Asian stocks were mostly higher in cautious trade on Friday as investors braced for the release of all-important U.S. jobs data as well as a Supreme Court ruling on the legality of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs. The jobs report will offer additional clues on the Federal Reserve's path for interest rates, with currently pricing in at least two quarter-point cuts in 2026.The dollar traded higher as the U.S. Senate advanced a resolution aimed at curbing Trump's ability to take further military act ...

The year’s run-up in precious metals broke new ground on Friday, while U.S. stocks held close to all-time highs. Most-active silver futures were up 4.5% at around $75 a troy ounce, after earlier hitting a new intraday record. A runaway rally in silver, which has more than doubled in price this year, has swept up amateur investors. Equivalent contracts for gold futures also hit records, rising as high as $4,562 a troy ounce. Most Read from The Wall Street Journal Escalating geopolitical tensions likely ...

Listen on the go! A daily podcast of Wall Street Breakfast will be available by 8:00 a.m. on Seeking Alpha, iTunes, Spotify.Getty Images Good morning! Here is the latest in trending:Central banking: A pause may be coming, but the FOMC cut rates for third straight meeting amid growing dissent. The Dow reached the 48K level on the news, while yields fell as the Fed said it would start big monthly purchases of Treasury bills.Insider pick: Coca-Cola (KO) is hiring from within to replace longtime CEO James Quin ...

Group 1: RBA's Hawkish Shift and Economic Indicators - The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is adopting a more hawkish outlook due to recent economic data, with inflation figures exceeding forecasts and remaining above the RBA's target band [2][3] - Australia's latest inflation data shows a headline CPI increase to an annual rate of 3.8% and a trimmed mean of 3.3%, indicating "uncomfortably hot" inflation, particularly in housing and services [2] - October's household spending data revealed a 1.3% increase, the strongest monthly rise since January 2024, suggesting robust consumer activity and altering the narrative on Australia's economic caution [3] Group 2: Market Reactions and Expectations - Swaps markets are fully pricing in a 25 basis point increase in the RBA cash rate to 3.85% by November of next year, reflecting heightened expectations for rate hikes [3] - The AUD/USD currency pair has shown a bullish bias in response to these developments, indicating potential upside as it approaches resistance levels [3] Group 3: Oil Market Dynamics - The global oil market is experiencing a trend of narrowing backwardation, particularly in WTI crude futures, suggesting ample near-term supply [6][7] - WTI crude futures for November delivery settled with a 47 cent premium over the May 2026 contract, marking the narrowest spread since January of the previous year [6] - Analysts attribute this narrowing to increased supply from OPEC+ and seasonal refinery maintenance in the U.S., which is impacting demand for immediate barrels [7] Group 4: Uber's Investment in Japan - A report from Nikkei indicates that Uber plans to invest $2 billion in Japan over a five-year period, although specific details regarding the investment focus or timeline are not available [9] - Historically, SoftBank Group Corp. has had significant dealings with Uber, including substantial investments, and recently announced a joint venture with OpenAI in Japan [9]

Traders are now watching upcoming reports from CrowdStrike, Marvell Technology, GitLab, and Okta as the sector faces renewed valuation concerns. The macro calendar remained quiet, with no major U.S. economic releases scheduled today. The 10-year Treasury yield eased to 4.08%, signaling steady demand for bonds. Oil futures rose toward $59.51 per barrel, while gold prices dipped near $4,210 per ounce as commodities shifted on global cues. Overseas, European markets opened lower and struggled for direction, m ...

Core Insights - The stock market is experiencing a tech outage that halted trading on Black Friday, but major indexes were on track for their best week since June [1][2][4] Market Performance - Futures for the Nasdaq, S&P 500, and Dow Jones were up 0.2%, 0.1%, and 0.1% respectively before the trading halt [2][8] - The Nasdaq is up 4.2% for the week, while the S&P 500 and Dow are up approximately 3.2% and 2.6% respectively [4] Commodity and Currency Updates - WTI crude futures increased by 0.7% to $59.10 per barrel, and gold futures rose by 0.5% to $4,220 per ounce [2] - Bitcoin remained stable at around $91,300, and the U.S. dollar index was up 0.2% at 99.80 [3] Corporate News - Robinhood Markets saw a nearly 11% increase in shares due to expansion in prediction markets, with a further 1.5% rise in premarket trading [5] - Alphabet's shares rose 1.5% after the announcement of its advanced Gemini 3 AI model, with a market capitalization of $3.87 trillion [6]

Core Insights - The CME reported a cooling issue at its data center, leading to a halt in US futures trading, which may affect various asset classes [1][2][10] - The outage raises concerns about the reliability of data centers, particularly regarding their cooling needs and the implications for the AI ecosystem [3][6][10] Data Center Operations - The CME is working to resolve the cooling issue and will provide updates to clients [2] - There are concerns about the adequacy of water and energy resources for cooling data centers, especially as reliance on these facilities increases [4][8] - Companies like CyrusOne, which provide technology for data centers, are under scrutiny for their energy and water usage practices [6][7] Market Impact - Treasury yields have increased by two to three basis points, but trading is characterized by wide bid-ask spreads, indicating patchy market activity [3] - The current situation is contributing to thin liquidity across various asset classes, exacerbated by the Thanksgiving holiday [11] - The volatility observed in November is expected to continue, with potential for choppy trading conditions [5][11]

Core Viewpoint - Oil prices have declined in early Asian trading due to the resumption of crude loadings at the Russian export hub of Novorossiysk, following a two-day suspension [1][2] Group 1: Market Dynamics - Brent crude futures fell by 64 cents to $63.75 per barrel, while WTI crude futures decreased by 66 cents to $59.43 per barrel [1] - Last week's rally of over 2% for both benchmarks was driven by disruptions at Novorossiysk and a neighboring terminal operated by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium [2] - The resumption of loading operations at Novorossiysk has eased immediate supply pressure, as confirmed by industry sources and supported by data from LSEG [2] Group 2: Geopolitical Factors - Ukrainian forces continue to target Russian oil infrastructure, exemplified by an attack on the Ryazan refinery [3] - The market is facing a growing perception of oversupply, largely influenced by OPEC+ output decisions [3] Group 3: Sanctions and Production Activity - Western sanctions against Russian oil firms like Lukoil and Rosneft are expected to intensify after November 21, with U.S. officials considering penalties for countries engaging with Russia [4] - U.S. rig counts increased by three to 417 in the week ending November 14, indicating a modest rise in upstream activity [4] Group 4: Supply Vulnerabilities - Despite the return of exports at Novorossiysk alleviating immediate supply threats, underlying vulnerabilities persist due to ongoing attacks on Russian infrastructure, sanctions effects, and OPEC+ production strategies [5]

Geopolitical Developments and Energy Markets - Crude oil prices, specifically Brent and WTI futures, surged over 4% due to new US and EU sanctions on Russia, targeting major oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil, indicating heightened geopolitical tensions and potential inflationary pressures [3][6] - Indian refiners are reconsidering their purchases of Russian crude, with a significant impact also felt in the Chinese market, reflecting the global ramifications of these sanctions [3] Automotive Industry and Supply Chain - Volkswagen has secured an alternative semiconductor supplier to mitigate potential disruptions from China's export controls on Nexperia, a Dutch semiconductor producer, ensuring its production capabilities remain unaffected [4] - This move is part of Volkswagen's broader strategy initiated in early 2022 to reorganize its procurement of electronic parts and semiconductors, enhancing long-term supply and competitiveness [4] European Bond Market - The European bond market has seen its first pulled deal since June, signaling increased caution among investors and potentially indicating a shift in market sentiment amid broader economic uncertainties [5] UK Economic and Energy Policy - Recent data from the Office for National Statistics shows UK employee average regular earnings grew by 4.7% from June to August 2025, with total earnings increasing by 5.0%, while real terms adjustments indicate a 0.6% rise in regular pay [6][7] - A think tank led by former Prime Minister Tony Blair has sparked debate by suggesting the UK should prioritize energy cost reduction over the 2030 power system cleanup target, advocating for a "radical reset" in climate action focusing on emerging technologies [8] US Political Landscape - Ongoing divisions among Republicans regarding the government shutdown are creating uncertainty, which may have implications for economic stability and investor confidence, as the shutdown is now one of the longest in history [9]

Oil Market - Oil prices are experiencing a significant decline, with Brent and WTI crude futures down nearly 10% in the last week, reaching four-month lows of $64.00 and $60.40 per barrel respectively, due to oversupply concerns [1] - OPEC+ is set to meet and may agree to increase oil production by up to 500,000 barrels per day in November, which would be three times the increase for October, contributing to the disinflationary momentum in oil prices [6] AI and Market Trends - OpenAI has reached a valuation of $500 billion after a recent share sale, marking it as the most valuable private company globally, up from a previous valuation of $300 billion [3] - The S&P 500 and Nasdaq have reached record highs, driven by optimism surrounding the AI boom and expectations for further U.S. interest rate cuts, despite the ongoing U.S. government shutdown [5] Economic Data and Federal Reserve - The U.S. government shutdown is expected to delay the release of key economic data, including jobless claims and inflation reports, which are crucial for the Federal Reserve's decision-making process [10][9] - Analysts suggest that a prolonged government shutdown could reduce GDP growth by 0.1-0.2 percentage points per week, with historical context indicating that a longer shutdown could decrease fourth-quarter real GDP growth by 0.5-1.0 percentage points [13] - The quality and reliability of U.S. economic data are deteriorating, with standard errors in economic surveys increasing by 26% on average compared to 2015-2019, complicating the Fed's ability to assess economic conditions accurately [16][17]