Finance

Renewed conflicts in the Middle East and ongoing assaults on maritime shipping routes have kept oil prices elevated, with Brent hovering above $101 per barrel. Compounding these inflationary fears, the recently published August trade numbers revealed a significantly widened goods and services deficit of $105.6 billion, pointing to robust domestic demand.

The 10-year Treasury yield edged higher to 5.31% as fixed-income markets remain pressured by long-term inflation concerns and heavy government bond issuance. Investors are closely monitoring upcoming remarks from several Federal Reserve officials alongside the impending release of the central bank's September policy meeting minutes.

Cryptocurrency markets remain under pressure, with Bitcoin trading around $85,700, marking a roughly 32% decline from its historic peak achieved exactly one year ago. The digital asset briefly slipped below the $84,000 threshold following reports of maritime tanker attacks in Iran, highlighting its recent vulnerability to heightened global oil volatility.