Stock Market Today: Indian markets closed in the red once again, with minimal losses, as selling pressure in financial and IT stocks dragged the frontline indices lower, offsetting gains in metal and real estate stocks.
Meanwhile, the minutes from the Federal Reserve’s January meeting, released on Wednesday, showed that policymakers agreed they would need to see further declines in inflation before lowering interest rates. They also expressed concerns about the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs on achieving that goal.
Many participants suggested that the Committee could maintain the policy rate at a restrictive level if the economy remained robust and inflation stayed elevated. Conversely, several noted that policy could be eased if labor market conditions weakened, economic activity slowed, or inflation returned to 2% more quickly than expected.
The US Fed’s pause in rate cuts, coupled with escalating trade tensions as Trump announces fresh tariffs on incoming goods to the US, is fueling a sustained rally in gold prices. In today’s session, spot gold prices touched another record high of $2,954.60 per troy ounce, bringing its YTD gain to 12.5%
