In late September 2025 we’ve seen a softening US dollar as emerging-market equities rally. The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM) has climbed to multi-month highs around $53.4 (near its 52-week peak of $53.67) while the US Dollar Index (DXY) has backed off recent highs (~98.6) to test lower support (around 97.6).
Stock markets often move in waves – one sector cools as another heats up. It’s how markets rotate. Recently, the tech-heavy “Magnificent Seven” names have lost steam while cyclicals like energy and industrials have been rallying. This is why traders are eyeing relative strength charts. These charts show which sectors are outperforming and hint at who might lead next. For example, a recent analysis noted consumer discretionary and communications stocks are firmly in the “leading” quadrant on a relative rotation graph, whereas tech is rolling into “weakening” territory. Healthcare is meanwhile just beginning to climb from lagging to improving, suggesting its turn could be near.
Gold has pulled off something traders have been talking about for weeks – it’s finally crossed the $3,700 mark. It even tagged a fresh high near $3,703 before easing back slightly, and for now it’s holding in that $3,680-$3,700 pocket. The run’s been helped along by a softer US dollar, sliding bond yields, and that steady hum of safe-haven demand that tends to show up whenever the macro picture looks shaky.
Big global banks like JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, and HSBC aren’t just cornerstones of the financial system – they’re also playgrounds for technical traders.
Eurozone inflation has nudged above the ECB’s 2% target, coming in at 2.1%. At first glance, that’s hardly anything, but traders pay attention to small shifts. The reason is because even a modest overshoot can shape expectations around interest rates, and that quickly effects equities. Markets reacted in kind: the STOXX 600 slipped about 1.5%, while the DAX dropped over 2% as investors re-adjusted their holdings. Even a small move in hard data can create a ripple effect on markets.
