French political deadlock hardens

The French political impasse deepens as the leftist bloc insists it will head the next government. This, while President Emmanuel Macron rejects Prime Minister Gabriel Attal’s resignation. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq both close at record highs while in Asia, the Nikkei rallies by more than 2 per cent as investors anticipate Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s Congress testimony later this week. U.S. President Joe Biden has doubled down, insisting he will remain in the presidential race while donors and senior Democrats publicly express concerns over his mental acuity and general health. Markets are now pricing in a second term in office for former U.S. President Donald Trump. In energy news, crude dips as rigs in the Gulf of Mexico are impacted by Hurricane Beryl with widespread power cuts reported along the Texan coast.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.