Double Espresso
Thursday, 5 November 2026

Democrats take Congress, oil slides.

Democrats won both houses of Congress, and stocks rose while oil fell.

MarketsDaily briefing6 min read
S&P 500+1.58%Nasdaq+1.44%Stoxx 600+1.82%FTSE 100+1.79%DAX+2.22%Nikkei 225−0.44%TASI+1.65%ADX−0.02%DFM+3.96%Brent (Jan)$94.62−8.67%WTI$88.12−8.29%Gold$4,073.00+3.37%US 10-Yr4.89%−5.8bpEUR/USD1.12590.00%Bitcoin$80,480+5.78%S&P 500+1.58%Nasdaq+1.44%Stoxx 600+1.82%FTSE 100+1.79%DAX+2.22%Nikkei 225−0.44%TASI+1.65%ADX−0.02%DFM+3.96%Brent (Jan)$94.62−8.67%WTI$88.12−8.29%Gold$4,073.00+3.37%US 10-Yr4.89%−5.8bpEUR/USD1.12590.00%Bitcoin$80,480+5.78%
01·The Lead

Democrats win both chambers.

Several races were still being counted on Wednesday, so final seat totals may change.

  • Senate: Democrats hold 54 seats after flipping seven, including Texas, Ohio and Maine, Al Jazeera reported.
  • House: AP called the chamber for Democrats after they crossed the 218 seats needed for a majority.
  • When: the new Senate majority takes control on 3 January.
  • The White House: Trump conceded the Iran war contributed to his party’s losses, Reuters reported.
  • Vance: the vice president wrote on social media, “The reason we lost is the war,” CNBC reported.
02·Market Reactions

Stocks rally, oil slides.

  • Oil: Brent fell 8.7%; CNBC reported that the new majority in Congress has leverage to press Trump to end the war.
  • Lipow: Andy Lipow of Lipow Oil Associates said Trump “might now be inclined to make a deal”.
  • McNally: Rapidan Energy’s Bob McNally said escalation remains more likely.
  • Trump Media: shares of Trump Media & Technology Group dropped 24.5%, AP reported.

Wednesday 4 November closes; Brent is the January contract.

16.61

VIX

−20.26%

+1.58%

Russell 2000

Wednesday

5.28%

US 30-Yr

−4.2bp

$52.12

Silver

+5.11%

Equities
Wednesday 4 Nov close; Nikkei at about 06:35 GST Thursday (Tokyo midday break) vs Wednesday close. Index moves shown as percentages.
S&P 500+1.58%
Nasdaq Composite+1.44%
Stoxx 600+1.82%
FTSE 100+1.79%
DAX+2.22%
Nikkei 225−0.44%
TASI (Saudi)+1.65%
ADX (Abu Dhabi)−0.02%
DFM (Dubai)+3.96%
Commodities
Brent (Jan)$94.62−8.67%
WTI (Dec)$88.12−8.29%
Gold (Dec)$4,073.00+3.37%
Rates
US 10-Yr4.89%−5.8bp
FX
EUR/USD1.12590.00%
Digital Assets
EUR/USD and Bitcoin at 07:00 GST Thursday, 24-hour change.
Bitcoin$80,480+5.78%
03·Chart of the Day

Hospitals up, defence down.

US stocks · share prices · close Wed 4 Nov

Six stocks, one session.

Change in Wednesday’s regular session, %.

Key takeaway · A hospital owner and two discount-store chains led the gains, while an oil major and a weapons maker fell as Brent slid.

Source: Yahoo Finance closing prices; AP, Wednesday 4 Nov.

04·What Else Matters

Iran, chips and Europe.

Iran

Open to a settlement

  • Trump: told the Financial Times on Tuesday he had no immediate plans to strike Iran, CNBC reported.
  • Diplomacy: senior US and Iranian officials have signalled openness to a settlement, CNBC reported.

CNBC · 4 Nov

Asia

Chipmakers slide

  • Seoul: the Kospi was down 3.9% at about 07:00 GST; AP reported that selling of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix drove the fall.
  • Tokyo: Tokyo Electron dropped 7.7% and Advantest 9.4% in morning trade.

AP · 5 Nov; Yahoo Finance · 5 Nov

Europe

October inflation

  • Euro zone: inflation rose to 4% in October, a three-year high, a flash estimate showed.
  • Rate bets: markets put the odds of a December European Central Bank rate hike above 72%, CNBC reported.

CNBC · 4 Nov

05·MENA Focus

Dubai leads, Emaar bids.

  • Dubai: the index led Gulf gains, with Emirates NBD up 6.1% and Emaar Properties up 4.4%, Reuters reported.
  • Emaar offer: Emaar is offering AED 15 a share in cash for the Emaar Development shares it does not already own, Reuters reported.
  • Saudi Arabia: Al Rajhi Bank rose 2.2%.
  • Qatar: the index rose 2.8%, with Qatar National Bank up 5.3%.
  • UAE economy: the non-oil PMI, a survey where above 50 means growth, eased to 54.8 in October, The National reported.
  • Prices: firms raised selling prices at a record pace.

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