Fed’s Dovish Tone Sends Dollar Lower as Markets Price In More Rate Cuts 
Asian Currencies Hold Steady as Indian Rupee Slides to Record Low on Fed Outlook 
Gold Prices Hold Firm as Markets Await Fed Rate Cut; Silver Surges to Record High 
Australia’s Labour Market Weakens as November Employment Drops Sharply 
Gold Prices Slip Slightly in Asia as Silver Nears Record Highs on Dovish Fed Outlook 
BOJ Expected to Deliver December Rate Hike as Economists See Borrowing Costs Rising Through 2025 
Gold Prices Dip as Markets Absorb Dovish Fed Outlook; Silver Eases After Record High 
Fed Near Neutral Signals Caution Ahead, Shifting Focus to Fixed Income in 2026 
Ireland Limits Planned Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements to Goods Only 
U.S. Dollar Slides for Third Straight Week as Rate Cut Expectations Boost Euro and Pound 
ADB Approves $400 Million Loan to Boost Ease of Doing Business in the Philippines 
Hong Kong Cuts Base Rate as HKMA Follows U.S. Federal Reserve Move 
Asian Currencies Steady as Fed Delivers Hawkish Rate Cut; Aussie and Rupee Under Pressure 
Russia Stocks End Flat as Energy and Retail Shares Show Mixed Performance 
Wall Street Futures Slip as Oracle Earnings Miss Reignites AI Spending Concerns 
Mexico Moves to Increase Tariffs on Asian Imports to Protect Domestic Industries 
U.S. stock index futures edged higher Wednesday evening, driven by tech sector gains following Alphabet Inc.’s strong quarterly results and President Donald Trump’s announcement of new initiatives to boost the artificial intelligence industry.
Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) jumped 1.8% in after-hours trading after reporting second-quarter earnings per share of $2.31, beating Wall Street estimates of $2.18. The company raised its 2025 capital spending outlook to $85 billion, citing increased demand for cloud services and rapid AI integration into its core search platform, which helped lift advertising revenue by 10%.
Trump also fueled optimism with the White House’s first AI summit, unveiling a 90-part plan and signing three executive orders to strengthen U.S. leadership in AI. The measures aim to streamline federal regulations, expand AI technology exports, and prevent the use of politically biased AI. The president praised chipmakers Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and AMD (NASDAQ:AMD) as central to the country’s AI ambitions.
Futures tracked Wall Street’s earlier rally, spurred by Trump’s trade deal with Japan. The agreement imposes a 15% tariff while securing $550 billion in Japanese investment and expanded U.S. agricultural and auto exports. Hopes are rising for additional trade agreements before Trump’s proposed global tariffs of 15%-50% take effect on August 1.
As of 20:09 ET (00:09 GMT), S&P 500 Futures gained 0.1% to 6,402.25, Nasdaq 100 Futures rose 0.3% to 23,387.50, while Dow Jones Futures slipped 0.3% to 45,097.00. The S&P 500 closed earlier at a record 6,358.97. Attention now shifts to next week’s Federal Reserve meeting, where rates are expected to remain unchanged.
