Headlines:
Markets:
- WTI crude lightly changed at $93.03
- GBP leads, USD lags on the day
- European indices sit higher, DAX up 0.3% and CAC 40 up 0.6%
- US futures mixed with Nasdaq futures down 1.0%, Dow futures up 0.2%
- US 10-year yields flat at 4.475%
- Gold down 0.2% to $4,465
- Bitcoin down 2.1% to $62,244
As we count down to the final stretch of the week, there is still no US-Iran deal in sight.
For all the talk of it being “imminent” and “very close”, there’s still nothing to show for after another week. Both sides continue to maintain key red lines in approaching any agreement. So, it is essentially a case of nothing can be agreed until everything is agreed upon.
The latest headlines continue to suggest that a standoff remains on the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, while Iran is suspected to have struck one of Oman’s major crude oil facility overnight. As such, tensions are continuing to persist while awaiting any deal announcement.
Oil prices remain little changed on the day, with WTI crude sitting at $93.03.
Meanwhile, the dollar is slightly lower across the board amid a more mixed market mood on the session. EUR/USD is up 0.2% to 1.1637 while USD/JPY is down 0.1% to 159.89 with the latter continuing to test the limits of Tokyo officials near the 160 level.
The equities space continues to offer more interest and intrigue though. European stocks are sitting slightly higher on the day but US futures are keeping more mixed once again.
Much like yesterday, semiconductor shares are lagging and that’s dragging down the overall mood among tech shares ahead of the Wall Street open later. Dow futures are up 0.2% but S&P 500 futures are down 0.4% with Nasdaq futures down 1.0% currently.
Besides that, precious metals are also sitting lower with gold down 0.2% to $4,465 and silver down 1.5% to $72.67 on the day.
Coming up, we’ll have the US non-farm payrolls to add to the mix before keeping the focus on any US-Iran headlines before the weekend comes along. Will Trump come out to try and lift the broader market mood once again before the closing bell?
