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 U.S. Commerce Department said on Tuesday it is hiking steel and aluminum tariffs on more than 400 products including wind turbines, mobile cranes, appliances, bulldozers and other heavy equipment, along with railcars, motorcycles, marine engines, furniture and hundreds of other products. The department said 407 product categories are being added to the list of "derivative" steel and aluminum products covered by sectoral tariffs, with a 50% tariff on any steel and aluminum content of these products plus the country rate on the non-steel and non-aluminum content. Evercore ISI said in a...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he ruled out putting U.S. troops on the ground in Ukraine but said the United States might provide air support as part of a deal to end Russia's war in the country. A day after Trump pledged security guarantees to help end the war at an extraordinary White House summit, the path to peace remained uncertain as the U.S. and allies prepared to work out what military support for Ukraine might include. "When it comes to security, (Europeans) are willing to put people on the ground. We're willing to help them with things, especially, probably, ... by...
Donald Trump urged Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy to show "flexibility" as the US president seeks to expedite his efforts to end the war in Ukraine. "I hope President Putin will behave, and if he doesn't, it's going to be a difficult situation," Trump said Tuesday in an interview on Fox News. "I hope Zelenskiy, President Zelenskiy, will do what he has to do. He has to show flexibility." Trump's comments follow a series of twists and turns as the US president seeks to end Russia's war against Ukraine, now in its fourth year. Trump held a summit in Alaska with...
S&P Global Ratings stated that revenue from Donald Trump's tariffs will help mitigate the impact of the president's tax cuts on US fiscal health, allowing the country to maintain its current credit rating. Although Trump's trade war has roiled markets, unsettled foreign governments, and drawn criticism from leading economists, S&P affirmed the US's AA+ rating—a score it has held since 2011, when it first downgraded the world's largest economy from AAA. This is partly because S&P expects the inflow of tax revenues to offset the impact of the recent tax and spending bill on the...
US President Donald Trump told President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday that the United States would help guarantee Ukraine's security in any deal to end Russia's war there, though the extent of the assistance was unclear. Trump made the pledge during an extraordinary summit at the White House, where he hosted Zelenskiy and a group of European allies following his Friday meeting in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "In terms of security, there will be a lot of help," Trump told reporters, adding that European countries would be involved. "They are the first line of defense...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he was arranging a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss an end to their longstanding conflict. Trump also raised the possibility of trilateral talks with the two after their initial meeting. "I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy. After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself," Trump said in a Truth.Social...
President Donald Trump said Monday he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to end the war in Ukraine, suggesting potential progress toward peace negotiations. Trump made the remarks during a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the White House's Oval Office, which followed Friday's Russia-United States Alaska summit where Trump met with Putin. "I believe Putin wants it to end," Trump stated during the meeting, adding that there's a "possibility that something could come out of Putin meeting." The U.S. president hinted at potential three-way...
U.S. President Donald Trump told President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday that the United States would help guarantee Ukraine's security in any deal to end Russia's war there, though the extent of any promised assistance was not immediately clear. Trump made the pledge during an extraordinary summit at the White House, where he hosted Zelenskiy and a group of European allies two days after Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska and months after a disastrous Oval office meeting where Trump and Vice President JD Vance publicly criticized the Ukrainian leader. A peace deal...
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....