Thursday Afternoon Coffee - Markets Update - 31 July 2025 - Markets Falter After Early Surge; Dollar, Gold Climb

The Trade Academy Team
Jul 31
2 min read

Global Markets Roundup: 31 July 2025

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both reversed course after racing to fresh intraday records on Thursday, ending the session lower as investors digested hotter-than-expected inflation figures and big-tech earnings. Despite rallying at the open on strong results from Meta and Microsoft, both benchmarks relinquished their gains, while the Dow Industrial Average also slipped back from early highs.

Stocks Falter After Early Gains

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq each spiked to record intraday peaks following upbeat AI-driven earnings from Meta Platforms and Microsoft, only to see selling intensify into the close. Healthcare was the weakest sector in the S&P 500, while Communication Services led the gainers. For the month of July, however, the S&P 500 still notched a 2.2% advance, the Nasdaq rose 3.7% and the Dow eked out a 0.08% gain—marking their third, fourth and third straight monthly advances, respectively.

Dollar, Gold Rise; Yields Tick Down

The U.S. dollar continued its July ascent—its first monthly gain of 2025—buoyed by resilient economic data and a still-hawkish Federal Reserve tone. The dollar index DXY climbed to 99.949, and the yen USDJPY weakened to 150.765 per dollar. Gold’s safe-haven appeal returned alongside, holding near $3,300 an ounce as traders weighed the Fed’s pause against rising consumer prices. The 10-year Treasury yield eased slightly to around 4.37%, after tumbling from session highs.

Oil, Commodities Slip Mostly on Trade Worries

September Brent futures dipped 40 cents to close at $72.86 a barrel, while U.S. crude for September fell 33 cents to $69.66. In agricultural markets, November soybeans slid 0.6% to $9.90 a bushel amid favorable weather forecasts, wheat for September added 0.1% to $5.24½, and December corn rose 0.4% to $4.13¾.

Outlook

Attention now turns to after-hours earnings from Amazon and Apple, as well as Friday’s closely watched nonfarm payroll report—where economists forecast a gain of 110,000 jobs and a 4.2% unemployment rate. A looming tariff deadline also hangs over markets, with new duties slated to kick in for countries without trade-deal exemptions once President Trump issues his final rates.

General news - Information source from multiple newswires.

The article and the data is for general information use only, not advice!

The Trade Academy Team