US Futures Edge Higher, Gold Hits Record as Markets React to Greenland Dispute - english.pardafas.com

US stock futures edged higher early Wednesday after sharp losses on Wall Street, while gold prices surged to a record high as investor unease grew over President Donald Trump’s tariff threats linked to Greenland. Futures for the S&P 500 rose 0.3 percent and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures gained 0.2 percent following steep declines in the previous session. On Tuesday, the S&P 500 fell 2.1 percent to 6,796.86, marking its largest one-day drop since October. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 1.8 percent to 48,488.59, while the Nasdaq composite slid 2.4 percent to 22,954.32. Gold prices crossed the $4,800 mark for the first time, climbing 1.7 percent as investors moved into assets typically seen as safe havens during periods of uncertainty. Asian markets mostly extended their losses. Japan’s Nikkei 225 dropped 0.7 percent to 52,603.44, while South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.5 percent to 4,862.17. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped 0.2 percent to 26,435.20, and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.4 percent to 8,781.70. Taiwan’s Taiex fell 0.9 percent. In contrast, China’s Shanghai Composite edged up 0.2 percent to 4,120.10, and India’s Sensex rose 0.1 percent. Markets in Japan were also influenced by domestic developments after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called a snap election for February 8. The move pushed long-term government bond yields to record levels, amid expectations of tax cuts and increased spending. The yield on Japan’s 40-year government bond eased to 4.095 percent on Wednesday, down from a record 4.22 percent reached a day earlier. Investor sentiment has been weighed down by Trump’s announcement that he plans to impose 10 percent tariffs starting in February on imports from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland. The proposed tariffs would be in addition to a 15 percent levy outlined in a trade agreement with the European Union that has yet to be ratified. European leaders have indicated they are considering possible countermeasures. Traders were awaiting Trump’s planned speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he is expected to highlight his administration’s achievements. His trip was briefly delayed after Air Force One returned to Washington due to what officials described as a minor electrical issue, after which he was expected to resume travel on another aircraft. In commodities trading, US benchmark crude oil fell 56 cents to $59.80 per barrel, while Brent crude dropped 70 cents to $64.22 per barrel. In currency markets, the US dollar slipped slightly to 158.08 Japanese yen, while the euro was little changed at $1.1719. Investors are also looking ahead to upcoming central bank meetings, with the US Federal Reserve scheduled to meet next week and Japan’s central bank set to conclude its policy meeting on Friday.The post US Futures Edge Higher, Gold Hits Record as Markets React to Greenland Dispute first appeared on epardafas.com.