U.S. stock markets finished higher on Friday. At the close in New York the Dow Jones Industrial Average settled at 49,626, up 0.5 % from the previous day. A few minutes earlier the broader S&P 500 traded around 6,910 points, up 0.7 %, while the technology‑focused Nasdaq 100 was at about 25,013 points, up 0.9 %.
In April 2025 President Donald Trump celebrated what he called the “Day of Liberation” – the day he announced sweeping tariffs on rival and allied nations worldwide. The German Institute for Economic Research, however, described the move as an epoch‑breaking event. The turn of events came after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday that Trump needs explicit congressional approval for such extensive tariffs, as the Constitution vests the power to impose tariffs in Congress.
Investors responded with cautious relief. Trump had just announced a global surcharge a few hours earlier, and a special vote by Justice Brett Kavanaugh indicates that the president has other, less sweeping mechanisms to impose tariffs besides the April 2025 approach. Meanwhile, both chambers of Congress remain in the majority of Trump’s party.
On Friday night the euro strengthened somewhat: one euro bought 1.1786 U.S. dollars, and one dollar was worth 0.8485 euros.
Gold benefited noticeably, trading at 5,095 U.S. dollars per troy ounce in the evening, up 2.0 %. This equates to about 139.00 euros per gram.
Brent crude oil rose modestly. At roughly 10 p.m. German time, a barrel of North Sea Brent fetched 71.68 U.S. dollars, a two‑cent increase from the previous day’s close.