Gold approached $3,900 an ounce after October producer prices rose less than expected, but elevated annual headline and core inflation kept analysts cautious about whether the precious metal could break through initial resistance.
Gold and silver suffered sharp losses as surging Treasury yields, a firm dollar and mounting expectations for another Federal Reserve rate increase outweighed defensive demand generated by renewed geopolitical uncertainty and rising oil prices.
Microsoft reported broader recovery across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific on Friday morning, but some users could still face intermittent access problems or delayed email while the company continued stabilizing infrastructure and reducing queues.
Vanguard research finds many retirees hold poorly aligned portfolios or lack a clear withdrawal strategy. Allocation choices, required distributions, fees, tax planning, and rollover decisions can materially shape how long retirement savings continue supporting their owners.
Bill Ackman praised Anthropic’s extraordinary growth but rejected the investment as too speculative for Pershing Square. The company seeks a $1.4 trillion valuation after third quarter sales reached $17 billion alongside a $23.29 billion loss.
Howard Lutnick will testify as lawmakers investigate Commerce Department oversight of Nvidia chip exports to China, while former CEO Jensen Huang faces a separate hearing following reports that lawmakers say raise significant national security concerns.
Nvidia shares edged higher after Jensen Huang resigned as CEO, but analysts warned his departure could cost the company as much as 20% of its market value while the stock remains down more than 20% over the past month.
U.S. authorities seized around $1.2 billion stolen from Binance as government and private sector efforts froze more than $2.7 billion, while officials separately disrupted infrastructure behind the FaceStealer cryptocurrency scam.
The 10 year Treasury yield topped 5.15% as annual producer inflation reached 6.5%, while traders assigned 100% odds to a Federal Reserve rate increase at its Dec. 9 meeting.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says several administration offices backed Megaspeed restrictions for months, while Commerce retained control of the process, exposing disputed accounts of a Situation Room exchange and frustration over advanced AI chip leakage to China.
Wholesale inflation reached 6.5% annually despite a smaller than expected October increase, leaving the Federal Reserve far from its 2% goal as markets anticipate an interest rate hike at the central bank’s December meeting.
Gold miners retained substantial margins during Q2 2026 despite lower bullion prices, record costs and operational disruptions. Average AISC reached US$1,930 per ounce, while margins remained 52% above the previous year and the second highest in the dataset.
Brick or veneer covered only 16.8% of new single family homes started in 2025, as builders favored faster wood framing and a shrinking skilled labor pool made structural masonry increasingly difficult to deliver.
After a 21% monthly slide in the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index, Goldman Sachs analyst James Schneider sees compelling opportunities in selected chip stocks, naming Nvidia, Broadcom, and AMD while acknowledging that few positive catalysts may emerge before year end.
Starbucks awarded bonuses of up to $300 to 80% of its North American coffeehouse employees as stronger sales, expanded tipping options and new store initiatives support CEO Brian Niccol’s push from turnaround efforts toward growth.
Nebius delivered 571% revenue growth, but its weaker 2026 outlook and capital spending projections far above FactSet expectations sent shares tumbling 10% and renewed scrutiny of the costly artificial intelligence infrastructure expansion.