Renewed tensions between the United States and Russia have resurfaced following an incident involving an oil tanker, sparking market concerns about potential disruptions to global energy supplies. Washington's move, associated with tightening oversight and enforcement of sanctions on Russian oil shipments, is viewed by Moscow as provocative and could worsen relations between the two countries. Russia views these actions as an attempt by the United States to suppress Russian energy exports and strengthen its dominance in the global oil market. Meanwhile, Washington argues that these measures...
Gold futures rise as the U.S. dollar weakens and investors position themselves ahead of key U.S. economic data. Futures are up 0.6% at $3,420.80 a troy ounce. The precious metal has edged higher as the weaker dollar improves gold's comparative safe-haven aspects. U.S. Treasurys also began to slide in the previous session, further supporting gold, SP Angel analysts say in a note. The 10-year fell below 4.4% for the first time since early May, as weak ADP numbers raised concerns over the strength of the U.S. labor market, SP Angel says. Market attention now turns to Friday's nonfarm payroll...
Oil remained stuck near $65 a barrel as signs Saudi Arabia is seeking another big production increase at next month's OPEC+ meeting offset the outlook for summer demand. Brent futures posted a slight recovery Thursday, but prices have been largely bound to a narrow price range since the middle of May. Broader markets were also moslty flat as traders await US jobs data due on Friday. Saudi Arabia wants the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies to continue to add at least 411,000 barrels a day of output in August and potentially September, according to...
Silver prices surged to $35.60 per ounce on Thursday, reaching their highest level since February 2012, as weak US economic data and a dovish Federal Reserve outlook fueled safe-haven demand ahead of Friday's non-farm payrolls report. Expectations for a Fed rate cut in September have intensified following a string of disappointing indicators. The latest ADP report showed just 37,000 private-sector jobs were added in May, the weakest monthly gain since March 2023, while the ISM Services PMI dropped to 49.9, signaling the sector's first contraction in nearly a year. Outside of economic...
'Slightly pessimistic and uncertain' was the characterisation of the US outlook expressed in the Fed's Beige Book released last night and ahead of the next FOMC meeting on 19 June. Yet business sentiment did not show any clear deterioration over prior Beige Books, and the report also noted that 'there were widespread reports of contacts expecting costs and prices to rise at a faster rate going forward'. This latter point is keeping the Fed resistant to growing political pressure to cut rates, ING's FX analyst Chris Turner notes. USD is susceptible to further downside "Softer US data has...
Gold price (XAU/USD) lacks any firm intraday directional bias on Thursday and oscillates in a narrow trading band through the first half of the European session. The commodity, however, remains close to a multi-week top touched on Tuesday and seems poised to appreciate further amid a combination of supporting factors. Investors remain on edge amid rising geopolitical risks and persistent trade-related uncertainties. This might continue to act as a tailwind for the safe-haven precious ahead of potential talks between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Meanwhile,...
Asian stock markets fell in unison on Thursday, following Wall Street's decline. A brief rally in tech stocks led by Nvidia quickly faded, prompting investors to turn away from riskier assets like...
European stock indices closed marginally lower on Wednesday as equities took a breather from their recent strong momentum, while investors continued to assess the outlook for the ECB's policy this...
The upcoming Supreme Court ruling on the legality of President Donald Trump's massive tariffs, which rocked markets in April, is one of the next major tests for US stocks and bonds.
Equity markets...