{"id":88624,"date":"2026-08-03T19:26:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T09:26:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ic.com\/blog\/?p=88624"},"modified":"2026-08-03T19:27:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T09:27:33","slug":"general-market-analysis-03-08-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ic.com\/blog\/general-market-analysis-03-08-26\/","title":{"rendered":"General Market Analysis \u2013 03\/08\/26"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

US Stocks Higher into Weekend \u2013 Nasdaq up 1%
<\/strong>US equity markets finished the week on a strong footing on Friday as investors chose to focus on strong earnings numbers from some of the key technology firms. The Dow Jones rose 0.53% to close at 52,485, while the S&P 500 gained 0.70% to finish at 7,489. The technology-heavy Nasdaq outperformed once again, climbing 1.00% to 25,373 as investors continued to pile into the sector following stronger-than-expected earnings from both Amazon and Microsoft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Risk sentiment also improved after President Trump indicated the United States would delay any fresh military strikes on Iran to allow time for a peace agreement to be negotiated. The comments helped ease immediate geopolitical concerns and have Asian equity markets set for a positive start to the new trading week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

US Treasury yields continued their recent surge, with the 2-year yield rising by 4.5 basis points to 4.291% and the benchmark 10-year yield jumping by 6.1 basis points to 4.735%, its highest level since January 2025. The sharp rise in yields weighed on precious metals, with gold falling 1.50% to US$4,040.95 an ounce as investors rotated away from safe-haven assets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite higher Treasury yields, the US Dollar Index slipped 0.21% to 99.80 as the Japanese yen strengthened following another round of intervention by the Bank of Japan in the USDJPY market. Reports also suggested the Federal Reserve assisted in broader yen stabilisation through intervention in EURJPY, leaving currency traders alert for the possibility of further action should the yen come under renewed pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oil prices also moved higher as supply concerns continued to support energy markets. Brent crude gained 1.21% to settle at US$87.93 a barrel, while WTI crude rose 1.29% to US$84.67, with traders continuing to monitor developments in the Middle East for any escalation that could threaten global supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yen Traders to Remain on Intervention Watch this Week<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yen traders are preparing for another busy trading week ahead after intervention again from the Bank of Japan on Friday for the second time in as many days. In addition to the Japanese authorities selling USDJPY, the Federal Reserve Bank sold EURJPY as a sign of friendship, according to President Trump. Both rounds of intervention have taken place in the New York session, and traders will be especially vigilant in the final session in the coming days. However, this action is pushing against the market and strong fundamentals, and the market is likely to test the resolve of the authorities once it feels that the intervention has finished, which could lead to some sharp corrections. USDJPY seems to have found some support around the 157.00 level in the short term, which coincides with the long-term trendline on the daily chart, while resistance now sits near Friday\u2019s highs just under 161.00. With these kinds of parameters in place, any flow hitting the market could see big moves throughout the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traders Anticipate a Busy Start to the Week<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Looking ahead, the economic calendar is relatively light, meaning geopolitical developments are likely to remain the primary driver of market sentiment. Bank holidays in Australia and Canada will likely see lower liquidity levels in their respective sessions, and while there is little on the calendar in the Asian session, the market is expected to start on the front foot after a strong day on Wall Street on Friday and positive news for peace talks over the weekend. There will be a focus on Swiss markets in the London session, with key CPI data due out, with the market expecting to see a 0.1% decrease in the month-on-month data. The key releases during the US session will be the ISM Manufacturing PMI (exp. 54.0) and ISM Manufacturing Prices data (exp. 70.0), which will provide fresh insight into the health of the US manufacturing sector and inflation pressures. Meanwhile, yen traders are expected to remain on high alert as speculation continues over the potential for further intervention from the Japanese, and maybe US, authorities.<\/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 Higher into Weekend \u2013 Nasdaq up 1%US equity markets […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":88625,"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\/88624"}],"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=88624"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88624\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88668,"href":"https:\/\/ic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88624\/revisions\/88668"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}