US equities end lower but post monthly gains

US equities closed the last session in January in the red as Treasury notes surged, following economic data releases and the White House’s announcement that new tariffs will take effect tomorrow, Feb. 1. This in turn fueled inflation concerns.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged down 0.75%, or 337 points, to 44,544, but recorded weekly and monthly gains of 0.25% and 4.7%, respectively.

The S&P 500 Index eased 0.5%, or 30 points, to 6,040, posting a weekly loss of 1%. However, the index rose 2.7% in January.

The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 54 points, or 0.3%, to end at 19,627 points. It recorded a weekly drop of 1.65%, but rose by almost the same percentage in January.

As for the European indices, the STOXX Europe 600 added 0.15% to a record level of 539.5 points. The index enhanced its weekly and monthly gains to 1.8% and 6.3%, respectively.

Germany’s DAX 40 remained unchanged at 21,732 points, while the FTSE 100 gained 0.3% to 8,673 points. The CAC 40 inched up 0.1% to 7,950 points.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 advanced 0.15%, to 39,572 points, but posted a weekly loss of 0.90% and a monthly drop of 0.80%. TOPIX added 0.25% to 2,788 points, recording weekly and monthly rises of 1.35% and 0.15%, respectively.

In the oil market, Brent crude futures for April delivery fell 0.3% or $0.22 to $75.67 a barrel, marking a 2.4% weekly loss but gaining 1.95% for the month.

Similarly, WTI crude futures for March delivery declined 0.25% or $0.20 to $72.53 per barrel, posting a 2.85% weekly drop while still rising 1.8% in January.

Meanwhile, gold futures for April delivery slid 0.35% or $10.2 to $2,835 per ounce, though the metal registered weekly and monthly gains of 1% and 6.35%, respectively.

On the economic front, the US Core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, held steady at 2.8% in December. While this matched expectations, it remains well above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, reinforcing concerns over inflationary pressures.