On August 16th local time, the three major US stock indexes collectively closed higher, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.24%; The Nasdaq rose 0.21%; The S&P 500 index rose 0.2%.
Most large tech stocks have risen, with Nvidia and Google up over 1% and Meta down over 1%. The precious metals and diversified banking sectors led the way in gains, with Jintian, Corderian Mining, and Barrick Gold rising over 3%, while Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and JPMorgan Chase rose over 1%. Semiconductor equipment and materials fell, with Kolei dropping nearly 2% and ASML and Kantar Technology falling over 1%.
Monkeypox concept stock GeoVax Labs rose over 110%. According to CCTV Finance on August 16th, the Director General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced on August 14th local time that the monkeypox outbreak constitutes a "public health emergency of international concern". This is the second time in two years that the World Health Organization has sounded the highest level epidemic alert for monkeypox.
According to securities firm China, on August 16th local time, Danish pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic A/S announced on its official website that it has submitted clinical data to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) seeking to expand the indications of the Imvanex vaccine to adolescents aged 12 to 17. It is understood that Imvanex (MVA-BN, marketed as Jynneos in the United States and Imvamune in Canada) is a smallpox vaccine used to protect adults, but data shows that it is effective in preventing monkeypox.
Popular Chinese concept stocks rose, with the Nasdaq China Golden Dragon Index up 1.92%. JD.com rose over 8%, Ideal Auto rose over 6%, Alibaba rose over 4%, Weibo, Vipshop, Bilibili, Baidu, and NIO rose over 3%, iQiyi rose nearly 2%, Xiaopeng Motors rose over 1%, and Futu Holdings rose slightly. Tencent Music fell more than 4%, while Manbang and NetEase saw slight declines.
The international gold price has surged, breaking through the $2500 mark and reaching a historic high.
The price of gold for immediate delivery broke through the $2500 per ounce mark for the first time on Friday, surpassing the historical record set last month. Previously, the poor performance of the US real estate market data further deepened people's expectations that the Federal Reserve would quickly and significantly cut interest rates, which are usually favorable for gold.
According to the China Fund News, the price of gold has risen by over 20% since the beginning of this year, mainly due to people's optimism about monetary easing policies and large purchases by central banks around the world. Meanwhile, due to rising geopolitical risks including tensions in the Middle East and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the demand for gold as a safe haven asset has also increased.
Gaza ceasefire negotiations and weak global oil demand dragged down oil prices, with US oil falling nearly 2%.
WTI September crude oil futures fell to $76.65 per barrel, closing down over 1.93% or $1.51, with a cumulative decline of 0.25% for the week. US crude oil maintained a downward trend throughout the day, while European stocks hit a new intraday low of nearly 3.4% and fell below $76.
Brent crude oil futures for October fell to $79.68 per barrel, closing down nearly 1.68% or $1.36, with a cumulative increase of 0.03% this week. Brent crude oil maintained a downward trend throughout the day, with European stocks hitting a new intraday low of nearly 3% and falling below $79.
On the news front, according to Xinhua News Agency, Tal, the United States, and Egypt issued a joint statement on the 16th, stating that the new round of Gaza ceasefire negotiations held in Doha, the capital of Qatar, was "constructive" and had a positive atmosphere. Senior officials from the three governments will hold talks in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, before next weekend, with the goal of finalizing the agreement.