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 trading action in financial markets turns subdued early Thursday as investors gear up for the key June employment report from the US, which will feature Unemployment Rate, Nonfarm Payrolls and wage inflation figures. The US economic calendar will also offer weekly Jobless Claims data and the Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) Services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) report for June. After starting the day on a bullish note on Wednesday, the US Dollar (USD) lost its recovery momentum in the American session to end the day with small gains. The data published by Automatic Data...
The US Dollar Index (DXY), an index of the value of the US Dollar (USD) measured against a basket of six world currencies, remains on the defensive near 96.70 during the early Asian session on Thursday. All eyes will be on the release of highly-anticipated US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) data for June, which is due later on Thursday. The Greenback edges lower after the ADP National Employment Report showed US private payrolls fell for the first time in more than two years in June. US private-sector payrolls decreased 33,000 in June after a downwardly revised 29,000 gain in May. This figure came...
Gold eased after a three-day gain, before pivotal US jobs data due later Thursday that may shape the outlook for the Federal Reserve's monetary easing path. Bullion traded near $3,345 an ounce after gaining more than 2% earlier this week, as markets shifted focus to the incoming payrolls report that's forecast to show 106,000 jobs were added to the economy in June, which would mark the fewest in four months. Separate data from ADP Research on Wednesday showed employment at US companies fell for the first time in over two years, prompting traders to boost bets on at least two rate cuts...
Oil steadied after its biggest gain in almost two weeks, as a US trade deal with Vietnam boosted optimism further agreements will be made by next week's cutoff. West Texas Intermediate traded above $67 a barrel after surging more than 3% on Wednesday, with Brent crude closing near $69. The deal with Vietnam would be just the third announced following agreements with the UK and China, as trading partners race to cut agreements with the US ahead of a July 9 deadline. Crude has been buffeted in recent weeks, surging and collapsing along with perceived geopolitical risk in the...
The euro (EUR) posted a minimal loss of 0.08% against the US dollar (USD), trading below the 1.1800 mark on Wednesday. A worse-than-expected US jobs report raised speculation that the Federal Reserve (Fed) could cut interest rates amid growing fears of a recession in the world's largest economy. Currently, the EUR/USD pair is trading at 1.1795, almost unchanged. On Wednesday, Automatic Data Processing (ADP) announced that private payrolls declined in June, marking the first decline in two years. Although the US dollar initially weakened, it recovered slightly, dragging EUR/USD back below...
Oil futures rose more than 2% on Wednesday as Iran suspended cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog and the U.S. and Vietnam reached a trade deal, but a surprise increase in U.S. crude supplies capped gains. Brent crude rose $1.47, or 2.2%, to $68.58 a barrel by 1:12 p.m. EDT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained $1.46, or 2.2%, to $66.91 a barrel. Brent has traded between a high of $69.05 a barrel and a low of $66.34 since June 25, as concerns about supply disruptions in the Middle East eased following a cease-fire between Iran and Israel. Iran enacted a law that...
Gold prices edged higher during the North American session as traders braced for the release of the latest Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) figures in the United States (US), which could be crucial for the direction of interest rates set by the Federal Reserve (Fed). At the time of writing, XAU/USD was trading at $3,348, up 0.29%. The latest jobs report, as revealed by ADP, showed that companies are cutting hiring instead of laying off people as they adjust to the current economic environment. News that Microsoft is cutting 9,000 jobs painted a gloomy outlook for the labor market. On Thursday, the...
Gold prices held steady on Wednesday as investors adjusted positions ahead of US nonfarm payrolls data, seeking more clarity on the timing of the Federal Reserve's next interest rate cut. Spot gold was up 0.1% at $3,341.92 an ounce, as of 11:49 a.m. EDT (15:49 GMT), while US gold futures were up 0.1% at $3,352.50. "We're seeing a lull here with the holiday-shortened week, and we're going to get the unemployment report on Thursday. So there's kind of a positioning, with people just waiting to see what that report shows," said Jim Wyckoff, senior analyst at Kitco Metals. Earlier today, the...
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....