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...
The dollar headed for a weekly gain on most major peers on Friday as a U.S.-UK trade deal raised hopes of progress in looming U.S.-China talks, while bets of imminent Fed rate cuts receded after the central bank indicated it was in no hurry. Financial markets are heading into the weekend with the focus squarely on trade negotiations between Washington and Beijing due to begin on Saturday in Switzerland. The euro touched a one-month low of $1.1197 in Asia and was down about 0.6% for the week. The yen has weakened about 0.4% this week and hit a one-month trough of 146.18 per dollar, before...
The EUR/USD pair pared daily losses and traded around 1.1230 during the Asian session on Friday (09/05). The pair depreciated as the US dollar (USD) found support from upbeat US economic data and signs of easing trade tensions. US President Donald Trump announced a "major" trade deal with the United Kingdom (UK), although the headline tariffs remain at 10%, which has dampened market optimism. Attention now turns to initial US-China trade talks set for later this week in Switzerland, but both sides have downplayed expectations of a breakthrough. Trump continues to take a hardline stance on...
Government data released Friday showed that Japanese household spending rose 0.4% in March and 2.1% from a year earlier, both beating market expectations. Moreover, expectations that continued wage gains will boost consumer spending and inflation in Japan suggest that the Bank of Japan may not back off its interest rate hike plans altogether. In fact, minutes of the BoJ's monetary policy meeting held on March 18-19 revealed on Thursday that the central bank remains ready to raise interest rates further if inflation trends persist. This, in turn, bolstered the case for further policy...
Silver (XAG/USD) attracted some dip buyers near the $32.20 area during the Asian session on Friday (09/05) and climbed to a fresh intraday high in the last hour. However, the white metal remained within a broader trading range from the previous day and is currently trading just above the mid-$32.00s, up over 0.25% for the day. From a technical perspective, the recent price action along a descending channel constitutes the formation of a bullish flag pattern against the backdrop of a decent recovery from the $28.45 area, or the YTD low touched in April. Moreover, oscillators on the...
Oil prices were little changed on Friday morning after rising more than 3% in the previous session, as trade tensions between top oil consumers the U.S. and China showed signs of easing and Britain announced a "breakthrough" trade deal with the United States. Brent crude rose 7 cents, or 0.1%, to $62.91 a barrel while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 7 cents, or 0.1%, to $59.98 a barrel by 0121 GMT. On Thursday, Brent closed up 2.8%, or $1.72, and WTI gained 3.2%, or $1.84. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet with China's top economic official, Vice Premier He Lifeng, in...
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...