Stock Market Update
26-Aug-25 14:00 ET
Gold rises as Fed independence concerns spur safe-haven demand, rate cut bets
Dow -2.26
at 45280.21,
Nasdaq +17.42
at 21465.32,
S&P +3.30
at 6442.62
[BRIEFING.COM] The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (+0.08%) is in first place on Tuesday afternoon, up about 17 points.
Gold futures settled $15.50 higher (+0.5%) at $3,433/oz, driven primarily by renewed safe-haven demand amid heightened uncertainty over Fed independence. Markets were unsettled after President Trump fired Fed Governor Lisa Cook, stirring concerns over political interference in central bank policymaking. The move revived expectations of a September interest rate cut, with CME's FedWatch tool showing pricing above 86% for a 25-basis-point cut, further bolstering gold's appeal in a low-yield environment.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Dollar Index is down -0.2% to $98.28.
