🌅 NORDFX MORNING UPDATE | May 20, 2026 📉 WALL STREET - 3rd STRAIGHT LOSS US equities closed lower Tuesday on surging bond yields. S&P 500 -0.67% to 7,353 | Nasdaq -0.84% to 25,870 | Dow -0.65% to 49,363. The 30-year Treasury yield briefly hit 5.19% - a near 19-year high - as inflation fears continue to dominate. 🌏 ASIA - RED ACROSS THE BOARD Asian markets followed the global selloff this morning. Nikkei 225 -1.16% to ~59,850 | Hang Seng -0.58% to 25,649 | Shanghai Composite -0.41% to 4,152 | Kospi -0.07% | ASX 200 -0.89%. Samsung added pressure after its union confirmed a planned 18-day strike starting May 21. 🛢️ OIL - STUBBORNLY HIGH Brent ~$111/bbl | WTI ~$109/bbl. Trump cancelled a planned Iran strike after Gulf allies urged restraint, offering brief relief - but the Strait of Hormuz stays largely shut, keeping supply fears very much alive. 🥇 GOLD - PRESSURED XAU/USD ~$4,545, down ~0.3%, hovering at multi-week lows. Soaring yields and a firm USD are weighing on the metal. Fed rate cut odds have collapsed - a rate hike is now priced at ~40% probability. 💶 FOREX EUR/USD ~1.161, near one-month lows. Eurozone Q1 GDP slowed to just +0.1%, while April inflation jumped to 3.0%. ECB June hike probability remains ~80%. DXY holding around 99. ₿ BITCOIN BTC/USD ~$76,800, flat to slightly lower. Risk-off mood prevails. ⚠️ KEY THEMES: US-Iran uncertainty | surging yields | elevated oil | sticky inflation. Flash PMIs and FOMC minutes are next on the radar. 📊 Trade responsibly. 🔗 NordFX | nordfx.com Not investment advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results.