Daily summary: Trump–Zelensky talk brings no significant progress 📣

U.S. indices ended the day little changed. US500 fell 0.11% to 6,464 points, US100 lost 0.18% to 23,760 points, while US2000 gained 0.35% to 2,300 points.

Investor attention in the final phase of today’s session turned to the conversation between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky. The U.S. President stated that the war will end, though it’s not yet clear when.

Trump also said peace talks would most likely need to be conducted without a ceasefire, which had been one of Ukraine’s conditions. He added that the U.S. would participate in guaranteeing peace but gave no details on the form this would take. Early comments suggest the conflict is unlikely to see a swift resolution, as it remains difficult to meet the key objectives of both Ukraine and Russia. Markets now await further talks with NATO/European representatives.

The U.S. and Canadian dollars remain among the strongest G10 currencies, while the Japanese yen and the euro are among the weakest. EURUSD fell 0.45% to 1.16630, while the USD index rose 0.28% to 97.990.

The Trump administration is reportedly considering taking a 10% stake in Intel by converting part of its CHIPS Act grants into equity, according to White House sources. Intel shares fell 4.70%. Meanwhile, Applied Digital (APLD.US) jumped 15% to $16.35 after announcing the launch of its $3 billion Polaris Forge 2 AI data center project.

Warren Buffett revealed Friday that the company he had been quietly accumulating was controversial United Healthcare. Shares surged 14% on Friday and extended gains by 2.65% today (Monday).

Cryptocurrencies pared part of their weekend and early-session sell-off. Bitcoin fell 0.75% to $116,600 after earlier losses of as much as 2.30% to $114,900. Ethereum dropped 2.80% to $4,350, while Bitcoin dominance rose to 59.70% of total crypto market capitalization.

Natural gas (NATGAS) declined today following new U.S. weather forecasts for late August, showing significantly cooler-than-normal temperatures, which may reduce seasonal demand for the commodity.