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...
The Swiss Franc (CHF) steadies against the US Dollar (USD) on Thursday, snapping a six-day losing streak as investors rotate back into the Franc amid renewed safe-haven demand. The cautious tone in markets comes ahead of the looming US tariff deadline on Friday, August 1, with US President Donald Trump reiterating that new tariffs will be imposed on countries without finalized trade agreements. The shift in sentiment reflects heightened uncertainty surrounding global trade policy, prompting a pause in recent USD strength against the Swiss Franc. The USD/CHF pair hit its highest level in...
The EUR/USD pair is posting marginal gains on Thursday, following a sharp sell-off over the last three days. The pair extended its decline on Wednesday following a hawkish message from the Federal Reserve (Fed), and remains on the defensive after Germany's preliminary Consumer Prices Index (CPI) confirmed the easing inflationary pressures, with all eyes on the US Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Prices Index figures. The Euro (EUR) is trading at 1.1450 at the European market opening, up from the seven-week lows at 1.1400 hit after the Fed's monetary policy decision on Wednesday, yet...
Gold prices recovered on Thursday after the Federal Reserve (Fed) held rates unchanged, as the August 1 trade deadline imposed by US President Donald Trump looms. The Greenback remains steady on a tranche of good economic data, though the XAU/USD trades at $3,296, gaining 0.61%. Yesterday, the Fed maintained the fed funds rate at the 4.25%-4.50% range on a 9-2 split decision, with Governors Bowman and Waller opting for a 25-bps rate cut. Besides this, the Fed Chair Jerome Powell pushed back against Trump's comments that they might ease policy in September and said that they would adopt a...
The dollar was poised for its first monthly gain of the year against major currencies on Thursday, underpinned by easing trade tensions and U.S. economic resilience. In a widely expected move, the Bank of Japan on Thursday kept short-term interest rates steady at 0.5% by a unanimous vote, but revised up its inflation forecasts for the next few years. That came after the U.S. Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, ignoring persistent calls by President Donald Trump to lower borrowing costs. Fed Chair Jerome Powell also indicated he was in no rush to cut rates. The...
Gold rose, reversing some of the previous session's losses as traders reduced their bets on a September interest rate cut from the US Federal Reserve. Bullion rose 0.7% to trade near $3,299 an ounce, following a decline in the dollar after Fed Chairman Jerome Powell announced that interest rates would be held steady. "There's still a lot of uncertainty to be resolved," Powell said in a post-meeting press conference. "It doesn't feel like we're that close to the end of that process." Traders reduced the probability of a September rate cut to less than 50% after Powell's remarks. Higher...
Oil prices held gains this week as traders grappled with President Donald Trump's threat to impose punitive tariffs on Russian energy buyers. West Texas Intermediate crude oil prices were little changed on Thursday, but closed at a six-week high the day before. The US president said he would impose tariffs on Indian exports and penalties on its energy purchases from Russia starting August 1, the latest in a series of comments in which he expressed anger over the lack of a ceasefire in Ukraine. While the market impact of a disruption in Indian purchases could be significant, as Moscow would...
Gold prices rose more than 1% on Thursday (July 31st), pulling away from a one-month low hit in the previous session, as a weaker dollar and the announcement of new US tariffs boosted demand for the safe-haven asset. Spot gold rose 1.1% to $3,312.03 an ounce, as of 06:12 GMT. The bullion had hit its lowest level since June 30th at $3,267.79 on Wednesday. US gold futures rose 0.4% to $3,309. The dollar weakened from a two-month low, making gold cheaper for holders of other currencies. "We had some significant declines in gold prices yesterday around the release of the FOMC statement and the...
Oil prices were little changed on Thursday (July 31st) as investors weighed supply risks stemming from US President Donald Trump's push for a swift resolution to the war in Ukraine through additional tariffs, while a surprise increase in US crude stockpiles weighed on prices. Brent crude futures for September, which expire on Thursday, rose 4 cents, or 0.05%, to $73.28 a barrel at 08:12 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude for September also rose 4 cents, or 0.06%, to $70.04. Both benchmarks rose 1% on Wednesday. "We're looking for more clarity on the nature of any new tariffs or...
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....