Stephen Miran, a Federal Reserve governor whose term ends at the end of January, said Thursday that he is looking for 150 basis points of interest-rate cuts this year to boost the U.S. labor market. Miran told Bloomberg Television's Surveillance program that Fed officials had room to further reduce rates given his view that underlying inflation was likely running at 2.3%. "I'm looking for about a point and a half of cuts. A lot of that is driven by my view of inflation," Miran said. "Underlying inflation is running within noise of our target, and that's a good indication of where overall...
Oil prices rose on Tuesday amid concerns that the Iran-Israel conflict could escalate, raising the risk of further unrest and potential disruptions to oil supplies from the key Middle East producing region. Brent crude futures rose 34 cents, or 0.5%, to $73.57 a barrel by 0340 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 29 cents, or 0.4%, to $72.06. Both contracts rose more than 2% earlier in the session. Oil prices fell more than 1% on Monday amid hopes that the conflict would ease after media reports that Iran was seeking to end hostilities. However, concerns grew after U.S....
Gold rose on Tuesday as rising geopolitical uncertainty stemming from the Israel-Iran row and U.S. President Donald Trump's call to evacuate Tehran prompted investors to seek safe-haven assets. Spot gold was up 0.4% at $3,396.67 an ounce, by 0239 GMT, after falling more than 1% on Monday. U.S. gold futures were steady at $3,416.30. "Market sentiment continues to fluctuate between escalation and de-escalation regarding events in the Middle East, and it is this shift in sentiment back and forth that is driving gold prices either side of the $3,400 level," said Tim Waterer, chief market...
The dollar firmed slightly on Tuesday, though most currencies held tight ranges as investors remained concerned about ongoing tensions in the Middle East and awaited an upcoming central bank decision. The Bank of Japan concludes its two-day monetary policy meeting on Tuesday, where it is widely expected to keep interest rates steady and consider tapering bond purchases slowly starting next fiscal year. Ahead of the outcome, the yen firmed slightly to 144.70 per dollar, reversing some of its decline from the previous session. "Markets are now refocusing their attention on the usual...
Gold edged up in early Asian trading amid ongoing geopolitical tensions that typically boost the precious metal's appeal as a safe haven. Israel attacked buildings belonging to Iran's state-owned media company in Tehran. The attacks came despite Tehran sending a message through intermediaries calling for a return to nuclear talks if the U.S. stays out of the conflict. "The geopolitical backdrop remains highly volatile," Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at City Index and FOREX.com, said in an email. "The Israeli attack on Iran has injected a clear risk premium across commodities," the...
Oil prices slipped $1 per barrel on Monday in volatile trading after reports that Iran is seeking an end to hostilities with Israel, raising the possibility of a truce and easing fears of a disruption to crude supplies from the region. Brent crude futures settled $1, or 1.35%, lower to $73.23 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell $1.21, or 1.66%, to $71.77 per barrel. Iran has asked Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman to press U.S. President Donald Trump to use his influence on Israel for an immediate ceasefire in return for Tehran's flexibility in talks about its nuclear...
Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda stated that achieving 2% inflation is getting closer, although real inflation remains low. Ueda emphasized that the BOJ will continue to raise interest rates...
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) maintained its cash rate at 4.1% during its April meeting, holding borrowing costs unchanged after slashing 25 bps in the February meeting, aligning with market...