Finance

The bond market continues to experience significant turbulence, pushing long-duration yields to multi-decade highs. The 10-year Treasury yield neared 5.20% and the 30-year yield touched its highest mark since 2004, driven by persistent inflation concerns, massive government debt burdens, and robust macroeconomic strength. These elevated borrowing costs continue to strain expensive equity valuations, particularly within the artificial intelligence sector.

International oil benchmarks retreated late in the week, with Brent crude falling below $98 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate settling around $92.41. The decline followed reports that diplomats from the United States and Iran were engaged in New York discussing a phased resolution to bring stability back to the Strait of Hormuz. The reprieve in energy costs directly helped cap a broader global bond selloff, injecting momentum back into equities.

The cryptocurrency market remained highly resilient as Bitcoin hovered comfortably near $84,000 to cap the trading week with a near 10% gain. Digital asset derivatives experienced considerable friction, working through roughly $16.6 billion in expired options and $400 million in leveraged position liquidations over a 24-hour period. Despite facing tighter monetary policy headwinds and an active regulatory shift, market participants noted strong inflows into spot exchange-traded funds.