Stocks rise after Wall Street rebound - 18.7.2025

The Dollar strengthening has halted currently. The live dollar index data show the ICE US Dollar index, a measure of the dollar’s strength against a basket of six rival currencies, gained 0.4% on Thursday.

Both EUR/USD and GBP/USD slid yesterday as Office for National Statistics data showed UK unemployment rate ticked up to 4.7% in June. Both euro and Pound are higher against the dollar currently. USD/JPY reversed its sliding while AUD/USD reversed its climbing on Thursday with the yen lower against the Greenback currently and Australian dollar higher.

US stock market futures are up currently ahead of  University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment report today at 16:00 CET with the yield on benchmark 10-year Treasury notes down at 4.438%. Wall Street resumed advancing yesterday with SP 500 and Nasdaq ending at record highs. The three main stock benchmarks ended higher on Thursday with the three main US stock benchmarks recording daily gains in the range from 0.5% to 0.75% as data showed US retail sales climbed 0.6 per cent in June to $720.1 billion, reversing the 0.9 per cent decline in May.

European stock markets futures are mixed currently after closing higher on Thursday as Britain and Germany signed a wide-ranging friendship treaty that deepened ties in defense area including an agreement to develop a new direct rail link between the two countries, to allow frequent travelers access to e-gates at German airports and to support youth mobility between the two nations. Asian stock indexes futures are mostly advancing with Japan’s Nikkei defying the trend after data showed core consumer inflation gauge that is watched by the Band of Japan as an indicator of underlying inflation rose to 3.4%, pushing further above the central bank’s 2% annual target.

Brent is extending gains today after the European Union agreed to new sanctions against Russia that will lower the G7’s price cap for Russian crude oil to $47.6 per barrel. Prices rose on Thursday as drones struck Iraqi Kurdistan oil fields for a fourth day. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures gained 1.75% and are higher currently. Brent futures surged 1.5% to $69.52 a barrel on Thursday.