Gold prices fell nearly 2% over the week as stronger-than-expected US inflation data and rising expectations of a Federal Reserve rate hike damped demand. Over the same period, WTI crude climbed above $104 a barrel amid geopolitical tensions, rising 9.6% on the week and adding to inflation pressure. The US August CPI rose 3.4% year on year, while higher energy costs further reduced gold’s appeal.

Metal prices broadly strengthened in August, with India rebar up nearly 10% month on month and 12% year on year, while hot-rolled coil prices in the U.S. and Europe rose about 3%. Aluminium increased to $3,251 per tonne. Global crude steel output fell around 4% month on month to 149.2 million tonnes in July, with China down about 4% year on year and production outside China up 3%. Australian iron ore prices declined about 2% month on month and 3% year on year, according to a Centrum report.

U.S. consumer prices rose faster in August, with core inflation recording its largest increase in four months as higher energy costs added to price pressures. Rate-hike expectations strengthened, with FedWatch showing the probability rising to 87%. Oil climbed back above $100 a barrel and motor fuels including diesel jumped 9.6% over the week, pushing up inflation expectations. The Federal Reserve faces a more urgent policy trade-off between restoring price stability and supporting economic growth.

AI startup Anthropic is in talks with Nvidia about bringing the chipmaker in as an anchor investor for a potential initial public offering that could raise as much as $100 billion and value the company at around $2 trillion. Nvidia is considering investing up to $10 billion in the offering, Reuters reported, citing two people familiar with the matter. The discussions are ongoing and the plans could change.

A UBS analyst downgraded NuScale Power to Sell and cut the price target to $6 from $10, implying 30.3% downside. The analyst expects about $700 million in cash burn from 2026 to 2028. For 2028, UBS models EBITDA of $29 million versus $124 million implied by the market’s pricing, according to the analyst. NuScale shares fell 16% on the day.

AI startup Anthropic is in talks with Nvidia to bring the chipmaker in as an anchor investor for what could become the largest IPO in history, Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Anthropic is seeking to raise as much as $100 billion, valuing the company at around $2 trillion, while Nvidia is weighing an investment of up to $10 billion. Anthropic has already committed to buy $30 billion of Microsoft Azure computing capacity powered by Nvidia chips, and in April said it would commit more than $100 billion over a decade to Amazon’s AWS while using more than 1 million of Amazon’s Trainium2 chips.

Oklo said on Friday it has launched a new $1 billion at-the-market (ATM) equity offering plan, just months after completing another program of the same size. The plan allows sales agents to sell shares at prevailing market prices, and at an estimated $40 per share a full raise would add about 25 million new shares, implying roughly 11.5% dilution for existing holders. Following the announcement, Oklo shares fell more than 9% on the day.

A pickup in U.S. inflation in August has reinforced market expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise rates by 25 basis points on Wednesday. Inflation has remained above the Fed’s 2% target, following a jobs report that also surprised to the upside. Rising U.S.-Iran tensions have also helped push oil prices above US$100 a barrel, adding another layer of uncertainty for investors weighing the market outlook.