Financial Markets End the Week with a Mixed Performance
The US stock markets closed with a mixed performance on Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average ending the day with a 0.1% gain, reaching a value of 42,207 points. In contrast, the Nasdaq 100 index fell by 0.4% to 21,626 points, while the S&P 500 index closed at 5,968 points, a 0.2% decline.
The Middle East conflict remained a dominant theme among investors as the week came to a close. US President Donald Trump’s statement on Thursday, indicating a possible US involvement in the Israeli attacks on Iran within the next two weeks, has kept market participants uncertain.
Meanwhile, the European common currency strengthened, with one euro equivalent to 1.1520 US dollars and one dollar to 0.8681 euros. The gold price saw a slight decline, with a troy ounce selling for 3,365 US dollars, or 93.92 euros per gram, a 0.2% decrease.
Oil prices, however, took a significant hit, with a barrel of Brent crude selling for 77.16 US dollars, a 2.1% drop from the previous day’s close.