Stock Market Today: Dow Drops 628 Points as Oil Nears $100 and Gold Slides - Eurasia Business News

AI desk brief

Gold fell about 1.7% to around $4,400/oz even as Middle East tensions pushed Brent toward $100/bbl, with late-session pressure coming from higher Treasury yields and the prospect that sustained energy inflation could keep policy restrictive for longer. The article frames gold’s decline as a function of rising real-rate expectations overriding its usual safe-haven bid.

Brent briefly traded near $99.45 and settled close to $98, while WTI ended near $93, reinforcing the inflation/rates headwind for non-yielding assets. Key near-term catalysts are whether crude breaks decisively above $100, further escalation around Saudi/Iran-linked energy infrastructure, and upcoming U.S. inflation data/Fed pricing.