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 rose for a second day after the U.S. pledged to reduce Iran's energy exports to zero. West Texas Intermediate traded near $63 a barrel after rising nearly 2% on Wednesday, putting futures on track for their first weekly gain this month. Brent crude settled below $66. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. would apply maximum pressure to disrupt Iran's oil supply chain, as his department sanctioned a second Chinese refinery accused of handling crude from the Islamic Republic. The so-called teapot refinery sanctioned by the U.S. — Shandong Shengxing Chemical Co. Ltd. — is suspected...
Gold prices just wrapped up their biggest daily gain since April 2020, when panicked investors were hoarding the precious metal during the Covid market meltdown. Gold futures rose 3.4%, or $107.90 a troy ounce, Wednesday to settle at $3,326.60, a fresh record. Futures are up 40% over the past year, blowing past Wall Street's expectations for 2025, but it isn't just nervous investors who are gobbling up gold. Central banks, particularly those in countries with strained relationships with the U.S., have been stockpiling gold as well. This trend took off in 2022 after Russia was sanctioned...
Gold prices keep their upside impulse well in place and hit an all-time peak just below the $3,330 mark per troy ounce on Wednesday. Further gains in the precious metal come from a weaker US Dollar, unabated uncertainty surrounding United States (US) tariffs and declining US yields across the curve. Source: Fxstreet
Oil prices rose around 1% on Wednesday, as the market drew some strength from the possibility of trade talks between China and the United States and a report that Iraq will cut oil production in April Brent crude futures rose 70 cents, or 1.08%, to $65.37 a barrel by 1311 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was also up 70 cents, or 1.14%, at $62.03. Prices rose after a Bloomberg report quoted an anonymous source as saying that China wants more respect from the Trump administration before it will agree to talks, analysts said. The source was also quoted as saying China wanted the...
Gold prices extended their surge to cross $3,310 per ounce on Wednesday, another record high, as the increasing unpredictability regarding US trade policy and low demand for the US dollar and Treasury securities left gold as one of the main safe-haven assets in the market. US President Trump launched a probe to place new tariffs on critical minerals, escalating the trade war with China shortly after concessions on autos and electronics. The move extended ongoing probes on copper, pharmaceuticals, lumber, and semiconductors, increasing the range of tariffs on key goods that the US has...
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...