Group 1: Gold Market - Gold prices stabilized around $3985, struggling to surpass the psychological barrier of $4000 after testing a historical high of $4059 [1] - Year-to-date, gold has increased by 52%, marking a significant rise in value [1][10] - Analysts believe the gold rally is fueled by central bank purchases, institutional inflows into ETFs, and a surge in retail trading volume, indicating a "historic gold bull market" [11] Group 2: U.S. Stock Market - U.S. stock indices experienced a sharp decline, with the Dow Jones dropping approximately 500 points and the S&P 500 index falling over 1% [2] - The S&P 500 index recorded a weekly drop of 2.43%, the largest since June, while the Nasdaq index fell 2.53%, marking its biggest weekly decline since April [2] - Market sentiment was negatively impacted by President Trump's announcement of a 100% tariff on Chinese imports starting November 1, 2025, in response to stricter export controls on rare earth minerals [2] Group 3: U.S. Government Shutdown - The ongoing U.S. government shutdown has dampened market sentiment, with the federal employee layoff process officially initiated [3] - Predictions indicate a 37% chance of the shutdown lasting over 30 days, an increase from 15% at the onset of the shutdown [3] Group 4: Federal Reserve Interest Rate Expectations - Expectations for a rate cut by the Federal Reserve have surged, with a 98.3% probability of a 25 basis point cut in October [6] - Federal Reserve Governor Waller expressed support for further rate reductions, coinciding with his potential candidacy for the next Fed chair [5][6] Group 5: Japanese Political Landscape - The Japanese ruling coalition has fractured as the Komeito party withdraws support, creating uncertainty for future political and legislative agendas [7][8] - Despite this setback, analysts suggest that the new Prime Minister, likely to be Kishi Nobuo, may still proceed with aggressive fiscal policies [8]