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...
Economic activity in Argentina likely fell again in November versus the same month a year earlier, but less than the 0.7% contraction in October, a Reuters poll of market analysts on Wednesday showed. The median forecast from 13 analysts sees economic activity shrinking 0.6% year-on-year in November, the sixth consecutive year-on-year contraction, if confirmed by officials. Poll estimates ranged from a 3.2% contraction to 1.6% growth. The slight improvement was driven by the key agricultural sector, analysts said, while construction continued to fare poorly. Despite the anticipated...
President Donald Trump said his team is discussing 10% tariffs on China and that the duties could go into effect as early as Feb. 1. "We're talking about a 10% tariff on China based on the fact that they're sending fentanyl to Mexico and Canada," the president said, speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday evening. "Maybe February 1st is the date we're looking at," he added. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is an addictive drug that has caused tens of thousands of overdose deaths each year in the U.S. Reducing the supply of the illicit drug, whose precursors are largely produced...
European wind shares fell on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump axed support for new offshore wind power on his first day in office, adding to pain in an industry that had turned to the United States to help revive its fortunes. The biggest decliner, Denmark's Orsted (CSE:ORSTED), which plunged 17%, came under further strain from impairments on its U.S. ventures. The global offshore wind industry, which initially boomed, has been struggling to deliver the carbon reductions pursued by many governments as escalating costs, supply chain issues and planning issues have slowed...
European Union finance ministers will approve French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's deficit-cutting plan on Tuesday as it complies with the EU's recommendations to bring the French deficit below 3% of GDP by 2029, officials said. Senior officials of EU governments agreed last week to support Bayrou's plan, which will replace a more front-loaded scheme designed by his predecessor Michel Barnier that was rejected by the French Parliament in December. "We are determined to reach the 3% deficit target by 2029, to be below by 2029," French Finance Minister Eric Lombard told reporters as he...
European equity markets are set to open cautiously on Friday (17/1) as investors prepare for the inauguration of Donald Trump as US President on January 20, amid concerns over potential tariffs that could impact the European economy. Despite the uncertainty, regional benchmarks are on track for solid weekly gains, supported by signs of easing US inflation, which have strengthened expectations for further Federal Reserve interest rate cuts this year. Meanwhile, investors will be watching UK retail sales data and final Eurozone inflation figures. In pre-market trading, Euro Stoxx 50 and Stoxx...
US citizens filing new applications for unemployment insurance rose to 217K for the week ending January 10, as reported by the US Department of Labor (DoL) on Thursday. This print missed initial estimates and was higher than the previous week's tally of 203K (revised from 201K). Source: Fxstreet
US retail sales increased at a slower than anticipated month-on-month rate in December, in the latest data point that could paint a picture of the state of the American economy heading into the new year. Retail sales grew by 0.4% last month, down from an upwardly revised pace of 0.8% in November. Economists had called for a reading of 0.6%. Source: Investing.com
Inflation in the US, as measured by the change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), rose 2.9% on a yearly basis in December from 2.7% in November, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on Wednesday. This reading came in line with market expectations. On a monthly basis, the CPI rose 0.4%, following the 0.3% increase recorded in the previous month. The core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose 3.2% on a yearly basis—below November's gain and analysts' estimates for a 3.3% increase. The monthly core CPI rose 0.2% in the last month of 2024. Souce: FXstreet
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....