Before the weekend, U.S. stock markets fell sharply. The Dow lost 1.0 percent to 45,577 points, while the broader S&P 500 was down 1.5 percent at 6,506 points. The decline was even steeper for the technology-focused Nasdaq, which slipped 1.9 percent to 23,898 points.
Oil prices rallied again. Brent, the North Sea benchmark, fetched $111.80 per barrel as of about 9 p.m. German time on Friday – a gain of 2.9 percent from the previous trading day’s close, after a period of relative calm.
Many investors are worried about rising inflation, and even more about potential monetary‑policy tightening, especially higher interest rates. Ahead of the weekend, many investors prefer to avoid the risk of surprise Fed‑related announcements and have sold off riskier assets.
The euro was slightly weaker against the dollar at the close of Friday evening: 1 euro = $1.1561, so 1 dollar = €0.8650.
Gold was on a steep decline as well, trading at $4,502 per troy ounce (-2.9 percent) in the evening, which translates to €125.20 per gram.
