Stock markets, meanwhile, were mixed as traders weighed a slew of issues: massive AI investments, corporate results, US interest rates, the US government shutdown, political turmoil in France and a Gaza ceasefire deal.

US and European stock markets mostly rose while Asian equities fell as investors also kept tabs on the AI investment boom and the prospect of further US interest rate cuts this year.

Nvidia announced a $5 billion investment in struggling US rival to jointly develop chips for PCs and data centers. The deal comes on the heels of the United States taking a 10-percent stake in Intel, which has fallen behind in recent years after missing key technology shifts.

Gains for oil prices were relatively modest, while gas futures were unmoved after Israel's strikes Tuesday against Hamas in gas-rich Qatar. Gold, a traditional safe haven investment, traded close to its recent record highs.

A steep downward revision to US job creation cemented expectations that the Federal Reserve would begin lowering its benchmark rate next week in a bid to boost growth.

Wall Street stocks opened mostly higher, with shares in Google parent-company Alphabet shooting up nearly seven percent after winning a crucial court battle.

Markets were also waiting for a key speech by the US Federal Reserve chief this week for clues on interest rate cuts that could bolster the world's biggest economy.

Bitcoin hit a new peak at $124,514.59 in Asian trading, before cooling to around $121,500. The world's biggest cryptocurrency is benefitting from expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut US interest rates before 2026.

Shares of Microsoft vaulted 5.3 percent after it reported $27.2 billion in quarterly profits as it touted massive investments in AI. Microsoft became the second company to surpass $4 trillion following another AI star, Nvidia.

US indices were near record highs two hours into the Wall Street session with all eyes on an incoming earnings reports, notably for streaming giant Netflix.

After Congress gave Trump a big win last week with his fiscal package, the Republican's aggressive trade posture has returned with a vengeance this week. On Tuesday, he added threatened levies on copper and pharmaceuticals to a laundry list of countries warned of higher tariffs.

The main international and US oil contracts briefly bounced off their lows as Israel and Iran accused each other of breaking the ceasefire, but  then fell around five percent after Trump berated the two countries in an expletive-laced outburst.

US stocks edged higher while European markets retreated and Asian equities were mixed, with markets keeping a close eye on whether Iran will block the crucial Strait of Hormuz, which carries one-fifth of global oil output. When trading opened on Monday, international benchmark crude contract Brent and US equivalent WTI...

Economists at MUFG warned of "high uncertainty of the outcomes and duration of this war", giving a "scenario analysis" of an oil price increase of $10 per barrel.

Of particular concern is the possibility of Iran shutting off the Strait of Hormuz, through which around an estimated fifth of global oil supply traverses, according to the Commerzbank note.

Israel's surprise strike against Iranian military and nuclear sites on Friday -- killing top commanders and scientists -- sent crude prices soaring as much as 13 percent at one point on fears about supplies from the region.

The S&P 500 has risen the last four sessions, extending the positive momentum after last weekend's trade talks resulted in both the United States and China lowering tariffs on each other for 90 days.

Buffett transformed Berkshire Hathaway from a medium-sized textile company when he bought it in the 1960s into a giant conglomerate,

Stocks moved sideways on Monday after notching four straight positive sessions last week as Trump adopted a more conciliatory posture on the trade war with China and said he doesn't plan to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

Trading floors across the globe were overcome by waves of further selling after last week's sharp losses, with Trump telling Americans to "be strong, courageous, and patient," minutes before the New York stock market opened to drops of over three percent.

Despite the market turmoil, Trump insisted: "my policies will never change". Wall Street stocks fell more than two percent at the start of trading, with the blue-chip Dow falling below 40,000 points for the first time since August, a day after the S&P 500 experienced its largest drop since the...

Gold and oil prices climbed on fears of escalating tensions in the Middle East after Israel launched its most intense strikes on Gaza since a ceasefire with Hamas took effect. Uncertainty ahead of a telephone call about Ukraine between Trump and Putin also helped boost the safe-haven metal.

London, United Kingdom -- Major stock markets mostly rallied and oil prices retreated Thursday on hopes for an end to the war in Ukraine and despite fresh tariff threats. London was a rare faller owing to sharp losses to share prices of big companies, including Unilever, Barclays and British American Tobacco,...

Equities rose in Asia on Wednesday as traders took in their stride a warning from Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell that the US central bank "did not need to be in a hurry" to cut interest rates again. The remarks came a day before the release of closely watched inflation...

Seoul was an outlier in Asia with shares plunging as South Korea's political crisis deepened with a second impeachment vote. London was flat and Paris gained.

Asian stocks were mostly higher on Tuesday after a tech rally on Wall Street, but their gains remained modest in thin Christmas Eve trade. European stocks bounced around while US equities shook off early weakness

The Fed is widely expected to cut its key lending rate for a third straight time, reducing it by a quarter point despite a recent uptick in inflation. But there are fears it will have to slow its pace of easing next year owing to sticky inflation and bets that...

South Korean stocks sank more than two percent Wednesday while the won rebounded from earlier losses after President Yoon Suk Yeol dramatically declared martial law overnight before reversing the decision hours later.

More data this week suggesting the Federal Reserve was winning the battle against inflation provided an extra kick for global equities after recent drops caused by worries of a possible US recession. Wall Street shares were up near midday deals while European markets closed in the green, a day after...

Since US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell stated last month that the time for interest rates to begin coming down and the pace would depend on economic data, investors have been keenly awaiting the latest jobs numbers. Dismal July job figures caused markets to panic last month.

Shares of Nvidia and other technology heavyweights fell late on Wednesday, a discouraging sign for investors betting that a strong forecast from the dominant seller of AI chips would fuel fresh gains in Wall Street's most valuable companies, Reuters reported. Nasdaq futures fell about 1% following Nvidia's quarterly, suggesting traders...

Paris, France -- US shares fell marginally and European stock markets mostly inched higher Wednesday as investors cautiously awaited the latest earnings results from US chip giant Nvidia, a bellwether for the tech sector. Traders are also waiting for key US economic data later this week that could provide clues about...

Asia-Pacific markets were mixed on Monday after a week that saw a broad rally in stocks, as investors awaited a slew of central bank releases and inflation data this week, CNBC reported. The Bank of Korea will release its rate decision on Thursday, while inflation data from Japan and Singapore...

Norway’s massive sovereign wealth fund on Wednesday posted first-half profit of 1.48 trillion kroner ($138 billion), primarily driven by robust returns on its investments in technology stocks, CNBC reported. The so-called Government Pension Fund Global — the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund — said it had a value of 17.75...

Asian markets diverged Thursday after minutes from the Federal Reserve's most recent policy meeting indicated officials would keep interest rates elevated for some time as they struggle to bring inflation down to target. The news, however, was offset slightly by forecast-busting earnings from US tech titan Nvidia that showed profits...

Abu Dhabi, UAE -- The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) extended its gains at the close of trading today, adding over AED7 billion ($1.90 billion) to its market capitalization, driven by gains in leading bank stocks. Meanwhile, the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) closed slightly down, according to trading data. The...

Saturday's bombardment of more than 300 ballistic and cruise missiles and attack drones -- which were mostly repelled by air defenses -- compounded worries about the outlook for US interest rates following more forecast-beating inflation and jobs data.

London, United Kingdom -- Wall Street stocks slid on Friday despite banks beating expectations at the start of earnings season as oil and gold prices shot up amid worries about the conflict in the Middle East widening. "Geopolitical worries have triggered some risk aversion, but worries about a growth slowdown have...

Oil prices rose around one percent, with Brent crude closing in on $90 per barrel, as OPEC experts met to discuss extending supply cuts. "Geo-political risks linked to conflict in the Middle East, OPEC supply cuts and better data out of China are helping to drive bullish sentiment currently," said...

Oil prices surged four percent after US and UK forces launched strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels after attacks on ships in the Red Sea, fueling worries about a wider conflict. Tokyo and European stock markets ended the week with gains as traders brushed off data showing US inflation rose more...

"Heightened tensions in the Middle East following a bomb blast at a ceremony honouring a slain general in Iran have led to further risk-off sentiment and rising US yields," said Axel Rudolph, senior market analyst at online trading platform IG.

Dubai, UAE--Brokerage firms at the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) opened 57,054 new investor accounts in 2023, marking a significant increase of 12.5% over the previous year, according to data released by the DFM. The growth was driven by a number of factors, including the strong momentum in the market since...

Abu Dhabi, UAE--UAE stocks generated strong cash flows Monday, with market liquidity surpassing $272 million. International Holding Company (IHC) and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) topped the market in terms of number of transactions. The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) gained $241.25 million in liquidity, as compared to the...

Abu Dhabi, UAE -- Institutional investors boosted their acquisition of domestic stocks in 2023, purchasing nearly AED 7 billion ($1.9 billion) in local stocks from January to December 2023. This figure reflects a total purchase of AED 302.7 billion compared to total sales of approximately AED 295.8 billion. Institutional investors...

New York, United States - Wall Street stocks resumed their upward climb early Wednesday following strong results from artificial intelligence player Nvidia as US Treasury yields retreated. Nvidia said it made a profit of $9.2 billion on revenue of a whopping $18.1 billion in the third quarter, compared with $5.9 billion...

Brent crude, the main international contract, briefly dropped more than 2 percent to hit $79.80, before bouncing back above $80 per barrel. Meanwhile, the main US contract, WTI, slumped as far as $75.44 per barrel, also hitting its lowest level since July.

"Equity markets are bouncing back on Tuesday after a risk-averse start to the week, buoyed... by some promising Fed commentary," said analyst Craig Erlam at trading firm OANDA.

With inflation still sitting well above the central bank's target and the labor market showing few signs of softening, decision-makers have warned that more tightening will be needed to achieve their goal. However, while the US economy remains in reasonable health, there is a growing concern that the Fed could...

Global stocks sank after the US Federal Reserve hinted it could hike interest rates again this year to tame inflation and other central banks warned they were not done either. London stocks bucked that trend, however, after the Bank of England held interest rates steady after 14 hikes.

Brent North Sea crude oil traded above $95 per barrel Tuesday for the first time since November last year, supported by tight supplies and robust demand. "When central banks are starting to see the light at the end of the inflation tunnel, $100-plus oil will be incredibly unwelcome and unhelpful,"...