Oil prices stabilized on Thursday (February 12th), as the market reassigned a risk premium to US-Iran tensions despite US inventory data showing swelling domestic supplies. This movement confirms one thing: geopolitical headlines are still more "noise" than signals of a short-term surplus. As of 3:50 PM WIB, Brent was at $69.60/barrel (+0.29%) and WTI was at $64.83/barrel (+0.31%). The gains were moderate, but enough to keep prices near the psychological $70 level for Brent. From a geopolitical perspective, market focus is on the potential for escalation in the Middle East. Recent reports...
The ADP report showed private employment fell in September; economists had expected a rise. Private employment fell 32,000 (estimated +51,000) in September compared with a revised -3,000 in August, according to the ADP Research Institute and the Stanford Digital Economy Lab. Estimates ranged from +25,000 to +80,000, according to 28 economists. Employment in the goods-producing sector fell 3,000. Employment in the services sector fell 28,000. (alg) Source: Bloomberg
The U.S. government shut down much of its operations on Wednesday as deep partisan divisions prevented Congress and the White House from reaching a funding deal, setting off what could be a long, grueling standoff that could lead to the loss of thousands of federal jobs. There was no clear path out of the impasse, while agencies warned that the 15th government shutdown since 1981 would halt the release of a closely watched September employment report, opens new tab, slow air travel, opens new tab, suspend scientific research, withhold pay from U.S. troops and lead to the furlough of 750,000...
Federal Reserve (Fed) Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee noted on Tuesday that "short" government shutdowns tend to have a limited impact on the broader economy. The statements come at a time when the US government is barreling into a funding gap and subsequent shutdown. Goolsbee also noted that he hopes tariffs result in a one-time inflation bump, rather than a drawn out inflationary pressure boost. Goolsbee's tariff comments come just after the Trump administration announced further targetted tariffs across a wide range of goods including cabinets and lumber. Short government...
U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with his Argentine counterpart Javier Milei in two weeks, Argentina said on Tuesday, as Milei seeks to clinch a credit swap line from the U.S. that has rankled some Republicans as the South American nation offloaded billions of dollars in soy to China. The two will meet at the White House on October 14, during the week the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are set to convene in Washington. The Argentine foreign ministry called the meeting a "new opportunity to continue strengthening the strategic partnership between both...
U.S. President Donald Trump warned congressional Democrats on Tuesday that allowing the federal government to shut down at midnight would allow his administration to take "irreversible" actions including shutting down programs important to them. "We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them and irreversible by them, like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like," Trump said in remarks to reporters from the White House Oval Office. "You all know Russell Vought," Trump added, referring to the...
The number of job openings on the last business day of August stood at 7.22 million, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported in the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) on Tuesday. This reading followed the 7.2 million openings reported for July and came in above the market expectation of 7.2 million. "Over the month, both hires and total separations were little changed at 5.1 million," the BLS noted in its press release. "Within separations, both quits (3.1 million) and layoffs and discharges (1.7 million) were little changed." This data failed to trigger a noticeable...
Washington braced for a looming government shutdown on Tuesday, as Republicans and Democrats appeared unlikely to reach a deal that would extend funding past the midnight deadline. The Republican-controlled Senate is expected to vote on a stopgap spending bill that has already failed once, with no signs that a second vote will be successful. Democrats want to modify the must-pass spending bill to extend health benefits for millions of Americans that are set to expire at the end of the year. Republicans say they should address the issue separately. Meanwhile, federal agencies released...
President Donald Trump secured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's endorsement on Monday for a US-sponsored peace proposal to end the nearly two-year war in Gaza, but questions arose over whether Hamas would accept the plan. Speaking at a joint press conference at the White House after a meeting with Netanyahu, Trump said they were "very close" to an elusive peace deal for the Palestinian territories. However, he warned the Islamist group Hamas that Israel would have full US support to take any action necessary if the militants reject its offer. The White House released a 20-point...
Gold rises in the early Asian trade. There's a broad commodities uptrend, driven by macro uncertainty, a weaker dollar, and persistent demand for "hard" assets, says Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst...
Oil extended declines after OPEC+ agreed to a bigger-than-expected production increase next month, raising concerns about oversupply just as US tariffs fan fears about the demand outlook.
Brent...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) weakened against its US counterpart and reversed part of Friday's recovery from the lowest level since July 23 following Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda's remarks....