US stock markets largely retreated on Monday. Trading in New York concluded with the Dow closing at 53,185 points, marking a decline of 0.7 percent compared to the previous session. Slightly earlier, the broader S&P 500 had fallen by 0.3 percent, while the technology-focused Nasdaq 100 was up 0.1 percent, reaching approximately 29,455 points.
Market trends were influenced by several factors, including escalating tensions in the region. The US military restarted attacks in the Iran conflict over the weekend after a period of quiet, prompting retaliatory strikes from Tehran. These renewed hostilities are having an impact on energy prices. Furthermore, US central bank head Kevin Warsh recently fueled concerns regarding potential interest rate increases.
The European currency strengthened on Monday evening; the Euro was trading at $1.1617 against the US Dollar, meaning the dollar cost 0.8608 Euros.
Regarding commodities, the price of gold remained largely unchanged, settling at $4,453 per troy ounce in the evening, which translates to €123.23 per gram. In contrast, oil prices saw a significant increase. By 10 p.m. German time on Monday, a barrel of North Sea Brent crude was priced at $90.46, representing a 2.7 percent rise from the previous day’s close.
