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...
U.S. and Chinese officials agreed to seek an extension of their 90-day tariff truce on Tuesday, following two days of what both sides described as constructive talks in Stockholm aimed at defusing an escalating trade war between the world's two biggest economies that threatens global growth. No major breakthroughs were announced, and U.S. officials said it was up to President Donald Trump to decide whether to extend a trade truce that expires on August 12 or potentially let tariffs shoot back up to triple-digit figures. But U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tamped down any expectation...
The United States and the European Union agreed on a framework trade deal to end months of uncertainty for industries and consumers. The two sides aim to produce a joint statement to clarify what they have agreed to, but here are the main elements of the deal that will enter into force on August 1 through an executive order by President Donald Trump, according to EU officials: * BASELINE TARIFF RATE: Almost all EU goods entering the U.S. will be subject to a 15% baseline tariff. The 15% tariff is not added to any existing rates. * CARS: Cars and car parts will be subject to the 15%...
US job openings declined to 7.44 million in June from a revised 7.71 million in May, according to data released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The drop follows two consecutive months of gains and keeps the overall level within a consistent range observed over the past year, suggesting generally stable demand for workers. The figure came in slightly below the median estimate of 7.5 million in a Bloomberg survey of economists. This data is closely watched by the Federal Reserve as it evaluates the health of the labor market and its impact on inflation. Despite the monthly dip, the...
The Kremlin said it was "taking note" of Donald Trump's threat to sharply shorten Vladimir Putin's deadline to end his war in Ukraine, although it stressed that the Russian president was unlikely to change course. "I would like to avoid making any judgments" about Trump's statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday. Russia continues the war and is also committed to resolving the conflict "and to ensuring our interests in this settlement," he said. Trump threatened on Monday to impose secondary sanctions within 10-12 days on countries buying Russian exports,...
US and Chinese officials began a second day of talks in Stockholm on Tuesday (July 29) to resolve a long-running economic dispute and de-escalate the escalating trade war between the world's two largest economies. The meeting may not have produced any immediate breakthroughs, but the two sides could agree to a 90-day extension of the tariff truce reached in mid-May. This could also pave the way for a possible meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping later in the year, although Trump on Tuesday denied making any significant efforts to make it happen. The...
The European Union and the U.S. will form a "metals alliance" to counter the impact of subsidised Chinese production on global markets, as part of their ongoing trade deal, EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said Monday. Following extensive talks, both sides agreed that their steel and aluminium sectors face a common threat. Under the deal, EU metal producers will receive tariff-free or low-tariff access to U.S. markets through a quota system, replacing former 50% tariffs imposed under President Trump. The system is still being finalized. "It became very, very clear that if it comes to...
President Donald Trump said on Monday most trading partners that do not negotiate separate trade deals would soon face tariffs of 15% to 20% on their exports to the United States, well above the broad 10% tariff he imposed in April. Trump told reporters his administration will notify some 200 countries soon of their new "world tariff" rate. "I would say it'll be somewhere in the 15 to 20% range," Trump told reporters, sitting alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his luxury golf resort in Turnberry, Scotland. "Probably one of those two numbers." Trump, who has vowed to end...
The U.S. central bank, to President Donald Trump's chagrin, will likely leave interest rates unchanged at a policy meeting this week, but that's not to say there won't be a vigorous debate, with one if not two Federal Reserve governors possibly casting a rare dissent in support of lower borrowing costs. The majority of Fed policymakers, though, remain concerned that Trump's tariffs could undo progress on bringing inflation back to the central bank's 2% goal, outweighing for now worries about the labor market. The trade deal struck between the U.S. and Japan last week, with tariffs set at...
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....