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...
Pakistan says it has shot down five Indian planes and captured Indian soldiers in retaliation for an Indian military strike early Wednesday. The shooting down of the jets was not a "hostile act" and Pakistan was defending its territory, Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Wednesday. India's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for information sent outside Indian business hours. The Indian government has previously said it has carried out targeted military strikes against Pakistan, an expected move after it vowed to...
President Trump offered some fresh comments on trade deals Tuesday, suggesting he is in no real hurry to sign any deals despite the clock ticking on the 90-day reciprocal tariff pause. "Everyone says 'when are you gonna sign deals?," Trump commented today at the White House. "We don't have to sign deals." Trump indicated that the U.S. could sign numerous deals immediately but chooses to prioritize the nation's interests, stating that other countries need the U.S. market more than the U.S. needs theirs. More and more, it is looking like Trump will not offer free trade agreements, but all...
The Trump administration has declared Harvard University ineligible for new federal research grants in the latest escalation between the White House and the Ivy League school. Education Secretary Linda McMahon will send a letter warning the university that access to additional federal funding will be blocked until "they demonstrate responsible management," according to an administration official who reviewed the move on condition of anonymity. Harvard will need to negotiate with the administration to resume eligibility, the official added. The official said the move could affect more than...
U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday announced a 100% tariff on movies produced outside the country, saying the American movie industry was dying a "very fast death" due to the incentives that other countries were offering to lure filmmakers. "This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda," Trump said on Truth Social. Trump said he was authorizing the relevant government agencies, such as the Department of Commerce, to immediately begin the process of imposing a 100% tariff on all...
The ISM Services PMI unexpectedly jumped to 51.6 in April 2025 from a nine-month low of 50.8 in March and below forecasts of 50.6. New orders (52.3 vs 50.4) and inventories (53.4 vs 50.3) grew at a faster pace and business activity remained in expansion territory (53.7 vs 55.9) while employment continued to contract although at a slower pace (49 vs 46.2). Source: Trading Economics
U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said the U.S. was meeting with many countries, including China, on trade deals, and his main priority with China was to secure a fair trade deal. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he had no plans to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, but U.S. officials were speaking with Chinese officials about a variety of different things. Asked if any trade agreements would be announced this week, Trump said that could "very well be" but gave no details. Trump's top officials have engaged in a flurry of meetings with trading partners...
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he will not remove Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman before his term ends in May 2026. Trump reiterated his belief that the US central bank will have to lower interest rates at some point. "Yes, he's going to have to. And at some point, he will. He'd rather not because he's not a fan of me. You know, he just doesn't like me because I think he's very rigid," Trump said. (Newsmaker23) Source: FXstreet
The U.S. economy added 177,000 jobs in April 2025, a slowdown from the downwardly revised 185,000 in March, but significantly surpassing market expectations of 130,000. This figure aligns closely with the average monthly gain of 152,000 over the past 12 months, despite growing uncertainty surrounding President Donald Trump's aggressive tariff policies. Job growth was primarily seen in sectors such as health care (+51,000), transportation and warehousing (+29,000), financial activities (+14,000), and social assistance (+8,000), while federal government employment experienced a decline...
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....