Oil prices continued their rally amid growing concerns that Ukrainian drone attacks could disrupt oil flows through Russia's two most important crude export hubs on the Baltic coast. Brent crude rose above $67 per barrel, after falling 1.7% on Thursday. The attacks have halted operations at Primorsk, the region's main oil loading port, and three pumping stations that deliver crude to the Ust-Luga hub, a source familiar with the situation said. This increased risk premium offsets the International Energy Agency's (IEA) projection for a record-breaking oil supply surplus next year. The IEA's...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) remained firm against the broadly weaker US Dollar (USD) and re-approached weekly highs during the Asian session on Thursday (6/26). Investors appear convinced that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) will raise interest rates again amid signs of expanding inflation in Japan. In contrast, the Federal Reserve's (Fed) latest projections and the dot plot point to two more rate cuts before the end of the year. This marks a significant divergence from the BOJ's hawkish expectations and is seen as a key factor behind the JPY's outperformance against its American...
The dollar weakened amid rising bets on a U.S. interest-rate cut as expectations grew that the next Federal Reserve chairman would likely ease monetary policy earlier than currently anticipated. A Bloomberg greenback gauge fell to a three-year low after the Wall Street Journal reported that President Donald Trump may announce a replacement for current Chairman Jerome Powell in September or October. Traders saw the news as a signal that an early rate cut is becoming more likely, given that Trump has repeatedly pressed Powell to lower borrowing costs. "A Trump nomination would increase the...
Gold edged up in early Asian trade amid US tariff uncertainty that could support the precious metal's appeal as a safe haven. "News and noise around the trade topic will pick up again as [President] Trump's Liberation Day tariff grace period ends in early July," Julius Baer's Carsten Menke said in an email. In addition, central bank gold buying shows no signs of slowing, the head of Next Generation Research added. Spot gold rose 0.1% to $3,338.05/oz. (alg) Source: Dow Jones
Oil edged higher as President Donald Trump said his maximum pressure campaign against Iranian oil would continue, while a government report showed another big drop in U.S. crude stockpiles. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose above $65 a barrel after rising 0.9% in the previous session. Brent settled near $68. Trump said he was "not giving up" on a strategy targeting Tehran's petrodollars, after comments that appeared to undermine the plan. The president also flagged talks with Iran next week. Oil hit its biggest two-day decline since 2022 earlier in the week after Israel and Iran...
EUR/USD rallied to its highest level since October 2021, above the 1.1650 level on Wednesday, driven by a risk-on mood sparked by the de-escalation of the Iran-Israel conflict and broad weakness in the US Dollar. Investors' growing speculation that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will cut interest rates pushed the Greenback lower, setting it to test yearly lows. At the time of writing, the pair trades at 1.1661, up 0.45%. Geopolitics and central bank speeches are grabbing the headlines at the beginning of the week. Fed Chair Jerome Powell appeared before the US Senate, reiterating that monetary...
GBP/USD manages to regain traction and cut earlier losses, trading around 1.3620 in the American session. Cable approaches its 2025 after a near-term US Dollar correction. Encouraging Middle East headlines and Powell's words back the upbeat mood Risk flows continued to dominate the action in financial markets in the first half of the day on Tuesday as investors cheered news of the Iran-Israel ceasefire. As a result, the US Dollar (USD) struggled to find demand and allowed GBP/USD to push higher. In the American session, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's cautious comments on...
The Australian Dollar (AUD) is steadying against the US Dollar (USD), following a two-day rally that lifted AUD/USD back above 0.6500. With risk-on sentiment returning to markets following Tuesday's confirmation of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, the Australian Dollar has benefited from easing geopolitical tensions. However, with prices now recovering above the 200-day Simple Moving Average (SMA), bullish momentum may be beginning to lose steam. As technical and fundamental factors contribute to driving price action, the relative performance of the two economies and interest rate...
Gold prices remain steady during the North American session on Wednesday, rising over 0.30% as risk appetite improves due to the de-escalation and truce of the Israel-Iran conflict. Worse-than-expected housing data in the United States (US) could lead to actions by the Federal Reserve (Fed). Still, Chair Jerome Powell maintains his hawkish rhetoric, which is capping bullion's gains. XAU/USD trades at $3,334, up 0.34% as the Greenback trims some of its earlier gains, while US equities trade with gains. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said during his testimony before US Congress that tariffs could...
Gold (XAU/USD) is extending its decline on Wednesday for a second consecutive day as the US Dollar (USD) and US Treasury yields firm ahead of the release of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC)...
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....