Australia Jobs Growth Strengthens Rate Hike Outlook 
Oil Prices Drop as Strait of Hormuz Shipping Recovers 
Wall Street Ends Mixed as Micron Surges, Apple Drops After Price Hikes 
Oil Prices Rebound as Strait of Hormuz Tensions Return After Ship Attack Near Oman 
Wall Street Ends Lower as AI Stocks Drag Markets, Fed Rate Outlook Shifts 
Gold Drops Below $4,000 as Strong US Dollar and Fed Rate Hike Expectations Pressure Bullion 
Asian Stocks Sink as Apple Price Hikes Spark AI Valuation Fears, South Korea and Japan Lead Selloff 
South Korea’s KOSPI Jumps Over 5% as Samsung, SK Hynix Rally on Micron Earnings Boost 
Gold Prices Rise Above $4,000 as Inflation Data and Weaker Dollar Boost Demand 
Asian Currencies Trade Mixed as Yen Hovers Near 40-Year Low, Dollar Holds Firm on Fed Outlook 
US Dollar Slips After PCE Inflation Data as Fed Rate Hike Expectations Stay Elevated 
Iran Attack in Strait of Hormuz Pushes Oil Prices Higher 
Bank Regulation Rollbacks in the U.S. and UK Could Increase Financial Risks, Study Warns 
Trump Requests $11 Billion More in Farm Aid as Rising Costs Pressure U.S. Farmers 
US Dollar Slips After PCE Inflation Data Eases Fed Rate Hike Expectations 
Asian Markets Rally as Micron and Qualcomm AI Outlook Lifts Global Tech Stocks 
U.S. stock index futures edged lower on Wednesday evening after the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged but warned of rising risks from inflation and economic uncertainty. The move followed modest gains on Wall Street, fueled by a rebound in chip stocks amid signs the Trump administration may ease export restrictions on artificial intelligence chips.
At 19:50 ET (23:50 GMT), S&P 500 futures fell 0.1% to 5,645.75, Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 0.1% to 19,948.75, and Dow Jones futures slipped 0.1% to 41,168.0.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell cited growing concerns over inflation and unemployment, stating the outlook remains unclear due to uncertainty surrounding Trump’s trade tariffs. The Fed is expected to keep a cautious stance, with Powell ruling out any preemptive rate cuts despite pressure from Trump for lower borrowing costs.
Meanwhile, AI chipmakers led a late rally in U.S. stocks after reports indicated Trump may roll back Biden-era export controls on advanced chips. The move would benefit U.S. semiconductor firms by expanding their overseas sales opportunities. Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) gained 3.1% during regular trading, while TSMC (NYSE: TSM) added 1.3% and Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) rose 1.9%.
Despite ongoing concerns about U.S.-China trade talks and the Fed's cautious tone, Wall Street closed higher. The S&P 500 rose 0.4% to 5,631.27, the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.3% to 17,738.16, and the Dow Jones added 0.7% to close at 41,113.97.
Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) lagged behind, pressured by reports that Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) may integrate AI-powered search into its browser, posing new competition for Google’s core business.
