Base Metals Under Pressure from Chinese Slowdown Metals delivered a lackluster performance, with aluminum falling 0.7% to $2,589.50 per ton and copper slipping 0.2% on the London Metal Exchange.
The decline came as investors adopted a cautious tone ahead of key political talks,
while Chinese data pointed to a significant slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy.
Traders are also closely watching U.S. monetary policy signals and the possibility of an interest rate cut next month,
in addition to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s upcoming remarks at the Jackson Hole symposium. Major institutions such as China Hongqiao highlighted in reports that rising geopolitical tensions and ongoing trade barriers have prompted downward revisions to global growth forecasts.
Oil
Oil Retreats Despite Intensified Diplomatic Efforts Brent crude fell toward $66 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate traded near $63, after a slight gain in the previous session.
The pullback came as markets assessed the likelihood of a ceasefire in Ukraine,
amid intensified diplomatic efforts by Trump to arrange new summits with Putin and Zelensky.
Despite these efforts, oil prices remain down more than 10% since the start of the year,
pressured by concerns over oversupply and the return of OPEC+ output to the market.
Vandana Hari, founder of Vanda Insights, noted that oil may enter a phase of relative stability without a clear trend.
Meanwhile, Ukraine escalated its attacks on Russian oil infrastructure,
while Berlin announced that a Putin–Zelensky summit could take place within two weeks.
Metals and Oil Decline Ahead of Trump–Zelensky Talks
Retains a Core Position Despite Sell-Offs Berkshire Hathaway, led by billionaire Warren Buffett, continued reducing its stake in tech giant Apple after selling more than $4 billion worth of shares during the second quarter of 2025. The move underscores the company’s ongoing policy of diversification and portfolio rebalancing.
Despite these sales, Apple still accounts for about 20% of Berkshire’s $268 billion portfolio, remaining a cornerstone of its investments. This latest step follows an earlier wave of sales, when Berkshire shed about 100 million Apple shares in the summer of last year—roughly 25% of its stake at the time—bringing its total holdings down to around 300 million shares valued at $69.9 billion.
Defensive Sectors
Shift Toward Defensive Sectors with a Boost in Healthcare Alongside reducing its Apple position, Berkshire also trimmed its holdings in Bank of America and fully exited its stake in telecom company T-Mobile. At the same time, it strengthened its presence in the healthcare sector by purchasing 5 million shares of UnitedHealth valued at roughly $1.6 billion, signaling a pivot toward more defensive and stable sectors amid economic uncertainty.
Despite holding a record $344 billion in cash reserves, Berkshire refrained from any share buybacks in the second quarter—for the fourth consecutive time. This decision reflects Buffett’s caution and his strategy of waiting for more attractive investment opportunities before deploying this liquidity.
Berkshire Hathaway Continues to Cut Its Apple Stake
China’s Aluminum Imports Rise 38% in July Amid Strong Domestic Demand.
Chinese customs data released on Monday showed that China’s imports
of raw aluminum and products jumped 38.2% year-on-year in July to 360,000 metric tons,
as Beijing continued to boost purchases of the lightweight metal amid growing local demand. In the first seven months of 2025,
imports of raw aluminum and products rose 1.5% year-on-year to a total of 2.33 million tons.
China also stepped up purchases of bauxite
The primary raw material for aluminum production,
with imports soaring 34.2% in July to 20.06 million tons.
These figures highlight China’s position as the world’s largest aluminum consumer,
supported by the ongoing expansion of manufacturing and infrastructure sectors that drive demand for the metal.
Sam Altman Warns of an AI Market Bubble Similar to the Dot-Com Crash
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, warned that the artificial intelligence market is experiencing excessive
enthusiasm that could lead to an investment bubble similar to the dot-com crash of the late 1990s.
Speaking to The Verge, Altman noted that the massive inflows of capital and soaring valuations of AI companies
may pose risks to market stability,
adding that the current situation reminds him of the collapse of internet companies in the early 2000s,
When the Nasdaq lost nearly 80% of its value between 2000 and 2002.
Japanese Stocks Close at Fresh Record Highs Backed by Yen Weakness and Automakers’ Performance
Japan’s Nikkei index closed Monday’s session at a new all-time high,
extending last week’s rally, fueled by strong gains in automakers that benefited from a weaker yen against the US dollar.
The Nikkei ended the session up 0.77% at 43,714.31 points — its highest close on record,
while the broader Topix index gained 0.43% to 3,120.96 points,
marking a second consecutive record close.
The performance was driven by renewed confidence in local economic growth prospects and an improved
outlook for corporate earnings, particularly as the effects of recently imposed US tariffs began to show
. Bank shares also received support from expectations of a Bank of Japan rate hike after stronger-than-expected economic data,
which typically boosts banks’ profitability by widening lending margins.
The auto sector was the standout performer,
The USDJPY pair is trading around 147.11, with ongoing volatility due to weakness in the US dollar and Japanese yen.
This is driven by weak US data and Japan’s continuation of its ultra-loose monetary policy. Technically, the pair rebounded from the 146.73 support level, supporting the upward move toward the upper end of the range at 148.46.
Gold
Gold saw some declines at the end of last week, pressured by the strong rally in US equities,
which weighed negatively on the yellow metal. Gold is retesting the key support level at 3330, which could support a rebound toward 3374.
However, if 3330 is broken and closes below it, selling pressure may extend toward 3300 and then 3280.
EURUSD
The euro rebounded against the US dollar following weak US data,
with the pair reaching 1.1703 and showing signs of a possible breakout.
This could support continued upside toward 1.1800 and 1.1830. A bearish scenario would be confirmed if reversal signals appear near current levels,
which could trigger a corrective move back to 1.1650 to retest the ascending trendline.
EURAUD
The EURAUD pair is trading at 1.7978 after closing above the key resistance at 1.7961.
This strengthens the bullish outlook, especially with euro support following GDP data that met expectations.
The pair is likely to continue higher, targeting 1.8092.
Dow Jones
Despite negative economic data, optimism continues to dominate US equities.
Rising expectations of a Fed rate cut in September helped the Dow Jones hit a new record high last week.
However, a renewed close below 45,000 increases the probability of a downward correction due to profit-taking after earnings season.
This could open the way for a retest of 44,000 before resuming the upward trend.
America: U.S. Debt Crisis Deepens as Interest Costs Reach Historic Highs The U.S. debt crisis is escalating rapidly, threatening the stability of the world’s largest economy and creating major obstacles to President Donald Trump’s plans to curb spending and reduce the budget deficit. Amid these pressures, Trump is urging the Federal Reserve to deliver a sharp and swift interest rate cut, hoping to ease the government’s debt servicing burden, which has reached record levels in fiscal year 2025.
Data from the Treasury Department showed that interest expenses on U.S. debt hit $1 trillion during the first ten months of fiscal year 2025 — the highest ever for this period. Projections indicate that total interest payments may exceed $1.2 trillion by year-end, setting a new historical record.
Over the past 12 months, interest payments rose to $1.2 trillion, making them the second-largest federal spending item after Social Security, which stood at $1.5 trillion. This means debt servicing costs have now surpassed both defense and healthcare allocations, each at about $900 billion.
In August 2025, the Treasury announced that U.S. national debt had surpassed $37 trillion, driven by rising borrowing costs. The situation worsened after the passage of the “Big Beautiful Bill,” which raised the debt ceiling from $36.1 trillion to $41.1 trillion. Within just two days of its approval, national debt jumped by $410 billion.
ChatGPT
Surpasses $2 Billion in Global Consumer Spending Since Launch
The ChatGPT mobile app has crossed $2 billion in global consumer spending since its launch in May 2023, according to analytics firm Appfigures, reported by TechCrunch. This figure is roughly 30 times the combined spending on key rivals including Claude, Copilot, and Grok.
In 2025 alone, ChatGPT apps on iOS and Android generated $1.35 billion in revenue, a 673% surge compared to just $174 million in the same period last year. That equals an average monthly revenue of about $193 million, versus only $25 million per month in 2024.
On the downloads front, the app has been installed 690 million times worldwide, compared to just 39.5 million for Grok. India tops the list with 13.7% of total downloads, followed by the U.S. at 10.3%. In 2025 alone, the app saw 318 million downloads, about 2.8 times more than the same period in 2024, with iOS downloads reaching 30 million in June alone.
U.S. Debt Crisis Surges as Interest Costs Hit Historic Levels
This strategy involves buying shares of financially strong and stable companies and holding them for long periods,
regardless of short-term market fluctuations. Advantages: Benefit from continuous growth and the power of compound returns.
When is it right for you? If you are a long-term investor with patience.
Diversification Strategy
This involves spreading investments across different sectors and markets to reduce risk. Advantages: Protects the portfolio from crashes in a single sector.
Example: Investing in technology, energy, and healthcare stocks together.
Value Investing
Focuses on buying shares of companies that are trading below their intrinsic value. Advantages: Potential for significant profits when the market corrects the prices.
Famous investor: Warren Buffett.
Growth Investing
Focuses on emerging or fast-growing companies, even if their stock prices are relatively high. Advantages: Potential for high returns in a relatively short period. Risks: High volatility and the possibility of some companies failing.
Dividend Reinvestment Strategy
Buying shares of companies that pay regular dividends and reinvesting those dividends into buying more shares. Advantages: Compounds returns over the long term.
General Tips for Successful Stock Investing:
Set a clear investment plan and stick to it.
Monitor company and market performance regularly.
Do not invest money you cannot afford to lose.
Maintain a balance between risks and returns.
What Are the Best Stock Investment Strategies for Sustainable Returns?
UK Industrial Output Posts Stronger-Than-Expected Growth in June The UK’s Office for National Statistics released its June industrial and manufacturing production data on Thursday,
showing positive figures that exceeded market expectations.
Industrial production rose 0.7% month-on-month, surpassing analysts’ forecasts of around 0.4% growth,
compared with a sharp 0.9% contraction in May.
Meanwhile, manufacturing output grew 0.5%, beating the forecast of 0.4%, after shrinking 1% the previous month.
These indicators hold significant weight as a key measure of the UK’s economic health.
Growth in industrial and manufacturing output signals improving economic activity and rising demand,
while these sectors remain highly sensitive to business cycle fluctuations and directly influenced by employment and profit levels.
Mary
Mary Daly Rules Out Large Rate Cut in September Mary Daly, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco,
said a large interest rate cut at next month’s Fed meeting “does not seem warranted” under current conditions,
stressing that monetary policy decisions must remain data-dependent.
In remarks on Thursday, Daly noted that the U.S. economy continues to display resilience despite the effects of earlier monetary tightening.
She acknowledged that inflation is gradually easing but said the Fed needs more evidence of sustained declines before moving toward a substantial rate cut.
Her comments come as some market participants are betting on a cut of half a percentage point or more in September,
buoyed by recent softer inflation data and some weaker economic indicators.
However, Daly’s stance suggests policymakers may opt for a smaller reduction or wait until the economic picture becomes clearer.
Australia
Australian Employment Growth Falls Short of Expectations in July The Australian Bureau of Statistics released its July labor market report on Thursday,
showing mixed results compared with market forecasts.
The economy added about 24,500 new jobs, slightly below the expected 25,300 gain.
Additionally, the previous May reading was revised to show a loss of around 1,000 jobs instead of the 2,000 initially reported.
On the other hand, the unemployment rate matched analysts’ expectations,
holding at 4.2% in July, down from 4.3% in June.
Global Economic Data Reflects Divergent Market Performance
A historic leap in prices fueled by risk appetite. Bitcoin posted a strong rally, reaching a new record above $123,500, surpassing its previous peak set in mid-July.
This surge coincided with a rally in U.S. stock indices, reflecting rising demand for high-risk assets across global markets.
The latest gains came against a backdrop of a supportive regulatory environment in Washington,
where government policies have provided a solid foundation for the cryptocurrency sector.
Large corporations have also played a major role,
adopting long-term holding strategies for Bitcoin as a strategic investment asset.
Institutional Demand
Unprecedented institutional interest fuels the uptrend. One of the key drivers behind Bitcoin’s recent rise has been growing institutional demand,
particularly through exchange-traded funds (ETFs),
which have attracted steady capital inflows into the cryptocurrency.
Major companies, such as Michael Saylor’s Strategy, have spearheaded this approach,
followed by smaller entities and other investment institutions.
This strategy has even spread to competing cryptocurrencies such as Ether, broadening the overall rally in digital assets.
Economic Support
Macroeconomic factors strengthen market confidence. Recent U.S. inflation data aligned with analysts’ expectations, boosting bets that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in September.
This potential policy shift would ease financial conditions and support investment in alternative assets.
Analysts note that the current bull run differs from past cycles, as it is driven by structured demand from financial institutions,
asset managers, and governments — not just retail investors — which strengthens the case for sustained momentum in the medium to long term.
