U.S. stock markets saw a downturn on Friday. At the close in New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was calculated at 52,002 points, recording a decrease of 0.3 percent compared to the previous trading day. Just minutes earlier, the broader S&P 500 was down 1.1 percent, valued at around 7,659 points, while the tech-focused Nasdaq 100 fell 2.6 percent, reaching approximately 29,188 points at that time.
Meanwhile, oil prices sharply increased. A barrel of North Sea Brent crude cost $109.70 on Friday evening (around 10 PM German time), an increase of 3.5 percent from the closing price of the preceding trading day. This rise is attributed to renewed Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), twelve ships were attacked between October 5 and 11, registering the highest weekly attack count reported since the start of the war between the US, Israel, and Iran. Oil deliveries through the strait have slowed again after a period of recovery last month.
In foreign exchange, the European common currency showed a slight strengthening on Friday evening, trading at $1.1240 per Euro, meaning the US dollar was available at 0.8897 Euros.
Gold prices experienced a slight dip, trading at $4,167 per troy ounce in the evening (-0.1 percent). This translates to a price of €119.20 per gram.
