Author: Fiona Craig

U.S. stock futures showed a mixed picture on Monday, with S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures ticking higher while Dow futures edged lower, as investors prepared for a pivotal Federal Reserve interest rate decision later this week. With signals of a slowing labor market and persistent inflation, the Fed is widely expected to cut rates by…

The U.S. dollar inched higher on Monday as traders focused on the upcoming Federal Reserve policy decision, which is expected to influence currency markets into the final quarter. At 04:10 ET (08:10 GMT), the Dollar Index, measuring the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, rose 0.1% to 97.175, following a year-to-date drop of…

Gold prices held close to record levels in Asian trading on Monday, extending gains for a fourth consecutive week amid rising expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve will lower interest rates later this week. Spot gold inched up 0.1% to $3,645.03 per ounce by 01:29 ET (05:29 GMT), remaining near last week’s all-time high of…

Oil prices edged higher in Asian trading on Monday, continuing the modest gains seen last week as investors weighed the impact of potential disruptions to Russian oil supplies following Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow’s energy infrastructure. Market focus this week is also firmly on the U.S. Federal Reserve, which is widely expected to cut interest…

Share repurchases by S&P 500 companies have lost momentum following a record-setting first half of 2025, according to analysts at Goldman Sachs. In a client note, the bank highlighted that S&P 500 firms bought back nearly $550 billion of their own shares during the first six months of the year. However, buyback activity stalled in…

Consumer sentiment in the U.S. regarding the broader economy and personal finances has weakened, though worries over tariffs have eased somewhat, according to a Morgan Stanley survey. The study, which polled around 2,000 Americans between August 28 and September 1, showed that 49% of respondents expect the U.S. economy to deteriorate, slightly lower than 50%…

Corporate profits in the S&P 500 are outpacing earlier expectations, potentially giving the benchmark index room to extend its rally, analysts at Yardeni Research said in a client note. The team pointed out that forward earnings estimates — which aggregate projections from industry analysts for this year and next — are now aligning with the…

Wells Fargo analysts anticipate the Federal Reserve will start a gradual easing cycle, implementing five interest rate cuts through mid-2026. In a note, the bank projected the Fed would “cut the federal funds rate by 25 bps at each of its next three meetings, pushing the target range down to 3.50%-3.75% by year-end.” The analysts…

Chip stocks may continue their upward trajectory next year, according to KeyBanc Capital Markets, which points to strong earnings momentum and steady demand across the semiconductor industry. In its latest quarterly semiconductor cycle review, KeyBanc forecasted “30-40% further upside to SOX valuations given historical trough-to-peak analysis mainly driven by further upward revisions in EPS as…

Global stock performance is expected to diverge more sharply over the rest of 2025, according to Barclays analysts. In a client note, the bank highlighted that while sectors such as technology and financials have lagged the broader S&P 500 this year, these areas may benefit from “idiosyncratic” tailwinds, including rising enthusiasm for artificial intelligence, potential…