After two years of rapid rate hikes, central banks are finally shifting gears. The ECB has already cut its benchmark rate back down to around 2% after peaking near 4%, while the US Fed is only just starting to trim from its much higher peak. That divergence leaves investors asking an awkward question: if rates keep sliding, which side of the Atlantic has the stronger banks?
September began with investors weighing softer data, cautious central banks, and persistent geopolitical risks.
In the US, the August jobs report set the tone. Payrolls rose by 165,000, below expectations, while unemployment edged up to 4.3%, the highest since 2023.
Eurozone inflation has nudged above the ECB’s 2% target, coming in at 2.1%. At first glance, that’s hardly anything, but traders pay attention to small shifts. The reason is because even a modest overshoot can shape expectations around interest rates, and that quickly effects equities. Markets reacted in kind: the STOXX 600 slipped about 1.5%, while the DAX dropped over 2% as investors re-adjusted their holdings. Even a small move in hard data can create a ripple effect on markets.
Global markets rode a volatile week shaped by shifting monetary policy expectations and geopolitical surprises. In the US, Powell’s Jackson Hole remarks landed on the dovish side, signalling risks have tilted toward labour softness and nudging the door open for a September rate cut. At the same time, the Commerce Department revised Q2 GDP up to 3.3% annualised, a firmer base than first thought. Core PCE eased to 2.9% YoY, keeping the disinflation trend intact even as consumer confidence slipped and hiring cooled. Put together, traders leaned into nearly 90% odds of a cut next month.
For more than a decade, money was cheap — maybe too cheap?! Now that era is gone. Rates and bond yields have jumped back to levels we last saw before the financial crisis, and the adjustment is shaking things up.
Markets spent the week waiting for Jackson Hole, and Powell didn’t disappoint. His message was softer than many feared: the Fed now sees the balance of risks shifting, and he even opened the door to a September cut. That was enough to steady nerves after five straight down sessions for Wall Street. By Friday, the Dow was at record highs, the S&P 500 rose, and only the Nasdaq lagged as tech finally cooled.
If you’ve ever booked a holiday months ahead just to lock in a flight price, you already understand the idea of derivatives. In markets, they work the same way.
The US stock market is sitting at all-time highs, but the rally has been unusually narrow. Almost all the gains have come from a few megacap tech names. Since April, the S&P 500 has jumped about 27%, with the “Magnificent Seven” now making up roughly one-third of the index. Nvidia alone accounts for around 8%, while Microsoft and Apple make up about 7% and 6%. Together, those three represent more than a fifth of the S&P. That raises a simple question: can a rally powered by so few stocks keep going, or is momentum starting to crack?
Every trading community, from the smallest retail account to the largest institutional desk, confronts a universal scarcity: finite capital set against infinite market uncertainty.
Investors are buzzing about two things right now: Warren Buffett’s latest portfolio shake-up and Amazon’s stock soaring back toward all-time highs. Both are helping shape the mood in the US and giving investors something to feel excited about.
Picture this. It’s early morning, coffee in hand, and traders everywhere are hovering over their screens. One number is about to drop. It might be the latest inflation figure. It might be the monthly jobs report. Either way, within seconds it’s across news tickers. And, just like that, markets could jump, stumble, or go haywire.
Rate cuts usually get investors excited. Lower interest rates, easier credit, and more breathing room for consumers and businesses alike. But what if inflation’s still hanging around, not falling, not rising dramatically either, just... maybe stubborn?
Europe. Not exactly the first name that pops into investors’ minds when they think “market leadership,” is it? For much of the last decade, it’s played the quiet understudy while the US tech scene hogged centre stage. But here in 2025?
When markets start acting up or the headlines go full “crisis mode,” you’ll often hear investors shifting into so-called safe-haven assets. Gold, yen, and the dollar. But what exactly makes them “safe,” and why do people run to them when everything else feels like it’s falling apart?
The Nasdaq-100 is back at all-time highs after a late-June tech surge. On July 9, the index climbed to 22,884 as chipmaker Nvidia soared — becoming the first U.S. company to cross the $4 trillion market cap mark amid renewed AI optimism.
The latest US data gave a bit of a mixed signal. On one hand, the economy is clearly slowing down. But on the other, inflation – or the general rise in prices — is still hanging around.
