A. M. 
After several days of gains, the major US stock indices registered slight declines this monday, while gold once again reached a new all-time high.
The S&P 500 fell 0.16%, the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.07%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.36%, amid a lack of short-term macroeconomic events, which has led traders to focus their attention on expectations for the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) next steps.
The week will be marked solely by the release of the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, the Fed’s preferred inflation indicator. This data will be key for anticipating possible monetary policy decisions, in a scenario where bets are growing in favor of further rate cuts this year, amid signs of weakness in the labor market.
In the precious metals market, gold stood out, surpassing US$3,720 per ounce, reaching a new all-time high. The advance was driven by a weaker dollar and an increase in inflows into bullion-backed exchange-traded funds.
According to analysts, the combination of factors such as global economic uncertainty, expectations of interest rate cuts, and persistent inflationary pressure has increased demand for this metal as a haven asset.
In this context of a lull in the economic calendar, investors appear to be reassessing current valuations after weeks of sustained gains, largely driven by expectations of more flexible monetary policy.
