Stocks extended their rally through Halloween as the S&P 500 posted its sixth straight monthly gain. A hawkish-leaning Fed rate cut, end of quantitative tightening, and a U.S.–China trade truce defined a volatile but resilient week across global markets.
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U.S. stocks extended gains as investors welcomed upbeat earnings and easing trade tensions. Cooling inflation data reinforced expectations for a Federal Reserve rate cut next week, while global markets advanced on strong corporate results and political developments in Asia and Europe.
Major U.S. indexes ended higher after a volatile week dominated by trade headlines, early bank earnings, and credit market concerns. Bonds rallied, gold surged, and investors turned cautious ahead of more Fed data and corporate results.
Stocks slipped after a week marked by tariff headlines, global political developments, and fresh Federal Reserve commentary. Utilities outperformed while Energy lagged, as investors weighed inflation, trade, and the economic outlook heading into key data releases.
Markets began September cautiously, with stocks fluctuating on jobs data and tariff headlines while Treasuries rallied on Fed rate cut bets. Gold surged, oil slipped, and the labor market slowdown puts the Fed in focus ahead of this week’s CPI and sentiment readings.