Yen Slides Near Two-Year Low as Fed Holds Rates Amid Middle East Tensions 
Federal Reserve Crisis: DOJ Standoff Threatens Powell's Succession and Rate Stability 
China Holds Lending Rates Steady Amid Global Oil Price Surge and Middle East Tensions 
BOJ Holds Interest Rates Steady Amid Middle East Uncertainty 
Asian Currencies Rebound as Dollar Weakens, BOJ Holds Rates 
Trump Signals End of U.S. Military Campaign Against Iran as Markets Rally 
Paraguay Central Bank Holds Interest Rate at 5.5% Amid Slowing Growth 
Gold Prices Stabilize in Asian Trade Amid Rate Uncertainty and Iran War Concerns 
U.S. Stock Futures Steady as Wall Street Retreats on Oil Volatility and Fed Rate Outlook 
China Holds Benchmark Loan Prime Rate Steady for Tenth Consecutive Month 
Oil Prices Slide as U.S. Eyes Iranian Supply Relief Amid Middle East Tensions 
Asian Markets Mixed as Oil Volatility and Inflation Fears Weigh on Sentiment 
Iran War Fears Send Oil Prices Surging as U.S. Weighs Ground Troop Deployment 
Asian Markets Tumble as BOJ Holds Rates, Oil Surges Past $110 
EA's $15B Debt Offering Draws $25B in Investor Demand Amid Credit Market Turmoil 
U.S.-Iran War Escalates: Marines Deploy, Strait of Hormuz Closure Drives Global Oil Crisis 
Gold Prices Stabilize but Head for Worst Weekly Drop in Six Years Amid Iran War Inflation Fears 
U.S. stocks extended their losing streak to four consecutive weeks on Friday, as escalating tensions in the Middle East rattled investor confidence and triggered broad risk-off selling across Wall Street.
Major indexes closed sharply lower after CBS News reported that U.S. Pentagon officials were drawing up detailed plans to potentially deploy ground troops into Iran. The S&P 500 dropped 1.5% to finish at 6,508.32, the Nasdaq Composite fell 2% to 21,647.61, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1%, settling at 45,576.83. On a weekly basis, the S&P shed 1.9%, the Nasdaq and Dow each declined 2.1%. Year-to-date losses now stand at 4.9%, 6.9%, and 5.2%, respectively.
Compounding the selloff was a quadruple witching event — the simultaneous expiration of stock index futures, stock index options, stock options, and single stock futures — totaling an estimated $4.7 trillion in derivatives contracts.
Bond markets also came under pressure, with the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield climbing 10 basis points to 4.384%, its highest point since last August. Rising yields weighed heavily on rate-sensitive sectors like utilities, real estate, and technology. Truist Chief Investment Officer Keith Lerner noted that stabilization in oil prices and the 10-year Treasury will be critical before markets can regain momentum.
Oil prices surged on the back of geopolitical concerns, with Brent crude rising nearly 3% to $111.78 per barrel. Supply fears intensified following Israeli strikes on Iran's South Pars gas field and retaliatory Iranian attacks on energy infrastructure across the region, including Qatar's Ras Laffan facility. Qatar announced its export capacity had been reduced by 17%, with repairs potentially taking up to five years.
In a rare bright spot, FedEx shares gained nearly 1% after the company raised its full-year profit outlook, though it cautioned that ongoing geopolitical disruptions could pressure future earnings through higher air freight costs and flight rerouting.
