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. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday that he did not know whether President Donald Trump had spoken to Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, and that he was unaware of whether trade negotiations were taking place. Speaking during an interview with ABC News' This Week, Bessent said U.S. and Chinese officials had spoken during International Monetary Fund meetings in Washington last week, and that he had also then interacted with his Chinese counterpart. "I had interactions with my Chinese counterpart, but it was more on traditional things like financial stability, global economic...
A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Wayne Cole. It's been a blessedly quiet start to the week, with President Trump more engrossed on his disappointment with Russia, than his trade war. In this case, silence is golden, as the White House's communication on trade has been a lot more noise than signal. Thus, Agriculture Secretary Rollins tells TV they are speaking with China every day, likely news to Beijing. Then Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says he has not discussed tariffs with Chinese officials and doesn't know if Trump talked to Xi, as he claimed. Apparently...
U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said that his sweeping trade tariffs could help him cut income taxes for people making less than $200,000 a year, amid heightened anxiety over his economic agenda. Trump repeated his past claims that revenue from trade tariffs could help the U.S. government reduce income taxes, although he has not elaborated on these claims. "When Tariffs cut in, many people's Income Taxes will be substantially reduced, maybe even completely eliminated. Focus will be on people making less than $200,000 a year," Trump said in a post on Truth.Social. Trump's comments...
China exempted some US imports from its high tariffs on Friday in a sign that the trade war between the two countries may be easing, though China quickly dismissed US President Donald Trump's assertion that negotiations were underway. Business groups said China had allowed some US-made pharmaceutical drugs into the country without paying the 125% tariffs that Beijing imposed earlier this month in response to Trump's 145% tariffs on US imports. In addition, a list of 131 product categories that were said to be under consideration for exemptions has been circulating among some business and...
British retailers reported the best start to the year since 2021 in what may be a fleeting boost for the economy, with rising bills and the U.S. trade war increasingly weighing on consumer morale. Retail sales volumes rose by 0.4% in March alone, after downwardly revised growth of 0.7% in February, the Office for National Statistics said on Friday. A Reuters poll of economists had pointed to a month-on-month fall of 0.4%. For the first quarter as a whole, retail sales rose by 1.6% - the strongest reading in four years, and providing a 0.08 percentage point boost to overall economic output...
China's government is weighing the exemption of some U.S. goods from its 125% import tariffs, Bloomberg reported on Friday, as the country grapples with the high economic cost of a trade war. Officials are considering exempting levies on medical equipment and some industrial chemicals like ethane, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Chinese officials are also considering waiving tariffs on plane leases, the report said. China's potential exemptions mirror those seen with the U.S., which excluded electronics from its 145% tariffs on Chinese imports, amid concerns...
Initial jobless claims in the United States rose by 6,000 from the previous week to 222,000 on the third week of April, in line with market expectations to remain relatively close to the two-month low from the prior period. In the meantime, outstanding jobless claims fell by 37,000 to 1,841,000 on the second week of April, a two-month low, and well below market expectations that they would rise to 1,880,000. The result continued to reflect a historically tight labor market in the US to extend the momentum from the latest jobs report. Initial unemployment claims filed under programs for...
China has said that there have been no talks with the U.S. on elevated tariffs, even as recent remarks from the White House have raised hopes for a softening in trade tensions between the world's two largest economies, according to CNBC. A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce said "at present there are absolutely no negotiations on the economy and trade between China and the U.S.," CNBC reported on Thursday. The spokesperson noted that "all sayings" with respect to potential progress on the discussions should be dismissed, the business news channel said. Beijing also called on the...
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....