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...
United States (US) President Donald Trump announced an ongoing desire to resolve the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday. This marks the second joint press conference between Trump and another head of state involved in the Ukrainian invasion, following Friday's joint presser with Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Donald Trump's soft rhetoric on hopefully, maybe finding some semblance of a peace deal marks a sharp about-face from the language Trump used just before he met with Putin late last week....
U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that he "knows exactly" what he's doing regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, while criticizing those who question his approach. In a post on Truth Social, Trump asserted he had "settled 6 Wars in 6 months, one of them a possible Nuclear disaster," and said that the the ongoing war as "Sleepy Joe Biden's war, not mine," adding that he was "only here to stop it, not to prosecute it any further." He again insisted the conflict "would have NEVER happened" during his administration. The president dismissed critics, particularly mentioning the Wall...
US President Donald Trump urged Ukraine to give up on hopes of regaining annexed Crimea or joining NATO, as he prepared to host President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European leaders in Washington on Monday to urge Kyiv to accept a peace deal with Russia. After rolling out the red carpet for Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, Trump urged Ukraine to accept a deal to end Europe's deadliest war in 80 years, which has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions. Trump will meet first with Zelenskiy and then with the leaders of Britain, Germany, France, Italy,...
The Trump administration has expanded its 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to cover hundreds of additional products. In a Federal Register notice on Friday, the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security said 407 new product codes were being added to the U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule, making them subject to duties on their steel and aluminum content. The notice clarified that non-steel and non-aluminum components will still face tariff rates already imposed on goods from certain countries. The expanded levies will take effect today, August 18. President Trump told...
Talks on a proposed U.S.-India trade deal have been delayed after a planned visit by American negotiators to New Delhi on August 25–29 was called off, Reuters reported. The move dashed hopes of easing fresh U.S. tariffs on Indian goods set to take effect August 27. The U.S. embassy reportedly said it had no further details, noting that talks are led by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). Earlier this month, President Trump imposed an extra 25% tariff on Indian goods over New Delhi's continued imports of Russian oil, pushing some duties to as high as 50%—among the steepest on any U.S....
US consumer sentiment fell to 58.6 in August from 61.7—the first decline since April. The University of Michigan survey was conducted July 29–August 11, with tariff concerns again weighing on confidence. Full-year inflation expectations rose to 4.9%, while the 5–10-year forecast was 3.9%. Both were worse than economists' forecasts. Job concerns also increased: 62% of respondents predicted unemployment would rise. 58% planned to cut back on spending (cars, household goods, dining out), and durable goods purchasing conditions fell to their lowest in a year. Meanwhile, retail sales continued...
President Donald Trump said he would set levies on semiconductors in the coming two weeks, the latest indication he's readying a substantial expansion of his tariff regime. "I'll be setting tariffs next week and the week after, on steel and on, I would, say chips — chips and semiconductors, we'll be setting sometime next week, week after," Trump told reporters Friday aboard Air Force One en route to Alaska for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It wasn't clear if Trump misspoke about steel tariffs. He already hiked duties on steel and aluminum imports to 50% in...
Retail sales in the US increased 0.5% month-over-month in July 2025, in line with market expectations and following an upwardly revised 0.9% rise in June. The largest increases were seen in sales at motor vehicle & parts dealers (1.6%) and furniture & home furn. stores (1.4%). Other gains were seen in sales at sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, & book store (0.8%), nonstore retailers (0.8%), clothing & clothing accessories stores (0.7%) and gasoline stations (0.7%). Source: Trading Economics
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....