From Bloomberg

• "US equity futures struggled for direction as the Federal government shutdown entered a seventh day, depriving investors and policy makers of key data to gauge the health of the economy. Gold came close to $4,000 an ounce before retreating as the dollar strengthened.

• Futures on the S&P 500 were little changed after the index reached a new record on Monday, fueled by tech stocks riding the artificial intelligence spending boom. Treasury yields inched higher. The greenback gained for a second day as President Donald Trump sent mixed messages about the state of talks with Democrats on their biggest demand to end the shutdown.

• While equities worldwide have surged to successive record highs, worries over the US government stalemate and the political crisis in France have driven investors toward alternative assets such as gold and Bitcoin, sending both to new peaks in what has been dubbed the “debasement trade.” At the same time, a flurry of AI-related deals among chipmakers has propelled shares higher and fueled some concerns of a speculative bubble reminiscent of the late-1990s dot-com era.

• “Enthusiasm for stocks is starting to wane after another record-breaking start to the week for Wall Street,” said Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB Ltd. That keeps the debasement trade in play, she said. “As global political risks rise, this is continuing to drive demand, and we think that the early morning pullback in the gold price is likely to be used as a buying opportunity.”"