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...
USD/JPY hovers near 149.37, little changed after the Fed keeps rates unchanged but slows balance sheet reduction.Inflation remains "somewhat" elevated, with the Fed revising PCE and Core PCE higher, while GDP and unemployment estimates were lowered.Fed Governor Waller dissents, favoring an unchanged pace of balance sheet reduction as markets digest mixed policy signals.The USD/JPY pair climbs on Wednesday after the Federal Open Market Committee's (FOMC) decision to keep rates unchanged. Even though officials turned cautious on rates, the US Dollar (USD) failed to rally sharply. The pair...
The AUD/USD pair initially fell below 0.6330 following the Federal Reserve's (Fed) monetary policy decision but later trimmed part of its losses as the US Dollar (USD) lost ground post-Powell's press conference. The Fed left interest rates unchanged at 4.5%, reinforcing a cautious approach amid inflation and economic uncertainties. The latest FOMC dot plot signaled a gradual policy easing ahead, with the median rate forecast for 2025 revised down to 3.375% from 3.875%. GDP expectations were also adjusted lower to 1.7% from 2.1%, while unemployment projections rose to 4.4%, indicating...
Oil prices edged up on Wednesday after U.S. government data showed a draw in fuel inventories, but the Federal Reserve's decision to hold interest rates steady capped gains. Brent crude futures settled up 22 cents, or 0.31%, to $70.78 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) closed 26 cents, or 0.39%, higher at $67.16. U.S. crude stocks rose by 1.7 million barrels last week to 437 million barrels, U.S. government data showed, exceeding the 512,000-barrel rise analysts had expected. However, distillate inventories, which include diesel and heating oil, fell by 2.8 million barrels...
Gold prices rallied sharply and hit a new all-time high of $3,052 on Wednesday as US Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell spoke following the Fed's decision to hold rates unchanged. At the time of writing, the XAU/USD trades volatile within the $3,035-$3,050 range, up more than 0.20%. The Fed decided to keep rates unchanged at the 4.25%-4.50% range and tweaked its balance sheet, which is expected to run off in April. The Fed acknowledged that labor market conditions remain solid but noted that inflation remains "somewhat" elevated, reaffirming its commitment to monitoring risks to both...
Gold prices inched up on Wednesday as rising concerns over U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff plans and the Middle East boosted interest in the safe-haven asset, even as investors awaited the Federal Reserve's policy decision later in the day. Spot gold gained 0.2% to $3,039.38 an ounce as of 1202 GMT, after hitting an all-time peak of $3,045.24 earlier in the session. U.S. gold futures added 0.2% to $3,046.70. "Rising tensions in the Middle East are driving renewed safe-haven demand, with gold prices likely to gain further support as the April 2 deadline for U.S. universal tariffs...
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...