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...
Brent's price pressure at US$64/barrel is driven by two main factors: the Middle East risk premium has shrunk following progress in the Gaza ceasefire (the market is pricing in a reduced risk of supply disruptions), and US stockpiles have risen more than expected, signaling relatively loose supply. On the policy front, OPEC+ has only increased production marginally, not enough to offset concerns about a global surplus—thus, prices remain fragile at low levels. Furthermore, the overall picture remains somewhat bearish: the EIA projects an increase in global inventories and an average Brent...
Brent prices fell again on Friday (October 10th) as the Middle East risk premium faded after Israel and Hamas agreed to the initial phase of a ceasefire plan, dampening the geopolitical pressures that had previously boosted prices. Peace sentiment prompted market participants to reassess the supply disruption scenario from the region. Additional pressure came from US fundamentals: crude inventories rose by 3.7 million barrels last week, indicating tighter supply, although stocks remained slightly below the five-year average. The consecutive inventory increases, combined with the fading risk...
Silver recently hit US$50/oz—even briefly touching the US$51 range—driven by precious metals euphoria after gold broke through US$4,000 and expectations of a Fed rate cut pushed down real/dollar yields. Momentum from "following the gold rally," short covering, and speculative pressure at the psychological US$50 level contributed to the intraday rally. Behind this rapid surge, silver's fundamentals are indeed tight: the market is projected to be in deficit again in 2025, while industrial demand (especially solar panels/electronics) continues to rise; the Indian festival season is also...
Gold prices hovered around $3,980/oz on Friday, heading for an eighth consecutive weekly gain after hitting a record earlier in the week. The main driving force came from economic uncertainty and expectations that the Fed would cut interest rates again. New York Fed President John Williams said he was open to further cuts, although rising inflation could complicate the decision—in line with the FOMC minutes, which saw increasing risks to the labor market but remained wary of stubborn inflation. Meanwhile, the US government shutdown, which entered its second week, delayed the...
Silver prices continue to strengthen, driven by a strong combination of rising industrial demand and a weakening US dollar. This increase is also in line with optimism about the global green energy transition, which is increasing silver consumption in the solar panel, electric vehicle, and semiconductor sectors. Furthermore, the Fed's dovish stance, which hinted at potential interest rate cuts, has weakened dollar yields, making precious metals like silver and gold more attractive to investors. Fund flows into silver-based ETFs have also increased significantly, reinforcing signals that the...
Gold fell slightly at the start of the Asian session, catching its breath after breaking a new record high above a key psychological level. Several technical indicators pointed to overbought conditions after consecutive rallies, prompting profit-taking and pushing prices back toward their highs. Its safe-haven appeal eased slightly after signs of progress toward a peace agreement in the Middle East, although global concerns remain significant. Throughout the year, gold's trend remained supported by central bank buying and concerns about US monetary and fiscal policy. The US dollar remained...
December Brent rose 0.8% to $65.96, and November WTI rose 0.9% to $62.27. The API reported a -1.8 million barrel drop in product inventories at Cushing, while national crude inventories are expected to rise but remain near seasonal lows—enough to provide a price floor.In terms of global supply, OPEC+ continues to increase production, and US production is reaching a record; Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian infrastructure are boosting crude oil exports. The risk of oversupply remains, but the market is awaiting evidence of increasing inventories; as long as stocks are limited, the price bias...
Silver broke through $48/oz and approached a 14-year peak as investors sought safe havens amid the US government shutdown, which has entered its second week, delaying data releases and clouding the economic outlook. The market also believes the Fed is likely to cut interest rates by 25 bps this month, with a further cut likely in December—a combination that typically supports precious metals—despite occasional USD strengthening. Fundamentally, physical demand from solar and electronics remains strong, while the global supply deficit is expected to persist into 2025, supporting prices....
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....