly 2% on Friday and were set for their first weekly decline in three weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump recommended a 50% tariff on the European Union. Brent crude futures fell $1.03, or 1.6%, to $63.41 a barrel by 1211 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down $1.07, or 1.8%, at $60.13. Prices were already down for a fourth consecutive session, pressured by expectations of higher output from producer group OPEC+ in the coming months. President Trump said on Friday that he is recommending a straight 50% tariff on goods from the EU starting on...
Gold prices rose 1% on Friday and were on track for their best week in six, boosted by a weaker dollar and as worries over the United States' worsening fiscal health sent investors towards safe-haven bullion. Spot gold was up 1% at $3,325.47 an ounce as of 1119 GMT. Bullion has risen 4% this week, its highest since April 7. President Donald Trump's tax bill is supporting gold as there are concerns that this is negative for the fiscal situation of the dollar and some investors are diversifying out of treasury into gold, UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said. "We have also seen the 30-year...
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the performance of the US Dollar (USD) against six major currencies, dips further on Friday and erases the previous day's recovery, trading near 99.40 at the time of writing. The fresh leg lower comes after the House of Representatives passed United States (US) President Donald Trump's spending bill, now on its way to the Senate. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office revealed that this "big, beautiful bill" comes with a hefty price tag: $3.8 trillion in additional debt to the federal government's $36.2 trillion over the next decade, according...
Oil prices dropped for a fourth consecutive session on Friday and were set for their first weekly decline in three weeks, weighed down by rising expectations of another large OPEC+ output increase for July. Brent futures fell 22 cents, or 0.3%, to $64.22 a barrel by 0919 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures lost 21 cents, or 0.3%, to $60.99. Both contracts are set to lose about 2% on the week following two weeks of gains. OPEC+ which groups the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies led by Russia, is holding meetings next week expected to yield another...
The Pound Sterling (GBP) posts a fresh three-year high near 1.3500 against the US Dollar (USD) in European trading hours on Friday, following the release of the stronger-than-projected United Kingdom (UK) Retail Sales data for April. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that Retail Sales, a key measure of consumer spending, rose at a robust pace of 1.2% on the month, compared to estimates of 0.2% and the 0.1% growth seen in March, revised lower from 0.4%. On year, the consumer spending measure grew by 5%, faster than expectations of 4.5% and the prior release of...