All three major US equity benchmarks closed higher on Friday, extending recent gains and setting a positive tone into the weekend.
Gold surged to a fresh record, trading at $3,725 an ounce, while cryptocurrencies stumbled at the start of the week. Bitcoin, Ethereum and most major tokens declined, underscoring continued volatility in digital assets.
In Europe, banking consolidation remains in focus. BBVA has sweetened its takeover bid for Sabadell to €17 billion, signaling determination to push through one of the region’s largest banking deals in recent years.
Markets opened the week on softer footing, with European equities and US futures down about 0.5% on average. Traders are bracing for the release of the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge — the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index — which could set the tone for monetary policy expectations.