WSJ

Gold prices dropped as markets increasingly expect the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates elevated for longer. Higher rates raise the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets like gold, weighing on demand. The decline reflects shifting expectations about the Fed's policy path, with traders adjusting positions ahead of upcoming economic data and central bank communications.

Oil prices rose as geopolitical tensions and a decline in crude stockpiles tightened the supply outlook. Traders weighed the risk of supply disruptions against signs of shrinking inventories, pushing benchmark crude higher. The move comes amid ongoing uncertainty across key producing regions, keeping energy markets on edge.

Mortgage rates in the United States have risen back to 7%, reviving questions about the direction of the housing market. The Wall Street Journal examines what higher borrowing costs mean for buyers, sellers and home prices. With affordability already stretched, analysts and homeowners are weighing whether rates will stay elevated or ease in the months ahead.

Russia has put a US$20 million bounty on Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, according to the Wall Street Journal. The offer is reportedly being circulated through post-Soviet criminal networks in an effort to obtain information that could help locate the officer, who has led Ukraine's drone operations.

Wall Street ended a turbulent week on a positive note, with U.S. stocks rising in Friday trading despite sharp swings earlier in the week. The market's back-and-forth movement has kept investors focused on what is driving the instability and where indexes will settle, making the week's close a talking point among market watchers.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Iran is under pressure to make concessions on its nuclear program in order to revive stalled peace negotiations with the United States. The report suggests Washington and its partners want concrete steps from Tehran before talks can resume, amid ongoing tensions over Iran's nuclear activities and sanctions.

The U.S. government has stated it has no plans to sell weapons to China, walking back comments attributed to Perdue that had raised questions about American arms policy toward Beijing. The clarification came quickly, underscoring the sensitivity of U.S.-China relations and the close attention any remarks about military cooperation with China receive in Washington and abroad.

The Wall Street Journal asked six investing professionals how they are responding to surging bond yields and what trades they recommend. Their views come as Treasury yields climb, forcing investors to reassess portfolios, bond allocations and equity positioning amid rising borrowing costs and market volatility.

A Wall Street Journal opinion piece examines renewed efforts to establish religious charter schools, focusing on a Jewish charter school proposal in Oklahoma alongside the St. Isidore case. The debate centers on whether states can fund religiously affiliated charter schools, a question with major implications for public education and church-state separation.

A Wall Street Journal opinion piece asks whether health narratives generated by artificial intelligence can be trusted, examining the risks of AI systems producing plausible-sounding but inaccurate medical information. The article fuels ongoing debate about the reliability of AI chatbots when people turn to them for health guidance and the potential consequences of confident but wrong medical answers.