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 (DXY), which tracks the US Dollar (USD) against a basket of six major currencies, holds gains after registering losses in the previous three successive sessions. During the early European hours on Thursday, the DXY is holding its position around 99.70, slightly above two-week lows. Furthermore, traders await S&P Global US Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) data due on Thursday. The overall business activity is expected to expand at a steady pace in May, which could provide some support for the Greenback. The House Rules Committee approved US President Donald Trump's...
Silver prices surged above $33.50 per ounce on Thursday, advancing for a fourth consecutive session as mounting concerns over the US fiscal outlook weighed on the dollar and boosted demand for safe-haven assets. Investor sentiment deteriorated after President Donald Trump's proposed tax bill was projected to add over $3 trillion to the already substantial US debt load, raising fears of financial instability. A weak 20-year Treasury bond auction further fueled expectations that investors are rotating out of US assets, adding momentum to precious metals. In addition to safe-haven buying,...
Gold price (XAU/USD) retreats from a nearly two-week high, around the $3,345-3,346 area touched this Thursday, and trades with a mild positive bias during the early European session. A modest US Dollar (USD) uptick is seen as a key factor behind the commodity's intraday pullback, though any meaningful downside seems elusive. The growing acceptance that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will lower borrowing costs further in 2025 and worries about rising US deficit should cap the USD, which should act as a tailwind for the non-yielding yellow metal. Meanwhile, US fiscal concerns, along with a...
Oil prices were little changed on Thursday as investors stayed cautious, focusing on renewed Iran-U.S. nuclear talks, though unexpected builds in U.S. crude and fuel inventories raised concerns about demand from the world's largest oil consumer. Brent futures inched up 4 cents to $64.95 a barrel by 0456 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained 10 cents to $61.67. Both benchmarks fell earlier in the session after U.S. crude and fuel inventories posted surprise stock builds last week, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday, as crude imports hit a six-week high...
The Australian Dollar (AUD) gains ground against the US Dollar (USD) on Thursday, extending its gains for the second successive day. The AUD/USD pair maintains its position following the release of the preliminary S&P Global Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) data. Australia's Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index came in at 51.7 in May versus 51.7 prior. Meanwhile, Services PMI declines to 50.5 in May from the previous reading of 51.0, while the Composite PMI eases to 50.6 in May versus 51.0 prior. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) reduced its Official Cash Rate (OCR) by 25 basis...
Silver price (XAG/USD) rises to near $32.60 per troy ounce during the Asian trading hours on Thursday, gaining ground for the third successive session. Precious metals, including Silver, attract buyers amid rising safe-haven demand over growing fiscal concerns in the United States (US). Moody's downgraded the US credit rating from Aaa to Aa1, following similar downgrades by Fitch Ratings in 2023 and Standard & Poor's in 2011. Moody's also predicted that US federal debt is expected to climb to around 134% of GDP by 2035, up from 98% in 2023, with the budget deficit expected to widen to...
Gold price (XAU/USD) prolongs the uptrend for the fourth consecutive day and climbs to a nearly two-week high, around the $3,344-3,345 area during the Asian session on Thursday. Investors remain on edge following the US sovereign credit rating downgrade by Moody's and growing worries about rising US deficit on the back of US President Donald Trump's sweeping tax bill. Moreover, renewed US-China trade tensions, along with geopolitical risks, hit the global risk sentiment and continue to benefit the safe-haven precious metal. Meanwhile, a poor response to the 20-year US bond auction...
Oil prices extended losses in Asian trading on Thursday after data showed a surprise build in U.S. crude stockpiles, while uncertainty ahead of renewed U.S.-Iran nuclear talks next week further fueled oversupply worries. In the previous session, oil closed lower after volatile moves, as it initially jumped over 1.5% on a CNN report stating Israel may potentially strike Iran's nuclear sites. As of 20:48 ET (01:55 GMT), Brent Oil Futures expiring in July fell 0.5% to $64.61 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 0.4% to $61.30 per barrel. US-Iran talks to...
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....