Wall Street Slides as Iran War Uncertainty, Oil Surge, and AI Fears Rattle Markets 
Asian Markets Rally as Oil Prices Tumble and Middle East Peace Hopes Emerge 
Bank of Japan Eyes April Rate Hike Despite Inflation Dip, ING Says 
Suspicious Oil Market Trades Precede Trump's Iran Peace Post by 15 Minutes 
Middle East War Rattles Global Markets as Oil Tops $100 and Dollar Surges 
Iran-Israel Missile Strikes Continue Amid Mixed Signals on U.S.-Iran Diplomacy 
Currency Markets Show Caution Amid U.S.-Iran Negotiations 
Federal Reserve Balance Sheet Reduction: Brookings Research Outlines Possible Path Forward 
WTO Reform Talks Begin in Cameroon Amid Global Trade Tensions 
Gold Prices Climb as Middle East Ceasefire Talks Stir Market Optimism 
Trump Tariffs Show Minimal Economic Impact but Boost Federal Revenue, Study Finds 
Asian Currencies Weaken as Dollar Rebounds Amid Middle East Uncertainty and Japan Inflation Data 
Oil Prices Rebound as Iran Denies U.S. Talks Amid Gulf War Supply Fears 
Japan's Private Sector Growth Slows in March Amid Rising Costs and Middle East Uncertainty 
U.S. Stock Futures Steady as Iran Reviews U.S. Ceasefire Proposal 
Wall Street ended higher on Friday as investors digested U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest comments on China and encouraging earnings from regional banks helped ease concerns over credit risks. Trump acknowledged that his proposed 100% tariffs on Chinese goods would be unsustainable but continued to blame Beijing for stalled trade talks, following China’s move to tighten control over rare earth exports. The tariffs and new export restrictions on critical software are set to take effect on November 1.
Market sentiment improved after a turbulent week for financial stocks. Regional bank shares rebounded sharply following Thursday’s selloff triggered by Zions Bancorporation’s loan losses and Western Alliance’s lawsuit involving Cantor Group V, LLC. Analysts suggested fears over credit quality were overstated, with most banks showing strong fundamentals. Truist Financial gained 3.7% after reporting higher third-quarter profits, while Zions climbed 5.8%, Western Alliance rose 3.1%, and Fifth Third Bancorp added 1.3%.
The S&P Composite 1500 Regional Banks Index advanced 1.8% after a 6% drop the previous day, while the broader S&P 500 financial sector index gained 0.8%. Solid results from JPMorgan and other large banks boosted overall optimism for the third-quarter earnings season. Analysts now expect S&P 500 earnings to grow 9.3%, up from 8.8% earlier in October, according to LSEG I/B/E/S data.
The S&P 500 rose 0.53% to 6,664.01, the Nasdaq gained 0.52% to 22,679.98, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.52% to 46,190.61. Nine of the 11 major S&P sectors advanced, led by consumer staples, up 1.23%. For the week, the S&P 500 rose 1.7%, the Nasdaq 2.1%, and the Dow 1.6%. Market volatility eased, with the CBOE VIX dropping to 21.5 points. Tesla gained 2.5%, Apple rose 2%, and Amazon slipped 0.7%. Eli Lilly fell 2% after Trump vowed to lower weight-loss drug prices, while State Street declined 1.4% on weaker net interest income.
