us-business

Gold price looks for a fresh trigger to break above the key resistance of $3,400. Fed officials turn dovish on the monetary policy outlook. US President Trump is expected to announce the tariff penalty on China for buying Oil from Russia. Gold price (XAU/USD) struggles to break above $3,400.00 after testing this key level early Thursday. The precious metal hesitates to extend upside even as Federal Reserve (Fed) officials have shown support for interest rate cuts in the remainder of the year. On Wednesday, Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari, San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly and Fed Governor Lisa Cook argued in favor of reducing interest rates amid growing labor market concerns. “The economy is slowing and the Fed needs to respond to the slowing economy,” Kashkari said in an interview with CNBC. Kashkari added, “It may still be relevant in the near term to begin adjusting the policy rate, and two rate cuts this year still seem appropriate.” The CME FedWatch tool showed that traders have almost fully priced in a 25 basis points (bps) interest rate reduction in the September policy meeting. Theoretically, lower interest rates by the Fed bode well for non-yielding assets, such as Gold. Meanwhile, resurfacing United States (US) President Donald Trump’s tariff fears are expected to improve the demand for safe-haven assets, such as Gold. On Wednesday, Trump stated that he could impose a penalty on China in the form of tariffs for buying Oil from Russia. The same day, Trump increased import duties on India by 25% for buying Russian Oil. Gold technical analysis Gold price trades close to the upper boundary of the Symmetrical Triangle formation around $3,400, which is plotted from April’s high near $3,500. The lower boundary of the yellow metal is placed from the May’s low of $3,120.85. The precious metal holds slightly above the 20-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA), which trades near $3,350, suggesting that the near-term trend is on the upside. The 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) wobbles inside the 40.00-60.00, which indicates indecisiveness among market participants. Looking down, the Gold price would fall towards the round-level support of $3,200 and the May 15 low at $3,121, if it breaks below the May 29 low of $3,245 Alternatively, the Gold price will enter uncharted territory if it breaks above the psychological level of $3,500 decisively. Potential resistances would be $3,550 and $3,600. Gold daily chart Fed FAQs Monetary policy in the US is shaped by the Federal Reserve (Fed). The Fed has two mandates: to achieve price stability and foster full employment. Its primary tool to achieve these goals is by adjusting interest rates. When prices are rising too quickly and inflation is above the Fed’s 2% target, it raises interest rates, increasing borrowing costs throughout the economy. This results in a stronger US Dollar (USD) as it makes the US a more attractive place for international investors to park their money. When inflation falls below 2% or the Unemployment Rate is too high, the Fed may lower interest rates to encourage borrowing, which weighs on the Greenback. The Federal Reserve (Fed) holds eight policy meetings a year, where the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) assesses economic conditions and makes monetary policy decisions. The FOMC is attended by twelve Fed officials – the seven members of the Board of Governors, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and four of the remaining eleven regional Reserve Bank presidents, who serve one-year terms on a rotating basis. In extreme situations, the Federal Reserve may resort to a policy named Quantitative Easing (QE). QE is the process by which the Fed substantially increases the flow of credit in a stuck financial system. It is a non-standard policy measure used during crises or when inflation is extremely low. It was the Fed’s weapon of choice during the Great Financial Crisis in 2008. It involves the Fed printing more Dollars and using them to buy high grade bonds from financial institutions. QE usually weakens the US Dollar. Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse process of QE, whereby the Federal Reserve stops buying bonds from financial institutions and does not reinvest the principal from the bonds it holds maturing, to purchase new bonds. It is usually positive for the value of the US Dollar. Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page. If not otherwise explicitly mentioned in the body of the article, at the time of writing, the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article and no business relationship with any company mentioned. The author has not received compensation for writing this article, other than from FXStreet. FXStreet and the author do not provide personalized recommendations. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this information. FXStreet and the author will not be liable for any errors, omissions or any losses, injuries or damages arising from this information and its display or use. Errors and omissions excepted. The author and FXStreet

Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page. If not otherwise explicitly mentioned in the body of the article, at the time of writing, the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article and no business relationship with any company mentioned. The author has not received compensation for writing this article, other than from FXStreet. FXStreet and the author do not provide personalized recommendations. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this information. FXStreet and the author will not be liable for any errors, omissions or any losses, injuries or damages arising from this information and its display or use. Errors and omissions excepted. The author and FXStreet are not registered investment advisors and nothing in this article is intended to be investment advice. Editors’ Picks AUD/USD: Further range bound in store Despite reaching multi-day highs at 0.6550 during early trading on Thursday, AUD/USD returned to the 0.6500 range against the backdrop of the solid performance of the Greenback. Meanwhile, trade issues continue to dominate mood, as does worry about the Fed’s independence. EUR/USD: Bullish attempts need conviction The Greenback gained traction on Thursday, triggering a knee-jerk in EUR/USD after the pair reached multi-day highs near 1.1700 earlier in the day. In the meantime, investors kept a tight eye on US tariffs, while speculation over the probable successor to Fed Chair Powell continued to create a stressful environment. Gold clings to daily gains near $3,400 Gold resumes its rise on Thursday, approaching the critical $3,400 mark per troy ounce. While markets remain cautious after US President Trump’s tariff threats, mounting prospects for a Russia-Ukraine peace pact seem to be limiting the yellow metal’s positive potential. Bank of England cuts rates in dramatic meeting The Bank of England has cut rates by a further 25 basis points to 4% but the statement hints that officials think the easing cycle is nearing its end. Policymakers are visibly worried about a more persistent bout of inflation as the headline number is way higher than target. Best Brokers for EUR/USD Trading SPONSORED Discover the top brokers for trading EUR/USD in 2025. Our list features brokers with competitive spreads, fast execution, and powerful platforms. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, find the right partner to navigate the dynamic Forex market. Read More

Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page. If not otherwise explicitly mentioned in the body of the article, at the time of writing, the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article and no business relationship with any company mentioned. The author has not received compensation for writing this article, other than from FXStreet. FXStreet and the author do not provide personalized recommendations. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this information. FXStreet and the author will not be liable for any errors, omissions or any losses, injuries or damages arising from this information and its display or use. Errors and omissions excepted. The author and FXStreet are not registered investment advisors and nothing in this article is intended to be investment advice. Editors’ Picks AUD/USD: Further range bound in store Despite reaching multi-day highs at 0.6550 during early trading on Thursday, AUD/USD returned to the 0.6500 range against the backdrop of the solid performance of the Greenback. Meanwhile, trade issues continue to dominate mood, as does worry about the Fed’s independence. EUR/USD: Bullish attempts need conviction The Greenback gained traction on Thursday, triggering a knee-jerk in EUR/USD after the pair reached multi-day highs near 1.1700 earlier in the day. In the meantime, investors kept a tight eye on US tariffs, while speculation over the probable successor to Fed Chair Powell continued to create a stressful environment. Gold clings to daily gains near $3,400 Gold resumes its rise on Thursday, approaching the critical $3,400 mark per troy ounce. While markets remain cautious after US President Trump’s tariff threats, mounting prospects for a Russia-Ukraine peace pact seem to be limiting the yellow metal’s positive potential. Bank of England cuts rates in dramatic meeting The Bank of England has cut rates by a further 25 basis points to 4% but the statement hints that officials think the easing cycle is nearing its end. Policymakers are visibly worried about a more persistent bout of inflation as the headline number is way higher than target. Best Brokers for EUR/USD Trading SPONSORED Discover the top brokers for trading EUR/USD in 2025. Our list features brokers with competitive spreads, fast execution, and powerful platforms. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, find the right partner to navigate the dynamic Forex market. Read More

AI and machine learning by Jeffrey P. Shay, Donna Kelley, Mahdi Majbouri and Thomas H. Davenport August 7, 2025 Illustration by Jason Schneider Post Summary.    Leer en españolLer em português Post When the team at Anysphere launched Cursor in 2022—an AI coding assistant—they weren’t a well-funded giant. They were a lean group of developers building a smarter way to write code. Within months, they were competing with tools from OpenAI and GitHub, proving that even the smallest teams can punch far above their weight when powered by AI. Post Read more on AI and machine learning or related topics Analytics and data science, Data management, Entrepreneurial business strategy, Entrepreneurial management and Scaling entrepreneurial ventures Read More

Jordan Stark , partner at Next Step Partners, is a CEO and C-suite coach helping senior leaders develop their leadership maturity and scale their impact—fast. With three decades of experience helping top executives navigate complexity and transformation, Jordan provides on-target insights, a trusted sounding board, and a proven path to break old patterns, helping leaders to achieve more than they thought possible. Her clients span a broad range of industries. She also works with boards to evaluate their effectiveness and improve strategic oversight. Read More

Motivating people by HBR Editors August 4, 2025, Updated August 4, 2025 Illustration by Skizzomat Post Buy Copies Summary.    Leer en españolLer em português Post Buy Copies New research on topics ranging from leadership to AI are instrumental for making decisions about your career and your business. To help, we’ve collected a handful of useful and surprising findings from across academia, consultancies, and other vetted sources, including: Post Buy Copies Read more on Motivating people or related topics Leadership qualities, Generative AI, Work-life balance, Customer strategy, Cognitive bias, Consumer behavior and Organizational culture Read More

The U.S. farm trade deficit reached a record high in the first half of the year, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture published Thursday. Suggested Reading The deficit totals $28.6 billion so far in 2025, after the sector recorded a $4 billion gap in June. That month, U.S. farms exported $13.3 billion worth of goods while importing $17.4 billion worth of products.  Related Content The deficit increased by about $10 billion from the same six-month period last year, when the agricultural trade deficit was at $18.4 billion. Politico reported back in June that some members of the Trump administration had delayed and redacted a government analysis projecting a soaring agricultural trade deficit, citing people familiar with the matter.  U.S. farms had consistently been in a trade surplus for the last five decades but changed course during President Donald Trump’s first term in office, Bloomberg reports.  Trump’s trade war puts U.S. farms at even further risk of increasing the sector’s deficit, as tariff rates across 70 countries went into effect Thursday. Import taxes range from 10% to a staggering 50% depending on the trade relationship.  For countries with a trade deficit against the U.S., a baseline 15% tariff is now in force. Meanwhile, the Yale Budget Lab estimates the average U.S. import tariff will hit 18%, the highest since 1933. — Catherine Baab contributed to this article.  📬 Sign up for the Daily Brief Read More

Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, the two dominant players in the raging-hot market for GLP-1 weight loss drugs, have the most fragile of relationships with investors, who seem ready to ghost them at the slightest hint of bad news. This week, the two companies couldn’t win for losing, their stock prices gyrating despite healthy second-quarter results and a promising pipeline of new drugs. Suggested Reading Increased competition from lower priced off-brand firms, high expectations for any future weight loss drugs in development, and the sugar high of constantly increasing patient demand, has made investors easily spooked if their expectations aren’t met. Related Content On Wednesday Novo Nordisk, maker of the pioneering GLP-1 drugs Wegovy and Ozempic, saw its stock price fall 3.9% despite reporting an 18% surge in year-over-year second quarter sales to $24 billion, slightly higher than analysts’ projections. The Danish company’s stock price had already fallen more than 20% the prior week when it significantly lowered its sales forecast for the full year, from a range of 16% to 24% down to 8% to 15%. This week the company also announced that it was pulling the plug on several new weight-loss drugs in development. By the end of Wednesday the stock was down almost 50% for the year. Novo Nordisk had long been a Wall Street favorite after winning market approval four years ago for Wegovy, sparking a world-wide rush for this new category of weight loss drug. Just 12 months earlier, Novo Nordisk was the largest European company by market capitalization. Now it ranks 11th. On Thursday it was Lilly’s turn to suffer the fickleness of investors. The company, which took the market lead from Novo Nordisk this year with its GLP-1 drugs Zepbound and Mounjaro, announced a strong second quarter, with sales increasing by a higher-than-expected 38% to $15.6 billion. But Lilly also reported that its experimental GLP-1 pill Orforglipron resulted in an average weight loss of 11.2% in obese adults in a clinical trial, slightly lower than Novo’s injectable Wegovy. Lilly shares plunged nearly 15% on the news, putting it on pace for its steepest single-day drop in 25 years. Dr. Daniel Skovronsky, Lilly’s chief scientific officer, insisted that the trial results were a good thing, saying in a morning earnings call that “this is as good as it gets for GLP‑1 monotherapy here in the once‑a‑day small molecule [space].”  But it wasn’t good enough for Wall Street analysts, who had expected a 14% to 15% average weight loss. Deutsche Bank analysts said in a research note that the data is likely good enough to win FDA approval, “but when it comes to commercial competitiveness, we think price concessions at higher degree than expected may be needed.” Analysts at William Blair were even more negative, saying that the data provides a “once-in-a-blue-moon occasion” for other biopharma companies to jump into the GLP-1 space. “From a stock perspective, we believe that Eli Lilly’s rare miss from its otherwise impenetrable obesity franchise could create an opening for smaller competitors,” they wrote. Novo Nordisk’s stock, on the other hand, was back in favor, rising about 7% on the Lilly news. The company’s oral version of Wegovy showed an average weight loss of 13% in a clinical trial, and Novo Nordisk filed for FDA approval of the pill in May. But as the William Blair analysts noted, there are plenty of competitors waiting to take the shine off both Novo Nordisk and Lilly. Some 39 companies across the globe are developing oral GLP-1 drugs in pill form. Structure Therapeutics is expected to report the results of a mid-stage trial of its promising oral GLP-1 drug in the fourth quarter. And then there are the compounders, pharmacies, and telemedicine firms that prepare customized versions of GLP-1 medications, usually for a much lower price than the brand names. They were allowed into the space in 2022 because of a shortage of FDA-approved versions, but in March the FDA declared the shortage over and ordered the compounders to wind down. Compounders are getting around that order by offering “personalized” versions of the drugs formulated for each individual patient, which fall into a legal gray area. Novo Nordisk said that more than one million people are still using compounded GLP-1s, eating into its market share, and blamed them for the company’s lowered forecast. On Wednesday Novo Nordisk filed 14 new lawsuits against compounders, and said it has filed 132 complaints to date in federal courts across 40 states. Lilly has also filed suit against several compounders. It’s easy to see why there are so many companies eager to challenge the two market leaders. Morgan Stanley Research expects the global market for the drugs to reach $150 billion in sales by 2035, from about $15 billion today. An estimated 12% of American adults have taken a GLP-1 drug and 6% are currently using them. Plus, there is mounting evidence that the drugs might be effective for far more than weight loss. In 2024, Wegovy was approved for the prevention of heart attacks and other cardiovascular events in people with heart disease and obesity, and Zepbound became the first drug approved for the treatment of sleep apnea. Recent reports show that the drugs may be effective against kidney disease, uterine fibroids, Alzheimer’s, menopause symptoms, and substance-use disorders. In May, a team of researchers presented a study showing that the drugs may reduce the risk of some 14 obesity-related cancers. 📬 Sign up for the Daily Brief Read More

Stephen Miran, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, following a television interview outside the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Aaron Schwartz/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images) President Donald Trump on Thursday afternoon said he was appointing his top White House economic advisor Stephen Miran to temporarily replace an outgoing Federal Reserve official on the Board of Governors. Suggested Reading Last week, Federal Reserve Governor Adriana Kugler stepped down from her post months ahead of her term’s expected end in January. The surprise early vacancy offered Trump a fresh opportunity to put his stamp on the central bank, as he wages an unsparing campaign against Fed Chair Jerome Powell to slash interest rates. Related Content “It is my Great Honor to announce that I have chosen Dr. Stephen Miran, current Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, to serve in the just vacated seat on the Federal Reserve Board until January 31, 2026,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “In the meantime, we will continue to search for a permanent replacement.” The Senate must still confirm Miran before his temporary Fed appointment is finalized. He was last confirmed by the Senate in March to helm Trump’s economic advisory panel in a party-line vote with Democrats united in opposition. Yet the announcement is likely to give Trump an ally on the 12-member Fed board tasked with steering monetary policy and setting borrowing costs in the U.S. Miran served as a senior Treasury advisor in the first Trump administration, and later added stints at the right-leaning Manhattan Institute and worked at Hudson Bay Capital Management, a hedge fund. During Trump’s second term, Miran has been a stalwart defender of Trump’s economic agenda, backing tariffs and criticizing Powell. Earlier on Thursday, Miran praised Christopher Waller in a Bloomberg interview, who also sits on the Fed’s Board of Governors, saying he does not have “tariff derangement syndrome” that “others at the Fed have succumbed to.” The Federal Reserve has voted five times this year to keep interest rates at the same benchmark 4.25% to 4.5% range. Powell has said Fed officials want to better determine the impact of the tariffs through the economy before cutting interest rates. The decisions have ignited fury from Trump, who argues the Fed is keeping a lid on economic growth. Miran drew scrutiny from investors and analysts late last year for authoring a 41-page plan to weaken the U.S. dollar through a fusillade of unilateral tariffs, aiming to boost exports and remake global trade. He later distanced himself from it. 📬 Sign up for the Daily Brief Read More

OpenAI unveiled GPT-5 on Thursday, its most advanced artificial intelligence model yet, with CEO Sam Altman promising it delivers “PhD-level expert” capabilities across any field. The launch represents the company’s biggest upgrade since ChatGPT debuted in November 2022 and now serves 700 million weekly users. Suggested Reading The new model will be available to both free and paid ChatGPT users immediately, marking the first time OpenAI has made its most powerful technology available without requiring a subscription. The company is also undercutting competitors with aggressive pricing for business customers, making GPT-5 significantly cheaper than rival models from Anthropic and matching Google’s rates. Related Content The model shows particular strength in coding, with OpenAI claiming it can create “beautiful and responsive websites, apps, and games with an eye for aesthetic sensibility in just one prompt.” The company demonstrated GPT-5 building everything from typing games to drum simulators from single prompts, with improved understanding of design elements like spacing and typography. Early reviews from business users and developers show promise for enterprise applications. Box CEO Aaron Levie posted on X that his company saw major improvements in extracting data from complex documents like contracts and legal files, with better accuracy and fewer errors than previous AI models. Other early testers found GPT-5 excels at going beyond basic requests. Ethan Mollick, a Wharton professor who writes about AI and has advanced access, wrote in his Substack that the AI often anticipates what users need and delivers more comprehensive results. When he asked for a simple building game, GPT-5 created a fully functional 3D city builder with features he never requested. However, some advanced users found the model more cautious than competitors. Kieran Klaassen, general manager at AI company Cora, said GPT-5 represents an improvement over existing models but “not a leap into the future,” noting it works well for precise tasks but lacks the aggressive autonomous approach preferred by some programmers. OpenAI also announced new productivity features that will launch next week, including integration with Gmail and Google Calendar for paid users, allowing ChatGPT to access schedules and emails to provide personalized assistance. The company added customizable interface colors and personality settings to tailor the AI’s responses. The launch caps a week of major AI developments that underscore the breakneck pace of innovation in the field. Earlier this week, rival Anthropic released Claude Opus 4.1, an updated version of its flagship model claiming improved coding and research capabilities. OpenAI also surprised the industry by launching GPT-oss, its first open-source AI model in over five years, allowing developers to run AI locally on personal computers. The open-source release marks a strategic shift for OpenAI, which hadn’t published model code in over five years. Altman called GPT-oss “the best and most usable open model in the world” and said he expects it to accelerate innovation across the field. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also been aggressively recruiting AI talent, reportedly offering packages worth more than a billion dollars to poach researchers from OpenAI and other competitors. These developments come amid massive funding rounds fueling AI competition. OpenAI recently raised $8.3 billion at a $300 billion valuation, earlier this month. The company reported that its annual revenue has grown to $13 billion, up from $10 billion in June, with projections to exceed $20 billion by year-end. Anthropic is reportedly raising up to $5 billion at a $170 billion valuation, while OpenAI’s infrastructure partnership with SoftBank and Oracle involves $500 billion in planned investments over four years. The launch reflects OpenAI’s push to maintain its lead as AI development accelerates across the industry. The company’s strategy of offering advanced capabilities for free while aggressively pricing its business services suggests it’s prioritizing market dominance over immediate profits in what has become a winner-takes-all race for AI supremacy. “We think you will love using GPT-5 much more than any previous AI,” Altman said during the announcement. “It is useful, it is smart, it is fast, and it’s intuitive.” 📬 Sign up for the Daily Brief Read More