Stocks fell broadly on Thursday, with the S&P 500 sliding for a fifth day in a row, as traders nervously look towards Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s upcoming speech.

"There’s no shame in changing your mind and caring less about being right." In his latest memo, Michael Bogoevski reflects on the power of flexibility and the forces shaping the final stretch of this year. cmcmarkets.com/en-au/analysis…

Powell has opened the door to an interest rate cut in September citing a stable unemployment rate and other labour market measures.

Japan's finance minister has endorsed cryptocurrency investments as part of a diversified portfolio. This signals potential regulatory changes as Japan explores building an appropriate investment environment for crypto trading.

In Q2, hedge funds got busy. They loaded up on AI leaders, doubled down on discounted names, and found a few new stories worth backing. Find out more here: cmcmarkets.com/en-au/analysis…

US real consumption increased 0.3% in July, which is the fastest pace since March. The annualised growth rate for the three months to July is 1.0%. The core PCE deflator, which is the Fed’s favoured inflation gauge, increased 0.3% taking the annual rate to 2.9% vs 2.8% exp.

The key focus for the week ahead will be on the US employment report on Friday night, which is a key risk event for financial markets and could have a bearing on how markets trade through the rest of September.

Euro area CPI inflation ticked up to 2.1% y/y in August while the core measure was steady at 2.3%, both at the higher end of consensus. The data supported market expectations that the ECB will pause the easing cycle.

Gold prices are climbing sharply in September, having broken through the previous ATH of $3,500 and recently reaching around $3,540. The move reflects a combination of economic, monetary, and geopolitical influences. Learn more cmcmarkets.com/en-au/analysis…

After jitters in global markets following bond selloffs, global bond markets got a reprieve as weaker than expected US job openings data increased expectations for easing by the Federal Reserve.

Foreign central banks now officially hold more gold than US Treasuries, for the first time since 1996.

The key takeout from China trade data yesterday, was that China’s trade surplus remains high (733b vs 750b exp) and on track to end the year at a record high above USD1 trillion. A plunge in exports to the US has been offset by a rise in exports elsewhere.

Oil has jumped around following Israel's surprise attack on Hamas senior leadership in Qatar. Brent crude rose as much as 2% in the aftermath of the attack however the gain has since moderated to less than 1%.

A Softer than expected August US producer price inflation has supported the case for the Federal Reserve to cut rates next week with the headline core reading contracting 0.1% against expectations of a modest increase of 0.3%. This took the annual core rate to 2.8%.

US CPI came in close to market expectations, with the core measure up 0.3% MoM, leaving annual inflation at 3.1% with a 0.4% MoM lift in the headline rate which resulted in the annual figure rising two tenths to 2.9%.

Stocks rose Monday after President Donald Trump said that US-China trade negotiations were going well. Investors also braced for a key Federal Reserve meeting this week.

The market’s reaction post-Fed has been focused on Chair Powell’s comments, which implied no sense of urgency to bring down US rates, by taking a "meeting by meeting" approach. US initial jobless claims plunged by a greater than expected 33k last week to 231k vs 241k expected.

In the wake of the Fed cutting rates last week, US equities and Gold have powered to fresh record highs. Adding to the fuel, Nvidia and OpenAI have teamed up on a $100 billion investment project which involves building a data centre.

Treasury yields slip as Fed Chair Powell highlights ‘challenging situation’ between inflation and job growth. The S&P 500 took a pause from its recent gains on Tuesday as doubts about the sustainability of the artificial intelligence bull trend worried investors.

The S&P 500 fell on Wednesday as artificial intelligence giants Nvidia and Oracle came under pressure for a second day. This comes as heightened fears about the potentially circular nature of the AI industry drew investor scepticism.