Oil prices edged up on Thursday after Saudi Arabia's state oil company raised its March crude prices sharply, but the gains barely dented the previous day's slide in benchmark Brent crude. Brent crude futures rose 28 cents, or 0.4%, to $74.89 a barrel by 0952 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up 35 cents, or 0.5%, at $71.38. Oil prices had plunged by more than 2% on Wednesday as a large build in U.S. crude and gasoline stockpiles signalled weaker demand while investors also weighed up the implications of a new round of U.S.-China trade tariffs, including duties on energy...
The dollar edged up on Thursday, but stayed close to recent lows, as traders weighed receding trade war risks and looked ahead to Friday's key U.S. data, while sterling dipped ahead of the Bank of England's policy decision. The yen touched an eight-week top versus the U.S. dollar after a Bank of Japan policy board member advocated continued interest rate hikes, but pared the gains and was broadly flat in European trade. The dollar rose against a basket of peers to 108, but still hovered near the lowest level since the start of last week, with investors beginning to entertain prospects that...
Bank of Japan (BOJ) board member Naoki Tamura's remarks on Thursday (Feb. 6) have boosted the yen, as he suggested interest rates should reach at least 1% in the second half of the fiscal year starting in April 2025. Tamura, known for his hawkish stance, indicated that the BOJ should act in response to rising inflationary pressures from rising raw material and labor costs. Tamura's remarks have fueled market expectations of a near-term rate hike, with the yen strengthening against the dollar, which fell to a two-month low of 151.81 yen. Furthermore, the yield on the two-year Japanese...