Weekly Data Summary Report
As of October 20, 2025
Below is a summary of the United States, primarily based on critical events related to President Donald Trump, economic conditions, and war conflicts within the week.
Disclaimer: Please note this is opinion-based; do not take it as investment advice.
Key Highlight Event:
US Economy: Nothing much on the economic indicators side due to the continued US shutdown again, except for the Federal Reserve’s repetitive speeches last week that still weigh the inflation and labor problem ahead of the rate cut at the end of this month. The projections still stand on two rate cuts this year—October and December, with a 25 bps cut each time.
***Focus on the inflation data this week, which will be the first to be released from the Labor Department despite the shutdown.***
US regional Banks
The market started to shake after hearing some reports that US regional banks are involved with fraudulent activities, raising doubts about the banking system amid the US shutdown. Gold prices hiked after the news.
Trade Tension
US-China: After the intense tariffs threatened between the US and China, some easing of tension is seen throughout the weekend, with Trump emphasizing that “It’s probably not [sustainable]—you know, it could stand, but they forced me to do that.” The market has taken this as a pressure tactic and a temporary weapon that Trump used for trade negotiations. He also added that he could move the November 1st deadline up if he wanted to. This has eased the tension, causing the Gold prices to dip significantly, especially when the stock market opens.
Some timelines for your convenience
→ The US has kept extremely tight restrictions on exports of highly advanced chips, which impact Huawei the most. China responded by restricting exports of rare-earth minerals—a.k.a. critical materials needed to power a wide range of electronics. It is just a recent event; it started earlier than that.
Other than that, US President Donald Trump also provided a tariff relief on the automaker’s US production, albeit the heavy-duty vehicles, parts, and buses will still be in effect on November 1st. A factor in gold down.
Geopolitical Tension
Russia-Ukraine: After a fruitful talk between U.S. President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, Trump reportedly refused to send Tomahawk missile systems—the long-range missile that Ukraine has requested—on Friday, while also urging Ukraine to cede the territory. This could be seen as a mixed signal, but if tensions or war accelerated, then gold could fly.
Israel-Hamas: Although Trump reiterated that, ceasefire is still in effect, the Gaza Government Media Office reported that Israel continued to bombard Gaza, killing at least 90 Palestinians in Gaza after the truce was made. Nothing is cleared yet. So do focus on this as well.
