Crypto majors open the session firmer across the board, led by XRP, while the precious-metals complex is the clear drag.

Crypto firms at the open

XRP leads the majors up 3.03% to $1.2849, the strongest covered gainer on the board. Solana adds 2.08% to $93.67 and Ethereum 1.92% to $2,292.23, while Bitcoin reclaims the $77,803 handle on a 1.48% gain. Dogecoin (+1.76%) and Litecoin (+1.90% to $54.62) round out a broad green tape.

The bounce sits inside a heavy month. Bitcoin is still down 9.27% over 30 days and 23.33% on the year; Ethereum is off 15.39% on the month and Solana 22.39%. Today’s move is a lift, not a turn in the longer numbers.

Metals lead the losers

The precious complex is the session’s clear weak spot. Palladium drops 2.58% to $942.98, platinum 1.74% to $1,417.52 and silver 1.64% to $49.79 β€” the three steepest declines on the board. Gold eases 0.50% to $3,928.29.

The monthly picture is heavier: palladium is down 19.94%, silver 18.26% and platinum 17.44% over 30 days. Gold’s 4.98% monthly slip leaves it essentially flat on the year at -0.16%.

Currencies: dollar firm, yen soft

The US dollar opens on the front foot. USD/MXN is the standout, up 1.41% to 18.829 and 4.19% higher on the month. USD/JPY adds 0.51% to 158.72, keeping the yen soft across the crosses β€” GBP/JPY rises 0.55% to 212.91 and EUR/JPY 0.50% to 177.62.

The headline majors are quiet. EUR/USD sits at 1.11891, down a marginal 0.02%, and GBP/USD holds 1.34125, up 0.03%. The Australian dollar is the soft spot, AUD/USD off 0.49% to 0.69642 and down 1.29% on the week.

Indices and energy

US tech leads the equity tape β€” the Nasdaq 100 gains 0.74% to 28,279.97 and the S&P 500 0.33% to 7,578.70 β€” though both carry sharp weekly losses of 4.20% and 1.82%. London lags, the FTSE 100 down 1.54% to 10,604.64, with Spain’s IBEX 35 off 0.78%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 adds 0.70% to 63,103.80 yet remains 9.82% lower on the month.

Crude holds firm: USOil rises 0.59% to $96.03 and UKOil 0.08% to $103.65, both up strongly on the month even after weekly slips near 5%.

Across the board, the precious-metals complex stays the session’s weak spot, with palladium, platinum and silver all off more than 1.6% as the crypto majors trade higher.