Latest Irish Life weekly markets update

Key talking points include:

• Markets posted another weekly advance, the S&P 500's fifth positive week out of the past 6. All the major large cap markets, including the Nikkei and FTSE 100, reached record highs. Stocks were supported by Fed rate cut expectations, while AI-related names were boosted by Oracle's record revenue growth forecasts.
• The S&P 500 rose by 1.6% (MTD 1.9%, YTD 11.9%) while the Euro Stoxx 600 rose by 1.0% (MTD 0.6%, YTD 9.3%).
• This week, all focus will be on the US Federal Reserve rate decision to be announced on Wednesday. After a string of recent data has shown continued weakness in the US jobs market, investors are unanimously expecting a rate cut announcement.