Good morning and welcome to Markets Desk, your Friday market rundown.
Global equities are grinding higher to close the week, with technology shares doing the heavy lifting across European and Asian sessions. Traders are keeping one eye on the Iran situation after President Trump declared the ceasefire agreement over, and direct exchanges between Washington and Tehran have oil markets on edge, though crude prices are actually slipping as the session progresses, suggesting investors are pricing in containment rather than escalation.
Turning to a major market event, SK Hynix is making its Nasdaq debut today with American depositary receipts beginning to trade on the exchange. The South Korean memory giant carries a trillion-dollar market cap and counts Nvidia and Apple among its biggest customers, positioning it squarely inside the AI supply chain. Analysts are calling the stock primed for a strong open as U S investors gain direct access for the first time.
And on the macro policy front, the United Nations is reporting that at least one million women have lost access to humanitarian support over the past eighteen months, a direct consequence of Trump administration budget cuts to U N funding. UN Women says eighty-four percent of surveyed organizations report increased needs since January two thousand twenty-five, underscoring the real-world fiscal consequences of Washington's foreign aid retrenchment.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
