Australia Unemployment Hits Five-Year High Despite Strong Jobs Growth 
Dollar Falls as Oil Eases, Yen Jumps on Intervention Signals 
Asian Stocks Fall as Surging Bond Yields Rattle Markets 
Soybean Futures Slip as Traders Await Trump-Xi Trade Signals 
Trump, Xi Focus on Trade and AI at White House Summit 
Oil Prices Jump 3% as Houthi Attack Revives Supply Fears 
European Stocks Fall as Bond Yields and Geopolitical Risks Weigh 
US Stock Futures Fall as Treasury Yields Surge Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit 
Canadian Dollar Faces Pressure as Fed-BoC Policy Gap Widens 
UK PM Burnham to Unveil Economic Vision at Labour Conference 
Dollar Holds Near Two-Month High as Yen Approaches 160 
Gold Prices Fall as Treasury Yields Rise on Fed Rate Hike Bets 
Oil Prices Fall on U.S.-Iran Hormuz Deal Hopes 
Wall Street Ends Flat as Oil, Treasury Yields and Fed Jitters Rattle Markets 
Japanese Bank Stocks Surge as Bond Yields Fuel Rate Hike Bets 
RBI Uses $10 Billion Currency Swaps to Drain Excess Rupee Liquidity 
US 10-Year Treasury Yield at 6% Emerges as New Market Risk Threshold 
Add as a preferred source on Google
The S&P 500 surged 1.5% on Friday, with the Nasdaq rising 1.6% and the Dow Jones climbing 600 points (1.4%) after an intense meeting between former President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stirred geopolitical concerns.
During their Oval Office discussion, Trump criticized Zelenskyy for not expressing enough gratitude for U.S. support in Ukraine’s war against Russia. Trump suggested a rare earth minerals deal could improve Ukraine’s negotiating stance, warning Zelenskyy against risking World War III. Following the meeting, Zelenskyy thanked the U.S. on social media, emphasizing Ukraine’s commitment to a just peace.
Meanwhile, U.S. inflation data showed PCE prices rose 0.3% in January, maintaining December’s pace. Year-over-year, PCE inflation slightly eased to 2.5%, while core PCE slowed to 2.6%, aligning with expectations. Consumer spending, however, unexpectedly declined by 0.2%, clouding the economic outlook for the Federal Reserve, which has paused interest rate cuts.
Tech stocks faced pressure, with Dell dropping over 4% due to expected margin declines in 2026 amid rising AI server costs. HP fell more than 6% after warning that Trump’s proposed tariffs on China could increase expenses.
Bitcoin trimmed losses but remains down 17% in February as risk sentiment wanes. While digital assets initially surged after Trump’s election victory, fading hopes for crypto-friendly policies and tariff fears have dampened enthusiasm.
Elsewhere, gold prices remained under pressure, and oil was set for its first monthly decline since November.
