The US dollar rose against its major trading partners early Friday, except for a decline versus the yen, before the release of personal income, spending and price data for February at 8:30 am ET. The final University of Michigan consumer sentiment reading for March is due to be released at 10:00 am ET at the same time as state unemployment data for February. The Kansas City Federal Reserve's services reading for March follows at 11:00 am ET and updates to the Atlanta and St. Louis Fed's gross domestic product growth Nowcast estimates are due around midday. Fed Governor Michael Barr is...
Gold rose to a record amid concerns about a widening trade war after President Donald Trump pushed ahead with US tariffs on all auto imports. Bullion gained as much as 0.9% on Friday to top $3,085 an ounce, beating the previous record set a day earlier. It was on track for a fourth weekly gain, with prices supported by growing haven demand. Trump on Thursday signed a proclamation to slap a 25% tariff on auto imports and pledged harsher punishment on Europe and Canada if they join forces "to do economic harm" to the US. Markets are also bracing for a fresh wave of trade...
Oil prices were set for a third weekly gain on Friday as the U.S. ramped up pressure on Venezuela and Iran, though worries over whether Washington's tariff war could curb demand weighed on markets. Brent crude futures were flat at $74.03 a barrel at 1235 GMT and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 1 cent at $69.93 a barrel. Both contracts have gained about 2.5% so far this week, and have risen around 7% since hitting multi-month lows in early March. The main driver of the price rally has been the shifting landscape of global oil sanctions, BMI analysts wrote in a market...