More records for markets, while France faces political turmoil

Chris Beauchamp IG

Dow closes above 45,000 as turmoil envelopes France

2024 has been a stellar year for US equities, and the Dow's first close above 45,000 seems to mark the culmination of a two-year rebound. Hints of another rate cut this month, plus continued strong earnings and GDP growth, mean that investors see little alternative but to keep putting money to work in the world's largest economy.

Meanwhile, European instability was underscored by the expected collapse of the Barnier government in France. A new caretaker will be appointed swiftly, but there seems no way out of the budget impasse. Markets remain calm for now, but if the Far Left and Right succeed in eventually toppling Macron as president then we can expect a fresh round of jitters in French yields, the CAC40 and the euro.

New milestone for Bitcoin

Bitcoin's move above $100K will dominate chatter across dealing rooms today. The move comes hours after Powell put gold and bitcoin in the same speculative category; bitcoin aficionados will view this as a sign that the upstart asset finally has the recognition they believe it deserves.

Author

Chris Beauchamp

Chris Beauchamp has been with IG for four years, and in that time has become a regular commentator and analyst for the financial press and TV, with appearances on all the major financial channels as well as the BBC and Sky News.

EUR/USD struggles to build on recent rebound, holds above 1.1550

EUR/USD trades marginally lower on the day but holds above 1.1550 in the American session, following Thursday's rebound. The pair holds near its intraday high as the US Dollar remains pressured by hopes the Middle East conflict will soon come to an end.

GBP/USD hovers around 1.3400 as investors await war clarity

GBP/USD remains near its daily open, not far from 1.3400, in the second half of Friday's session. The US Dollar lost its previous intraday strength and weakens as investors await clarity on the US-Iran war.

Gold stabilizes above $4,200 as wait-and-see continues

After rising more than 3% on Thursday, Gold (XAU/USD) stabilized around the $4,200 mark in the American session on Friday. The US dollar seesaws between gains and losses, but remains within familiar levels as investors remain skeptical yet hopeful about a resolution to the Middle East conflict.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP recovery slows amid incessant capital outflows

The cryptocurrency remains in a broader corrective bias on Friday, despite majors such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Ripple (XRP) holding slightly higher than early-week support levels.

SpaceX launches 24% higher at Friday debut

Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX), aka SpaceX, zoomed 24% higher soon after the start of its first IPO trading day on Friday. Shares of the rocket and artificial intelligence (AI) company founded by Elon Musk began trading at about 11:46 am EST and quickly gained speed.

4.2% headline, 0.2% core: Why the Fed's next hike may be targeting the wrong problem

May's CPI put headline inflation at 4.2% on the year, up from 3.8% in April and the hottest reading since April 2023, while core prices rose just 0.2% on the month, undershooting the 0.3% consensus and halving April's pace.