{"id":88321,"date":"2026-07-24T17:02:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T07:02:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ic.com\/blog\/?p=88321"},"modified":"2026-07-24T17:02:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T07:02:21","slug":"general-market-analysis-24-07-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ic.com\/blog\/general-market-analysis-24-07-26\/","title":{"rendered":"General Market Analysis \u2013 24\/07\/26"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

US Stocks Hit as War Escalates \u2013 Nasdaq down 2.15%
<\/strong>Global financial markets traded sharply lower overnight as investors continued to grapple with escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and growing concerns over elevated artificial intelligence spending. A combination of rising oil prices, higher Treasury yields, and a stronger US dollar weighed heavily on investor sentiment, prompting broad-based selling across US equity markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wall Street finished firmly in negative territory, with technology stocks once again leading the declines. The Nasdaq dropped 2.15% as investors continued to reduce exposure to high-growth sectors, while the S&P 500 fell 1.21%. The Dow Jones also lost ground, declining 0.97% as risk appetite deteriorated throughout the session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bond markets remained under pressure, with US Treasury yields extending their recent climb. The 2-year Treasury yield rose 5.0 basis points to 4.348%, while the benchmark 10-year yield increased a further 3.9 basis points to 4.693%, marking its highest level in around 18 months. The continued rise in yields helped support the US Dollar Index, which gained 0.32% to 101.45, leaving the greenback within striking distance of its annual highs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commodity markets were dominated by another significant rally in crude oil prices. Brent crude surged 6.85% to settle above the key US$100 per barrel level at US$100.51, while WTI crude climbed 6.17% to US$92.19. The move followed renewed attacks by Houthi forces on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea, with President Trump warning Iran of further consequences should the conflict continue to escalate. The prospect of further disruptions to global energy supplies continued to underpin prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the heightened geopolitical uncertainty, gold came under heavy selling pressure, falling 1.99% to US$4,047.15 per ounce. The combination of a stronger US dollar and higher Treasury yields outweighed the metal’s traditional safe-haven appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oil Traders Targeting $120 a Barrel Again<\/strong>
Oil prices have now rallied nearly 40% in the last few weeks since recent market lows were set at the beginning of the<\/strong> month, and traders are preparing for more topside potential in the coming days. The market had ridden the escalation of the conflict between the US and Iran fairly well while the conflict was restricted to<\/strong> the Strait of Hormuz, but the introduction of Houthi aggression in the Red Sea has opened a whole new avenue of concern that has seen oil prices take the extra step higher, and any further escalation could see recent historic levels challenged swiftly. This weekend now presents huge event risk, with the potential for further conflict escalation high and markets closed, which could result in a very messy start to the trading week on Monday. Traders are now expecting to see some defensive positions placed ahead of the weekend to protect positions, which could lead to even more volatility on what will probably be a lively day anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Data Likely to be Overshadowed by Geopolitics Again into the Weekend<\/strong>
It is a busy calendar day ahead for traders today; however, most of the data updates are likely to be overshadowed by geopolitical updates out of the Middle East as the day progresses. There is little of note on the calendar in the Asian session today; however, there are a raft of Flash Manufacturing and Services PMI data scheduled for release across Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States through<\/strong> the latter two sessions. The London session will also see the release of the latest Retail Sales (exp -0.3% m\/m) data, and the New York day will also see the US New Home Sales (exp 609k) figures released. However, while these releases are expected to provide fresh insight into global economic activity, markets are likely to remain highly sensitive to any developments emerging from the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explore all upcoming market events in the Economic Calendar.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Risk Warning:<\/strong> Trading in securities involves significant risk. Prices may fluctuate and securities can become entirely valueless. You may incur losses that exceed your potential profits, and in some cases, losses may exceed the amount you have deposited. Securities, futures, options, and contracts for differences are complex financial instruments and are not suitable for all investors. Engaging in such transactions requires a sound understanding of the associated risks. Please read and ensure you fully understand our Risk Disclosure<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our leverage is dynamic and may change at any time. Such changes may affect your positions and margin requirements. You are responsible for monitoring your positions and maintaining sufficient margin at all times<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

US Stocks Hit as War Escalates \u2013 Nasdaq down 2.15%Global financial […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":88322,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[463],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88321"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88321"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88355,"href":"https:\/\/ic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88321\/revisions\/88355"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}