Finance

Crude oil prices pulled back sharply at the end of the week, with Brent crude falling nearly 4% to settle around $96 per barrel. The decline was fueled by reports that Pakistan and Iran are looking into a diplomatic pathway for fresh talks with the United States. This easing of Middle East energy supply concerns helped lower the 10-year Treasury yield to 4.678%, mitigating immediate fears of resurgent, oil-driven inflation.

Markets are preparing for a critical week ahead as roughly one-third of S&P 500 companies are scheduled to report their second-quarter earnings. High-profile tech giants including Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon will face intense scrutiny regarding whether their aggressive AI capital expenditures are translating into adequate cash flow. In addition to corporate updates, the Federal Reserve is set to announce its latest interest rate decision, introducing further intrigue regarding the future path of monetary policy.

The digital asset sector remained largely stagnant over the weekend, with Bitcoin holding steady above $64,000 as participants adopted a risk-off posture. Broader macroeconomic pressures, such as potential global tariffs and geopolitical tensions, have driven a rotation toward safer markets, leaving major cryptocurrencies struggling to act as liquid safe havens. Sentiment was further cooled as the probability of near-term Senate passage for the CLARITY Act dropped due to unresolved political deadlock.