Finance

The U.S. Treasury Department announced a significant expansion of its long-term debt repurchase program in an effort to contain surging borrowing costs. However, bond yields quickly reversed their initial declines as investors weighed the multi-billion dollar buybacks against persistent national deficit concerns. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield ultimately pushed back up to end the week at approximately 4.74%, matching its highest level of the year.

International crude benchmarks extended their upward momentum to log a sixth consecutive daily gain amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. Brent crude futures pushed above $94 a barrel after a shipping memorandum of understanding expired and Iran seized a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. Corporate bellwethers are already warning that these elevated fuel costs are beginning to exert incremental pressure on consumer spending habits.

Cryptocurrencies registered a massive weekly rally, with Bitcoin jumping roughly 22% to achieve its strongest five-day performance since 2024. The digital asset broke past critical technical indicators to hover over $77,000, energized by a weakening U.S. dollar index and renewed calls from President Trump for crypto-friendly legislation. The technical breakout sparked a short squeeze that liquidated over $1 billion in bearish positions, trickling down into major stock gains for related digital brokerage firms.