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) lacks any firm intraday direction on Friday and seesaws between tepid gains/minor losses, around the $3,300 mark during the Asian session on Friday. The XAU/USD bears, however, seem reluctant to place aggressive bets and positioning for an extension of the previous day's pullback from over a two-week high on the back of US fiscal concerns. Apart from this, renewed US-China trade tensions and persistent geopolitical risks should continue to act as a tailwind for the safe-haven bullion. Meanwhile, the initial market reaction to Thursday's mostly upbeat US economic data...
The Australian Dollar (AUD) posts gains against the US Dollar (USD) on Friday after registering losses in the previous session. The AUD/USD pair jumps as the Greenback comes under pressure, driven by lower US Treasury yields, which continue to depreciate after the 30-year US bond yield topped in 19 months. US President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" passed the US House of Representatives and is on its way to the Senate floor, which has raised concerns regarding the increase in the fiscal deficit in the United States (US). However, the AUD/USD pair depreciated on Thursday as the US...
Silver price (XAG/USD) edges higher after registering losses over 1% in the previous session, hovering around $33.10 per troy ounce during the Asian trading hours on Friday. The manufacturing-sensitive commodities, including Silver, faced challenges due to growing concerns regarding the increase in the fiscal deficit in the United States (US). However, rising safe-haven demand over these fiscal concerns could offset the demand-related threat surrounding such commodities. On Thursday, US President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" passed the US House of Representatives and is on its...
The Japanese yen strengthened to around 143.6 per dollar on Friday and was set to advance more than 1% for the week, underpinned by hotter-than-anticipated inflation data. Japan's core inflation rate accelerated more than expected to 3.5%, the highest in over two years. This reinforces expectations that the Bank of Japan will continue tightening monetary policy in response to sustained inflationary pressures. Meanwhile, the headline inflation rate remained steady at 3.6%. The yen also benefited from a general weakness in the dollar amid concerns about the US fiscal outlook. Elsewhere,...
The dollar index fell to around 99.6 on Friday and was set to lose more than 1% for the week, weighed down by concerns over the US fiscal outlook. President Trump's new budget bill, which includes tax cuts and increased defense spending, has raised concerns that it could further inflate the US national debt. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill will add nearly $4 trillion to the national debt, fueling fears of long-term fiscal instability. These concerns were compounded by Moody's recent downgrade of the US credit rating from Aaa to Aa1, citing ballooning deficits and the...