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 US dollar index hovered around 98.4 on Monday, holding steady after two consecutive weeks of gains, as markets focused on key trade and economic developments. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick reaffirmed that August 1 is a "hard deadline" for countries to begin paying tariffs, though he emphasized that negotiations will continue until then. Traders also awaited the June reading of leading indicators, which offer insight into the broader economic outlook. On the policy front, Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller reiterated support for a rate cut in July, pointing to a weakening...
The GBP/USD pair kicks off the new week on a subdued note and oscillates in a narrow band, just above the 1.3400 round figure during the Asian session. Meanwhile, spot prices remain well within striking distance of a nearly two-month low touched last week. The US Dollar (USD) remains on the back foot below the monthly peak touched last Thursday amid mixed signals about the Federal Reserve's (Fed) rate-cut path, which, in turn, is seen acting as a tailwind for the GBP/USD pair. In fact, Fed Governor Christopher Waller last week backed the case for a rate cut in July. Investors, however,...
The Japanese yen rose toward 148 per dollar on Monday, recovering some of last week's losses after the ruling coalition lost its majority in the weekend's upper house election, bringing a new wave of political uncertainty. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba now faces the challenge of working with the opposition, marking the first time since 1955 that the governing party has failed to hold a majority in at least one chamber of the legislature. The opposition is expected to advocate for increased government spending and tax cuts, moves that could pressure the yen and push Japanese government bond...
The Gold price ( XAU/USD) trades with mild gains near $3,350 during the early Asian session on Monday. Uncertainty around trade talks is likely to support Gold's safe-haven demand as a tariff deadline with the US looms. Traders will take more cues from the speech from Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell later on Tuesday. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Sunday that August 1 is the deadline for countries to begin paying tariffs to the US. President Donald Trump's tariff deadline has shifted since he announced his steep levies on trading partners on April 2, but White House...
Oil was little changed after its first weekly drop this month, with the focus on trade deal progress and the European Union's efforts to curb Russian energy exports. Brent crude held near $69 a barrel after falling 1.5% last week, while West Texas Intermediate was above $67. EU envoys are set to meet as early as this week to formulate a plan for measures to respond to a possible no-deal scenario with US President Donald Trump, whose tariff negotiating position is seen to have stiffened ahead of an Aug. 1 deadline. Late last week, the 27-nation bloc agreed to a lower...
The EUYR/USD finished Friday's session with gains of over 0.26% amid a weaker US Dollar, following dovish comments by Fed Governor Christopher Waller, which weighed on US Treasury yields. Still, an improvement in Consumer Sentiment capped the Euro's gains, with the pair trading at 1.1626 at the time of writing. Wall Street ended the session on a higher note, as investors cheered comments by Waller, who favors a rate cut in July. Despite this, recent comments by Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee showed that he has moderated his dovish stance, stating that he's wary due to the latest CPI...
The U.S. dollar slipped against the euro on Friday but held on to weekly gains, as investors weighed expected Federal Reserve policy amid signs that tariffs may be starting to increase some inflation pressures and as U.S. President Donald Trump continued to criticise Chair Jerome Powell. Data on Tuesday showed that consumer prices rose in June, though the increase was seen as moderate. Wednesday's producer price inflation report showed that prices were steady last month. Powell has said he expects inflation to rise this summer as a result of Trump's tariff policies. His comments have...
Gold price advances during the North American session on Friday as the US Dollar weakens, with traders booking profits ahead of the weekend. Additionally, a Fed Governor's comments turned more dovish than expected, supporting a rate cut in July. At the time of writing, the XAU/USD trades at $3,353, up 0.43%. The market mood is upbeat after the University of Michigan (UoM) revealed that Americans have become optimistic about the economy and expect inflation to edge lower. Recently, Fed Governor Christopher Waller suggested that the central bank should cut interest rates at the upcoming...
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....