Oil prices were steady throughout the day and week, with investors focused on the meeting between the US and Russian presidents on Friday night. West Texas Intermediate crude traded near $64 a barrel after surging 2.1% in the previous session to offset losses earlier in the week, while Brent closed above $66 in thin trade. Vladimir Putin ramped up his appeal before the summit in Alaska, while Donald Trump sought to dampen hopes for a breakthrough. Any sign of easing US sanctions on Russian energy could lead to a further decline in oil prices, which have fallen about 10% this year amid...
Gold is headed for a weekly loss, as traders scale back bets on a Federal Reserve interest rate cut next month following rising inflation. Gold bullion traded near $3,335 an ounce, after ending the previous session 0.6% lower following a report showing US wholesale inflation rose in July at its highest pace in three years. Treasury yields and the dollar strengthened after the data, weighing on non-interest-bearing gold as it is priced in that currency. Swap traders now see about a 90% chance the US central bank will cut interest rates in September, having fully priced in such a move...
Silver prices (XAG/USD) held below US$38 per troy ounce on Friday, after plunging more than 1% in the previous session. Pressure persisted as higher-than-expected US producer price inflation (PPI) dampened hopes for a significant Fed rate cut in September and kept interest in non-yielding assets low. Data-wise, weekly jobless claims came in at 224,000, better than the 228,000 forecast, indicating a still-resilient labor market. The combination of a hot PPI and solid claims has reduced the urgency for aggressive easing, reinforcing the "soft landing" narrative among market...