U.S. Federal Reserve

Wall Street stocks tumbled on Friday despite solid bank earnings as oil and gold prices shot up amid worries about a potential widening of conflict in the Middle East.

After spending the entire session in the red, the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished down 1.2 percent, or 475 points, at 37,983.24.

The inflation that has squeezed European shoppers fell more than expected in March to 2.4 percent, as cost spikes in the grocery aisle eased and overall price rises headed down in the two biggest economies, Germany and France.

Asian economies are not doing as well as they could and growth in the region is forecast to slow to 4.5 percent this year from 5.1 percent in 2023, the World Bank said in a report released on April 1. 

As gold prices surge to record highs, jewelry stores are grappling with dwindling supplies, prompting concerns about market stability and future price trends, with Istanbul Chamber of Jewelers reporting intensified production efforts at the General Directorate of Mint and Stamp Printing House.

Bitcoin spiked above $50,000 yesterday for the first time in more than two years as investors grow optimistic that U.S. approval of broader trading in the unit will ramp up demand.

Higher growth in emerging markets (EM), including Türkiye, relative to developed markets and the prospect of U.S. Federal Reserve rate cuts later this year are expected to push emerging-market net capital flows to a decade high in 2024, Fitch Ratings has said in its latest Economics Dashboard.

For the first time in over a year, European Central Bank (ECB) policymakers are expected to decide against raising interest rates again when they gather in Athens on Oct. 26.

Once red-hot, inflation, driven by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, has started to ease, while the outlook for the economy has worsened.

Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa as presiding country, are convening to consider membership requests from 22 countries, including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.

Australia left its key interest rate unchanged yesterday, with central bank governor Philip Lowe saying previous hikes were "working" but the outlook was uncertain.

The pause is the second in a row that the rate has been kept on hold at 4.1 percent, following a string of rises aimed at taming runaway prices.

The U.S. Federal Reserve raised its benchmark lending rate on July 26 to the highest level since 2001 to tackle above-target inflation, and signaled it could hike again later this year amid improving economic prospects.