The Chinese military said it dispatched air, naval, and rocket units to conduct joint exercises around Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory, in what it described as a warning against separatist and “external interference” forces. Taiwan responded by placing its forces on alert, News.Az reports, citing AP.
Earlier rises in gold prices reflected concerns over a U.S. government shutdown and expectations that the Federal Reserve may further cut interest rates in the new year, weakening the dollar and boosting gold as a safe-haven asset. Precious metals have seen gains this year amid investor caution outside of stocks and bonds, with miners posting solid advances—Freeport-McMoRan climbed 2.2% on Friday.
Trading was light on Monday, with many institutional investors still largely out for the year. After reopening from the Christmas holiday, the S&P 500 fell slightly to 6,929.94, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped to 48,710.97, and the Nasdaq fell 0.1% to 23,593.10.
With just three trading days remaining in 2025, the S&P 500 has risen nearly 18% this year, supported by deregulatory policies and investor optimism about artificial intelligence.
In commodities, U.S. benchmark crude oil rose 60 cents to $57.34 per barrel, while Brent crude increased 62 cents to $60.86. On Friday, U.S. crude fell 2.8% and Brent dropped 2.6%.
Currency markets saw the U.S. dollar decline slightly to 156.28 Japanese yen from 156.56 yen, while the euro remained steady at $1.1770.
