US stocks fall, gold hits record amid Middle East tensions

NEW YORK :Wall Street turned lower and gold surged to record highs on Tuesday as Israeli airstrikes on Gaza revived geopolitical jitters and the U.S. Federal Reserve gathered to discuss monetary policy amid growing economic uncertainty.
A vote by Germany's parliament to overhaul government spending sent European stocks higher, however, and German shares to near record highs.
Even so, all three major U.S. stock indexes were lower in early trading, with weakness in tech-related megacap stocks dragging the tech-laden Nasdaq down the most.
A new round of Israeli missile attacks on the Gaza Strip, killing over 400 people, brought Middle East tensions from a simmer to a boil, even as U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin were expected to discuss terms of a potential end to Russia's war on Ukraine.
"There's a lot of turmoil in the world, things can change direction pretty quickly," says Peter Tuz, president of Chase Investment Counsel in Charlottesville, Virginia.
"The markets don't know where tariffs stand; whether they're on, whether they're off... I was more surprised by the rally of the past two days, quite frankly, than I am by the weakness today."
The U.S. Federal Reserve is slated to convene for its two-day monetary policy meeting, which is expected to culminate in the central bank leaving its key interest rate where it is until further inflation progress is made and the effects of the Trump administration's erratic tariff policies are known.
On the economic front, a stronger-than-expected rebound in single family housing starts and robust industrial output data provided a welcome change from generally lackluster recent indicators, providing some reassurance that the U.S. economy is not in danger of imminent recession.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 234.13 points, or 0.56 per cent, to 41,606.96, the S&P 500 slid 59.72 points, or 1.05 per cent, to 5,615.40 and the Nasdaq Composite slipped 324.68 points, or 1.82 per cent, to 17,483.99.
European shares edged higher and German stocks hovered near record highs as its parliament approved a debt reform package to boost Europe's biggest economy.
So far this year, European stocks have outperformed their global counterparts.
Europe's broad FTSEurofirst 300 index rose 10.41 points, or 0.48 per cent.
MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe fell 4.31 points, or 0.51 per cent, to 839.18.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.52 per cent, while emerging market stocks rose 13.09 points, or 1.16 per cent, to 1,144.53.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan closed 1.11 per cent higher at 594.85, while Japan's Nikkei rose 448.90 points, or 1.20 per cent, to 37,845.42.
U.S. Treasury yields were steady as growing economic optimism helped counter lingering fears about the impact of Trump's multi-front tariff war.
The yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes rose 0.6 basis points to 4.312 per cent from 4.306 per cent late on 30-year bond yield rose 1.8 basis points to 4.617 per cent from 4.599 per cent late on Monday.
The 2-year note yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations for the Federal Reserve, fell 0.1 basis points to 4.05 per cent, from 4.053 per cent late on Monday.
The dollar held its ground as the euro touched a five-month high after Germany voted for its debt overhaul.
The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, rose 0.05 per cent to 103.51, with the euro down 0.07 per cent at $1.0913.
Against the Japanese yen, the dollar strengthened 0.3 per cent to 149.66.
The Mexican peso weakened 0.29 per cent versus the dollar at 20.017.
The Canadian dollar weakened 0.1 per cent versus the greenback to C$1.43 per dollar.
Bitcoin lost ground as swelling geopolitical strife and policy uncertainties lured investors to less risky assets.
In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin fell 2.65 per cent to $81,749.59. Ethereum declined 2.45 per cent to $1,888.44.
Crude oil prices were supported by increasing instability in the Middle East and Beijing's plans for additional stimulus.
U.S. crude rose 0.28 per cent to $67.77 a barrel and Brent rose to $71.35 per barrel, up 0.41 per cent on the day.
Gold prices touched a record high as the safe-haven metal benefited from a flare-up of geopolitical tensions and lingering uncertainties about Trump's tariff plans.
Spot gold rose 0.89 per cent to $3,028.20 an ounce. U.S. gold futures rose 0.86 per cent to $3,025.80 an ounce.