This week, from June 17 to 21, brought several significant developments in the financial markets. The Bank of England's decision to hold interest rates, Nvidia's new status as the most valuable public company, rising crude oil prices, and record highs in the S&P 500 are the highlights.
These events reflect key economic trends and investor sentiments!
Bank of England holds rates in 'finely balanced' decision
The Bank of England opted to keep interest rates steady at its June meeting, but described the decision as “finely balanced” after U.K. inflation hit its 2% target.
This decision maintains the central bank’s key rate at a 16-year high of 5.25%, a level held since August 2023. Despite the steady rate, markets have nudged bets on an August rate cut to nearly 50-50, influenced by what investors perceive as dovish undertones in the Bank's messaging.
As a result of the BoE's unchanged policy, GBP/USD retreated below 1.2700.
Trading involves significant risk of loss.
Nvidia tops Microsoft as the most valuable public company
Nvidia surpassed Microsoft to become the most valuable publicly listed company in the world on Tuesday, solidifying its leadership in Big Tech.
Nvidia's stock price increased to $135.77. This rise valued the AI chipmaker at $3.33 trillion, edging out Microsoft at $3.31 trillion and Apple at $3.29 trillion. Just a year ago, Nvidia's market cap was over $1 trillion.
The company’s stock has surged more than 174% this year, even reaching over $1,200 earlier this month before a 10-for-1 stock split on June 7 to make shares more affordable.
Trading involves significant risk of loss.
Oil moves higher after EIA confirms crude draw
Crude oil prices rose after the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported a decline in inventory of 2.5 million barrels for the week ending June 14. This followed an inventory build of 2.7 million barrels the previous week, which had put pressure on prices.
Gasoline stocks also dropped by 2.3 million barrels, signaling a strong start to the summer driving season and affecting market sentiment.
Brent Crude is now back above $85 per barrel, with West Texas Intermediate over $82 per barrel.
Trading involves significant risk of loss.
S&P 500 rises to record close Monday
On Monday, June 17, the S&P 500 rose 0.77% to a record high of 5,473.23 as Wall Street built on last week’s gains. The Nasdaq Composite surged 0.95% to 17,857.02, while the Dow Jones added 188.94 points, or 0.49%, to end at 38,778.10, breaking a four-day losing streak.
Optimism about strong economic data and potential rate cuts fueled the rally. Megacap tech stocks boosted the S&P 500, with Microsoft up more than 1% and Apple rising about 2%. Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta Platforms also finished higher. Nvidia hit a new all-time high before closing slightly lower, and Broadcom shares jumped 5.4%.
Trading involves significant risk of loss.
This concludes our weekly recap. Have a great weekend and see you next week! 👋
