#market-volatility

#market-volatility

Gold climbed as high as $3674.55/oz on Tuesday, propelled by escalating geopolitical tensions following Israeli military operations against Hamas leadership. Reports emerged of targeted strikes conducted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and intelligence services against senior Hamas commanders, on Tuesday prompting a bout of market volatility. The IDF operation, reportedly executed in Doha, prompted sharp diplomatic condemnation from Qatari officials who denounced the action as a flagrant breach of international legal standards.

The AI crypto market is projected to expand from $3.7 billion in 2024 to $46.9 billion by 2034, highlighting the increasing reliance on AI tools like Grok 4 for trading. Launched in mid-2025, Grok 4 quickly became one of the most visited AI tools, with active users rising by 17%, a trend expected to grow as traders adopt it. Unlike basic news aggregators, Grok 4 offers real-time news analysis, sentiment evaluation and DeepSearch to filter noise and extract actionable trading insights.

From corner offices to checkout lines, businesses are scrambling as shaky markets test prices, patience, and loyalty. Tech is still the flashpoint- AI is fueling record demand while doubling as cover for layoffs and financial gymnastics. IPOs are slowly coming back, but only for companies that can prove they've got the growth to back it up. Meanwhile, D.C. drama over tariffs and the Fed is shaking currencies, commodities, and investor confidence.

Dubbed the " September Effect," this phenomenon sees the S&P 500 averaging a negative 0.8% return since 1926, the only month with a consistent negative average over nearly a century. Theories abound as to why: from portfolio rebalancing by institutional investors to tax-loss harvesting and post-vacation market jitters.

There are now almost 500 AI unicorns - companies valued at over $1 billion - worth a total of roughly $2.7 trillion, enough to do some serious damage to the economy if things don't go well. But for investors, that cash represents a dream: that AI will someday do more than generate video essays explaining that Nubian giants built the pyramids, and become a major financial driver.

Nvidia, fresh off becoming the world's first $4 trillion company, sank 3.5%, while Palantir slid nearly 10%. The sell-off appeared to be sparked in part by an MIT report that claimed 95% of companies investing in generative AI are seeing no returns, and was potentially deepened by earlier comments from OpenAI's Sam Altman suggesting investors may be caught in an AI bubble.

The ULTY has a sky-high yield currently hovering around 85%. With shares dipping from $20 per share to $6 and change, volatility is a guarantee.

Over the past three years, families have made more than 18,000 claims for overpaid inheritance tax (IHT), with property sales contributing significantly to these claims.

The Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT) has consistently outperformed the S&P 500, delivering a 22.6% annualized return over the past decade compared to the S&P's 13.2%.

Inverse exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have exploded in popularity in 2025 and are becoming more prevalent. Not every inverse ETF is worth buying, though.

In the current volatile economy, thriving businesses embrace uncertainty by investing in their offerings and relationships rather than attempting to predict specific challenges.

The tech IPO market has heated up this year, showing strong appetite for new offerings, particularly through the summer months and into year-end.

Zimbler announced his retirement, marking a significant change in Millennium's commodities unit as other senior traders have also departed amidst market instability.

With house prices still high, mortgage rates stuck just under 7%, and plenty of economic uncertainty, consumers are once again seeing the virtues of renting.

The recovery of the NGX All Share Index amidst geopolitical tensions suggests potential for Nigeria's export receipts, but concerns about sustainability linger.