Last week, the Middle East conflict continued to dominate market sentiment. Economic data signaled price pressures and slowing activity. US inflation edged up while services activity and factory orders weakened. Europe also saw moderation in activity, while producer prices rose in China. And the Reserve bank of India held rates but raised its inflation outlook. Global equities gained, while US Treasury yields were broadly stable, the US dollar weakened, and oil prices declined. Gold continues to stabilize above key technical supports including its rising long-term 200-day average. US consumer sentiment fell to an ... (full story)