Gold prices briefly strengthened after the release of US economic data, which sparked an initial market reaction. The data fueled speculation that economic pressures persisted, prompting investors to temporarily turn to gold as a safe haven. This increase was short-lived, especially in early trading after the data was released. However, entering the US session, gold prices came under pressure again. The strengthening US dollar and rising bond yields diminished gold's appeal. Furthermore, profit-taking following the initial surge also weighed on prices, causing gold to reverse its decline...
Initial jobless claims in the U.S. rose 20,000 from the previous week to 242,000 in the period ended Feb. 22, beating market expectations of 222,000.Source: Newsmaker23
US President Donald Trump hit markets with new tariff headlines on Wednesday, reiterating his insistence on 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico and adding the European Union to the list of countries that will punish US consumers for importing goods from them. While redoubling his plans to fund the US deficit spending with import taxes, President Trump also delayed his own tariffs for the fourth straight time, deciding that tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports will not go into effect until April. Key highlights Not stopping tariffs. Tariffs will go into effect, not all, but many. Tariffs...
New-home sales in the US fell at the start of the year to a three-month low, reflecting a combination of affordability challenges as well as harsh winter weather. Purchases of new single-family homes decreased 10.5% last month to a 657,000 annualized rate, according to government data issued Wednesday. That trailed the median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg, who expected an annual rate of 680,000. Around the US, new-home sales declined by nearly 15% in the South, the biggest homebuilding region, where several areas experienced record snowfall in...
U.S. Treasury yields regained some lost ground on Wednesday after the House of Representatives advanced President Donald Trump's tax-cut agenda, while the dollar and oil prices struggled on mounting worries over the U.S. growth outlook. U.S. copper prices surged more than 4% while those elsewhere fell overnight after Trump on Tuesday ordered a probe into potential new tariffs on copper imports. The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives late on Tuesday narrowly passed Trump's $4.5 trillion tax-cut plan, sending the budget resolution to the Senate, where Republicans are...
The monthly Consumer Price Index in Australia increased by 2.5% yoy in January 2025, unchanged from the previous month but below market estimates of a 2.6% rise. Still, the latest result was the highest reading in four months, with food prices rising the most in three months (3.3% vs 2.7%). Also, prices rose faster for tobacco (6.4% vs 5.8%), clothing (2.1% vs 1.3%), and housing (2.1% vs 1.5%). Excluding volatile items and travel, the CPI rose by 2.9%, the most in five months, accelerating from a 2.7% gain in the previous month. Source: Trading Economics
US President Donald Trump signed another Executive Order on Tuesday evening (2/25), signaling the US Commerce Department to launch a formal "investigation" into the Copper market. President Trump, citing "national security concerns," ordered an investigation into the futures and delivery markets of Copper. US law provides an ambiguous backdoor for the president to issue Executive Orders that allow the White House to bypass normal congressional channels to start a trade war, and has been the basis for hundreds of Trump administration Executive Orders since Trump took office in...
Consumer confidence in the US took a hit in February, with the Consumer Confidence Index falling to 98.3 (from 105.3) according to the Conference Board. The index fell to its lowest level since June 2024. Consumers' views of current business and job market conditions deteriorated, with the Current Situation Index dropping 3.4 points to 136.5. Meanwhile, their near-term outlook for income, business, and employment weakened further, with the Expectations Index dropping 9.3 points to 72.9. Stephanie Guichard, Senior Economist, Global Indicators at The Conference Board, explained that in...
US President Donald Trump was on the news on Monday (24/2), commenting on the ongoing Ukraine-Russia peace situation. With Russia now more than a thousand days into a three-day military operation intended to bring the country back under Russian control, the US President, who has been allied with Russia's Vladimir Putin for years, is trying to isolate Ukraine from NATO and get Ukraine to sign up to a half-trillion-dollar deal. This follows accusations from President Trump that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was ultimately responsible for Russia's invasion of Ukraine in the first...
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....