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 fell 6% on Tuesday to settle at a two-week low, on expectations the ceasefire between Israel and Iran will reduce the risk of oil supply disruptions in the Middle East. The ceasefire was on shaky ground with U.S. President Donald Trump accusing both Israel and Iran of violating it just hours after it was announced. Brent crude futures fell $4.34, or 6.1%, to settle at $67.14 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell $4.14, or 6.0%, to settle at $64.37. Settlement was the lowest for Brent since June 10 and WTI since June 5, both before Israel launched a surprise...
The Australian Dollar (AUD) continues to strengthen against the United States Dollar (USD) on Tuesday as traders react to signs of easing geopolitical tensions. Reports confirming a ceasefire between Israel and Iran have helped calm market nerves, prompting a shift back into risk-sensitive assets. At the time of writing, AUD/USD is trading above the 0.6500 handle, buoyed by fading demand for traditional safe-haven assets, such as the US Dollar. In Washington, Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell began his two-day testimony before Congress. His tone remained broadly consistent with...
Gold price tumbled below $3,350 on Tuesday amid broad US Dollar weakness, as US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell pushed back against reducing borrowing costs, reiterating that the impact of tariffs on inflation remains uncertain. At the time of writing, XAU/USD trades at $3,315, down over 1.50%. Bullion prices had recovered some ground, even though Powell was hawkish at his testimony at the US House of Representatives. He said that rates are modestly restrictive, acknowledging that if inflation pressures are contained, the central bank could cut rates. Aside from this, the de-escalation...
The US Dollar Index (DXY) is trading lower on Tuesday following news of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran, which has alleviated demand for the US Dollar (USD). At the time of writing, the DXY is trading near 97.65, just above the June low of 97.61. The Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell delivered hawkish remarks at his testimony to Congress, stating that the Fed "is not in a hurry to cut rates". Although he reaffirmed his data-dependent stance, reducing expectations of a July rate cut, markets remained focused on easing geopolitical tensions. Market attention quickly...
Gold prices fell on Tuesday as investors fled from safe-haven assets and continued to monitor remarks from Jerome Powell, Chair of the Federal Reserve (Fed). As Fed Powell began his two-day semi-annual testimony before Congress, his prepared remarks stated that "the Fed's obligation is to prevent a one-time increase in price-level from becoming an ongoing inflation problem by keeping inflation expectations well-anchored." Although these comments are supportive of potential rate cuts in the last quarter of the year, easing geopolitical risks appear to be the dominant driver of current price...
A Bloomberg gauge of the dollar dropped amid a fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel. The US currency trimmed losses after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said that the central bank is in no rush to lower borrowing costs. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index falls 0.4% and trades off day's low; still heads for its biggest daily decline since June 12 as options sentiment sours on US currency. Powell in prepared remarks to Congress ahead of testimony later Tuesday: "For the time being, we are well positioned to wait to learn more about the...
Oil tumbled nearly 4%, global shares surged and the dollar dropped on Tuesday as markets took heart from a ceasefire between Israel and Iran and shrugged off what U.S. President Donald Trump said were violations by both sides. Brent futures had already slid 7% on Monday and U.S. shares jumped after Iran made only a token retaliation against a U.S. base to an attack over the weekend, and signalled it was done for now. With the immediate threat to the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane seemingly over, the Brent benchmark touched its lowest since June 11 and was last at $68.81 a barrel,...
Gold dropped more than 1% to touch a two-week low on Tuesday, after President Donald Trump's announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran diminished bullion's safe-haven appeal. Spot gold was down 1.2% to $3,326.87 an ounce, as of 0852 GMT, after hitting its lowest level since June 11 earlier in the session. U.S. gold futures slipped 1.6% to $3,339.40. "Gold prices are trending lower today, driven by a shift towards greater risk appetite, as optimism grows over a potential end to hostilities in the Middle East," said Ricardo Evangelista, senior analyst at the brokerage firm...
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....