Oil prices settled slightly higher on Friday but posted a weekly decline, ending four straight weeks of gains, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping plans to boost domestic production while demanding that OPEC move to lower crude prices. Brent crude futures settled up 21 cents, or 0.27%, to $78.50 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) settled up 4 cents, or 0.05%, to $74.66. Brent has lost 2.8% this week while WTI was down 4.1%. Trump on Friday reiterated his call for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut oil prices to hurt oil-rich...
EUR/USD rallies to near the psychological resistance of 1.0500 on Friday as the Hamburg Commercial Bank (HCOB) reported that the Eurozone preliminary Composite Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) grew in January after shrinking in the last two months. Flash HCOB PMI report, compiled by S&P Global, showed that overall business activity expanded. The Composite PMI rose to 50.2 from 49.6 in November. Economists expected the PMI to continue to decline but at a slower pace to 49.7.The kick-off to the new year is mildly encouraging. The private sector is back in cautious growth mode after two...
Oil fell as President Donald Trump imposed his first set of sanctions and tariffs in a move that highlighted risks to the global economy and to trade. Brent dropped toward $78 a barrel after logging its first weekly decline this year, with West Texas Intermediate above $74. The US imposed tariffs and sanctions on Colombia after it didn't allow military planes carrying deported migrants to land. The administration has also threatened actions on flows of goods from a host of other nations, including Canada and China. Crude remains higher this year, after an earlier round of...