Gold rises in the early Asian trade in a likely technical recovery. Gold ended Friday's trading with largest weekly price drop since the Covid lockdown in March 2020. Recently, Fed Chair Jerome Powell emphasized there's no hurry to cut rates, pointing to U.S. economy's "notable" performance, says Pepperstone's Quasar Elizundia in an email. The shift in Fed rate-cut expectations and U.S. dollar strength have pressured the precious metal, the research strategist adds. Spot gold is 0.4% higher at $2,572.17/oz. Source: Marketwatch
Oil held a weekly decline on concerns over plentiful supply and the outlook for demand in China, the world's biggest crude importer. Brent crude traded below $71 a barrel after falling 3.8% last week, while West Texas Intermediate was near $67. The prospect of a supply glut next year and a stronger dollar has weighed on prices, while monthly figures showed another drop in apparent oil demand in China during October. Oil has swung between gains and losses since mid-October, with hostilities in the Middle East at times raising fears of an escalation and potential disruption to...
The Australian dollar (AUD) extended its gains for the second straight session on Monday, supported by hawkish comments from Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Governor Michele Bullock on Thursday. Bullock stressed that interest rates are currently tight enough and will remain unchanged until the central bank is confident about the inflation outlook. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Australian government bond eased slightly to around 4.66%, down from a one-year high. Recent data showed a slowdown in employment growth in October, while the unemployment rate remained stable, highlighting the...