P_Wei/E+ via Getty Images Stock index futures were little changed on Thursday as investors evaluated the outlook for a potential Middle East peace deal. S&P 500 futures ( SPX ) edged up 0.11%, Dow futures ( INDU ) rose 0.18%, and Nasdaq 100 futures ( US100:IND ) slipped 0.02%. “They want to make a deal. We’ve had very good talks over the last 24 hours, and it’s very possible that we’ll make a deal...
P_Wei/E+ via Getty Images Stock index futures were little changed on Thursday as investors evaluated the outlook for a potential Middle East peace deal. S&P 500 futures ( SPX ) edged up 0.11%, Dow futures ( INDU ) rose 0.18%, and Nasdaq 100 futures ( US100:IND ) slipped 0.02%. “They want to make a deal. We’ve had very good talks over the last 24 hours, and it’s very possible that we’ll make a deal,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday, adding “it’ll be over quickly.” Trump noted it was too early to prepare for a face-to-face meeting with Iran, while Iran said the proposal was an American initiative with some exaggeration. U.S. Treasury yields fell across the curve. The 10-year Treasury yield ( US10Y ) dropped 1.7 basis points to 4.33%, while the 2-year Treasury yield ( US2Y ) slipped 1.5 basis points to 3.86%. The 30-year Treasury yield ( US30Y ) edged down 1.3 basis points to 4.93%. Jobless claims, productivity and costs, consumer credit, and the Fed balance sheet are due. Top gainers in premarket trading included Fortinet ( FTNT ) +13.90%, DoorDash ( DASH ) +10.86%, and Alliant Energy ( LNT ) +8.19%. Decliners included IDEXX Laboratories ( IDXX ) -7.54%, Public Storage ( PSA ) -6.69%, and Akamai Technologies ( AKAM ) -5.90%. More on markets U.S. Economy: The Housing Market Worsens Dow Jones, Nasdaq And S&P 500 Intraday Outlook: Stocks Explode Higher - The Peace Deal Is Seemingly Near Tariff Refunds Are Going Out Wall Street strategists stay calm as stocks rip higher, but BofA sees reasons for caution
adventtr/iStock via Getty Images By Ewa Manthey , Commodities Strategist and Warren Patterson , Head of Commodities Strategy Energy markets sold off sharply on Wednesday on de-escalation hopes in the Middle East. Prices later stabilised, but volatility remains elevated Energy – Oil and gas plunge Oil and gas prices fell sharply on Wednesday as Iran considered a new US proposal to end the conflict,...
adventtr/iStock via Getty Images By Ewa Manthey , Commodities Strategist and Warren Patterson , Head of Commodities Strategy Energy markets sold off sharply on Wednesday on de-escalation hopes in the Middle East. Prices later stabilised, but volatility remains elevated Energy – Oil and gas plunge Oil and gas prices fell sharply on Wednesday as Iran considered a new US proposal to end the conflict, raising hopes that flows through the Strait of Hormuz could gradually resume. Brent dropped below $100/bbl to trade at $96 a barrel at one point, and European gas also slumped as the market priced in a lower risk of prolonged disruption to Middle Eastern energy flows. But oil prices steadied Thursday morning around $100 a barrel after losing almost 8% in the previous session. The US proposal is understood to include a one-page memorandum that would, if accepted by Iran, lead to a gradual reopening of Hormuz and the lifting of US restrictions on access to Iranian ports. Iran is expected to respond through a mediator in the coming days, although no agreement has been reached and more detailed negotiations, including on Iran’s nuclear programme, would still follow. The sell-off partly unwinds the conflict-driven rally in energy prices, but losses were pared as the market remains cautious. Crude inventories in the US continue to tighten, while buyers have become more reliant on US barrels to offset disrupted Middle Eastern supply. EIA data showed US commercial crude inventories fell by 2.3m barrels last week, smaller than the 8.1m-barrel draw reported by the API and slightly below market expectations of a 2.4m-barrel decline. The modest draw reflected a sharp fall in exports, which dropped by 1.7m b/d WoW after hitting a record high the previous week. Crude imports also declined, falling by 273k b/d to 5.5m b/d. Refinery utilisation edged higher, up 0.5pp WoW, with crude runs averaging around 16m b/d. Cushing inventories fell by 648k barrels. Refined products also saw draws, w...
design master/iStock via Getty Images The abrdn Emerging Markets ex-China Fund ( AEF ) is a closed-end fund that investors may wish to consider as a means of obtaining some exposure to the strong economic growth that is present in many emerging markets. This particular fund, as the name suggests, deliberately avoids having exposure to China, which is by far the largest emerging market nation in th...
design master/iStock via Getty Images The abrdn Emerging Markets ex-China Fund ( AEF ) is a closed-end fund that investors may wish to consider as a means of obtaining some exposure to the strong economic growth that is present in many emerging markets. This particular fund, as the name suggests, deliberately avoids having exposure to China, which is by far the largest emerging market nation in the world, and as such, has a dominant position in the portfolios of many emerging market funds. This is similar to how United States companies account for well over half of the portfolios of most global funds. There are many investors who would likely prefer to diversify their assets a bit more internationally, which is where a fund such as AEF comes in. This fund provides exposure to those emerging markets that may be less represented in the global indices, some of which are very rapidly growing. For example, the abrdn Emerging Markets ex-China Fund has substantial exposure to Taiwan, South Korea, and India. Companies in two of these countries have been profiting greatly from the massive demand for artificial intelligence processors and random-access memory as American technology companies increase their capital investments, and the third is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world when measured in terms of gross domestic product growth. AEF provides its investors with exposure to these investments along with an 8.86% distribution yield and a reasonably attractive valuation, which could make it a good fund to purchase or hold right now. About The abrdn Emerging Markets ex-China Fund According to the fund’s website , the abrdn Emerging Markets ex-China Fund has the primary objective of providing its investors with both current income and long-term capital appreciation. The reason why most individuals or institutions invest in common stocks is to earn long-term capital appreciation, but the current income objective is rather surprising because most common stocks do n...
In this article JP10Y Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT While authorities have typically refrained from immediately confirming currency interventions, they usually issue warnings beforehand — an intentional, strategic ambiguity that keeps the element of surprise to maximize market impact. Richard A. Brooks | Afp | Getty Images After multiple warnings against the "speculative" and "on...
In this article JP10Y Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT While authorities have typically refrained from immediately confirming currency interventions, they usually issue warnings beforehand — an intentional, strategic ambiguity that keeps the element of surprise to maximize market impact. Richard A. Brooks | Afp | Getty Images After multiple warnings against the "speculative" and "one-sided" currency moves, Japan's Ministry of Finance appears to have put its money where its mouth is and intervened in the yen during the country's Golden Week holiday. The first intervention, reportedly on April 30, came after the yen weakened past the politically sensitive 160 yen level, marking the first yen-buying operation since July 2024. The yen surged by as much as 3% on that day, according to LSEG data. The yen appreciated sharply again Wednesday, fuelling market speculation that Tokyo had stepped into the currency market for a second time in recent days. The currency strengthened to as much as 155.02 per dollar from Tuesday's close of 157.87, a gain of almost 2%. While a stronger yen typically erodes the profit margins for Japanese exporters and makes their goods less price-competitive, a weaker yen raises the cost of energy, food, and raw materials, which the East Asian country is heavily reliant on. Japan's finance ministry may have spent as much as 5.48 trillion yen ($35 billion) to support the currency on April 30, just shy of the $36.8 billion last spent in July 2024, according to Reuters . Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Authorities typically refrain from immediately confirming currency interventions, but they usually issue warnings beforehand — an intentional, strategic ambiguity that keeps the element of surprise to maximize market impact. Analysts told CNBC the timing and scale of the yen's move suggested official action on April 6. "Price action that appears to suggest intervention has been observed," said Hirofumi Suzuki, chief FX strategist & head o...