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...
Oil prices were little changed on Wednesday as investors await the next steps in talks to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine, leaving in place sanctions on Russian crude and the chance of further restrictions on its buyers. Brent crude futures were at $65.90 a barrel, up 11 cents, at 0405 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures for September delivery, set to expire on Wednesday, were at $62.40 a barrel, up 5 cents. The more-active October contract was at $61.90 a barrel, up 13 cents. Prices settled down more than 1% on Tuesday on optimism a deal to end the war seemed closer, which...
Most Asian currencies edged lower on Wednesday as investors stayed cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve's Jackson Hole symposium for cues on the U.S. rate path and the timing of a possible September cut. Regional moves were also shaped by a busy data docket, with China holding its key lending rates steady, Japan's export slump underscoring external headwinds, and New Zealand easing policy as expected. The US Dollar Index, which measures the greenback against a basket of major currencies, edged 0.1% higher in Asia hours after gains in the previous session. RBNZ cuts rates by 25 bps; kiwi...
The US Dollar Index (DXY), an index of the value of the US Dollar (USD) measured against a basket of six world currencies, trades on a stronger note around 98.30 during the Asian trading hours on Wednesday. Diminishing odds for a more aggressive policy easing by the Federal Reserve (Fed) after a jump in US July wholesale prices provide some support to the DXY. Traders ramped up expectations on a rate reduction at the Fed's September meeting after a weak July employment report, and as last month's Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation data showed limited upward pressure from tariffs....
Asian currencies mostly weaken against the dollar in the morning session ahead of the three-day Jackson Hole symposium that starts Thursday. Traders are seemingly squaring their books ahead of Fed Chair Powell's speech at the symposium on Friday, StoneX's Matt Simpson says in a commentary. This could prove to be a volatile event, given Jackson Hole has been used as a platform for the Fed to outline longer-term policy adjustments, the senior market analyst says. USD/KRW rises 0.3% to 1,397.00, USD/THB adds 0.2% to 32.61, and AUD/USD edges 0.1% lower to 0.6444, LSEG data show. Source: Dow...
Gold held a small decline ahead of a key address by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell later this week, which may give fresh clues on the central bank's monetary path. Bullion traded at around $3,315 an ounce early in Asia, holding a 0.5% decline from the previous session after the latest efforts to halt the Russia-Ukraine war impacted haven demand. Attention is turning to Powell's annual address at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on Friday, amid strong expectations the Fed will cut borrowing costs by a quarter point next month. Lower rates are beneficial for gold...
Oil steadied after a report signaled a decline in US stockpiles, while investors weighed the outlook for Ukraine-Russia truce talks. Brent traded near $66 a barrel after falling 1.2% on Tuesday, while West Texas Intermediate was below $63. The industry-funded American Petroleum Institute reported crude inventories fell by 2.4 million barrels last week, according to people familiar with the figures. Official data is due later Wednesday. The market is keeping close tabs on progress toward a ceasefire to the war in Ukraine following a series of high-level...
EUR/USD consolidates during the North American session above the 1.1600 figure as traders await the Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell's speech at Jackson Hole, alongside the outcome of the Ukraine-Russia conflict solution. The pair trades at around 1.1640, down 0.12% at the time of writing. The economic docket in the United States (US) featured housing data on Tuesday, which was mainly ignored by investors. Last week's inflation figures on the consumer and producer side generated a two-way pricing for a Fed rate cut. Initially, after the Consumer Price Index (CPI) release, some...
Gold price tumbles on Tuesday as the Greenback extends its minimal gains for the second straight day, while geopolitical developments suggest that a positive outcome of the US President Trump meeting with Putin, Zelenskiy and European leaders could put an end to the ongoing war. XAU/USD is trading at $3,317. Rumors of a possible de-escalation of the Ukraine–Russia conflict weighed on Bullion prices, which usually benefit from global uncertainty. Last Friday, the meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, prepared the ground for a possible...
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....