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...
President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order approving a deal to keep TikTok operating in the U.S., with Vice President JD Vance saying it values the business at USD 14 billion. The plan, which still requires Beijing's approval, meets national security law requirements that force ByteDance to divest most of TikTok's U.S. operations or face a ban. A new joint venture will run the business, with ByteDance holding under 20%. Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi's MGX will control about 45%, while ByteDance investors and new stakeholders will take 35%, CNBC reported. Oracle will...
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that starting Oct. 1, the U.S. will impose new import tariffs: 50% on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, 30% on upholstered furniture, and 25% on heavy trucks. He stated on social media that foreign manufacturers are "flooding the United States" with these products, prompting the need for tariffs "for National Security and other reasons." Trump emphasized that foreign-made heavy trucks and parts are harming domestic producers, framing the move as a protective measure for American industry. Source: Trading Economics
China would purchase U.S. soybeans if the United States removes what it calls "unreasonable tariffs" and creates conditions to support bilateral trade, a Chinese commerce ministry spokesperson said Thursday. Despite being the world's largest soybean buyer, China has yet to book U.S. cargoes from the autumn harvest, favoring South American supplies instead. Senior Chinese trade negotiator Li Chenggang recently met U.S. Midwest political and business leaders, signaling potential purchases ahead of broader trade talks. However, disagreements over technical details are complicating...
The U.S. economy grew by more than previously projected in the second quarter, fueled by an upward revision in consumer spending. U.S. gross domestic product, an indicator of growth in the world's biggest economy, expanded by 3.8% during the April to June period, according to the third and final estimate from the Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis on Thursday. A prior estimate had suggested that the U.S. economy grew by 3.3% in the second quarter, after contracting by 0.5% in the first quarter. The first estimate showed growth of 3.0%. Source : Investing.com
According to a report from the US Department of Labor released on Thursday (September 25), the number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment insurance rose to 218k for the week ending September 21. This latest figure is higher than expected and lower than the 232k in the previous week. Source: Newsmaker.id
President Donald Trump warned Tuesday at the UN General Assembly that the U.S. is prepared for a "very strong round of powerful tariffs" if Russia does not agree to end the war in Ukraine. He criticized European nations for continuing to purchase Russian energy, saying, "They are funding the war against themselves," and argued that the EU must join Washington in imposing tariffs for them to be effective. While Europe has reduced Russian energy imports since the war began, Hungary and Slovakia remain key buyers of oil, and France, Belgium, and Spain still import natural gas, albeit at lower...
US President Donald Trump warned Russia on Tuesday that he was prepared to impose strong economic measures if it failed to end the war in Ukraine, and rejected global moves to recognize the state of Palestine in a bellicose speech before the UN General Assembly. In a wide-ranging foreign policy speech that included scathing criticism of the United Nations and European nations, Trump argued for lowering global migration and said world leaders must halt efforts to combat climate change, which he called the world's "biggest scam." Overall, the 56-minute speech was a rebuke of the world body...
The S&P Global US Manufacturing PMI eased to 52 in September 2025 from an over three-year high of 53 in August, in line with market forecasts, preliminary estimates showed. Output expanded for a fourth month, yet the increase was significantly softer than August's 39-month high. New orders increased for the ninth month but growth was only marginal, partly due to higher export losses from tariffs. Manufacturing job growth edged down, with input inventories rising at a softer pace. Meanwhile, lead times lengthened to the greatest degree in four months. On the price front, input prices...
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....