15 July 2025 Market Close & Major Financial Headlines: Markets Juggle Inflation, Easing of China Chip Curbs, and Trade Tensions

Gary Hall

and

Steven Hansen

Jul 15, 2025

The DOW closed down 436 points or 0.98%,
NASDAQ closed up 37 points or 0.18%,
S&P 500 closed down 25 points or 0.40%,
Gold $3337 down $22 or 0.66%,
WTI crude oil settled at $67 down $0.31 or 0.46%,
10-year U.S. Treasury 4.487 up 0.06 points or 1.355%,
USD index 98.63 up $0.55 or 0.56%,
Bitcoin $116,596 down $3,243 or 2.71%, (24 Hours),

*Stock data, cryptocurrency, and commodity prices at the market closing

Today’s Highlights – Market Summary

On July 15, 2025, stock markets were influenced by several key developments. Tech stocks, particularly NVIDIA, led the NASDAQ to near record highs after the U.S. government signaled it would allow the company to resume AI chip sales to China, reversing earlier export restrictions and sparking a rally across the semiconductor sector. Meanwhile, a crucial June inflation report showed the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) rising 2.7% year-over-year, driven by energy prices and tempering hopes for imminent Federal Reserve rate cuts. President Trump's recent threats to impose 30% tariffs on imports from the European Union and Mexico, and even higher duties on Russian goods, kept trade tensions high, while China’s strong Q2 GDP growth helped buoy sentiment in Asian markets. Big banks, including JPMorgan and Citigroup, kicked off the earnings season with mixed results: some surpassed estimates while others, like Wells Fargo, guided lower for the year, putting pressure on financial stocks. Treasury yields rose, especially on the 30-year bond, as investors processed the inflation spike and potential implications for future Fed policy. In commodities, oil and gold prices fluctuated modestly. Overall, markets showed resilience but remained cautious as investors weighed the first wave of corporate earnings.

Underlying Inflation Dashboard

Read the June 2025 Economic Forecast: Recession Winds - Is the Glass Half Empty or Half Full

Today’s Economic Releases Compiled by Steven Hansen, Publisher:

The June 2025 Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 2.7% year-over-year (YoY) - up from 2.4% the previous month. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.9% YoY - up from 2.8% the previous month. The major driver for the increase this month was energy (gasoline, fuel oil, electricity, and natural gas). The indexes for used cars and trucks, new vehicles, and airline fares were among the major indexes that decreased in June.

In July 2025, the Empire State Manufacturing Survey saw a slight uptick with the general business conditions index rising twenty-two points to 5.5, marking its first positive reading since February. New orders and shipments increased, while delivery times lengthened and supply availability continued to deteriorate. Firms maintaining a fairly optimistic outlook. Could it be that manufacturing is beginning to improve? These surveys are very volatile, and I will wait until I see an uptick in hard data before I become optimistic.

Infographic of the Day from Visual Capitalist:

Statista Graphic of the Day:

Infographic: China Fills U.S. Exports Gap with ASEAN, EU & Africa | Statista

You will find more infographics at Statista

The headlines we are reading:

Weather Outlook for the United States and the World – Continuously Updated

This article focuses on what we are paying attention to in the next 48 to 72 hours. The article also includes weather maps for longer-term U.S. outlooks (up to four weeks) and three- and six-day World weather outlooks, which can be very useful for travelers and understanding World News Events. We also provide continual coverage of world tropical events and special coverage for such events and other special weather situations impacting or likely to impact the United States. To get your local forecast plus active alerts and warnings, click HERE and enter your city, state or zip code in the upper left corner.

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Hard Questions

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