The stock market in the first half of the year shone brightly, especially in the technology domain with companies like Microsoft, Oracle, and Palantir Technologies leading the charge. Yet, as we step into the next quarter, discerning the underlying currents shaping market direction becomes essential. June and July witnessed the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite rising robustly, echoing the dominance of tech players.

The S&P 500 has steadily declined for the past month, losing 4.2% MoM. The main reason, analysts cite, is Nvidia's failing to boost the broader market despite attaining all-time highs after positive company quarterly earnings reports. As many investors are looking into the next Apply or Google in AI, growth investors have set their sights on the companies that provide the infrastructure for this rapidly growing industry.

Gold prices for the last month have been on a decline. From a peak of 2019.60 USD, gold futures would drop 8.7% to 1844.00 USD. The continuous decline in prices comes after the Federal Reserve’s minutes maintained a hawkish bias, indicating the potential for another rate hike open as inflation pressures remain elevated. This aggressive monetary policy has been the most significant headwind for gold, and the precious metal will continue to struggle in this environment. Because gold is denominated in U.S. dollars, the metal is directly affected by these rate hikes.

After falling for three straight sessions, oil prices rose more than 1% on Thursday as the dollar pulled back from creating higher highs and China's central banks sought to bolster their property market and the broader economy. Brent Crude Oil prices rose 0.84% to $84.15 per barrel as of Aug 17, 2 PM EST from 83.33 the day prior. The previous session would see the prices fall more than 1.5% on worries about China's economy and increasing U.S. interest rates.

Warren Buffett isn't at all concerned about de-dollarization, based on his comments in recent years. The famed investor expects the dollar to remain the world's reserve currency for decades to come. However, he's warned against printing too much money and eroding the currency's value.

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