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 dollar weakened on Monday (December 8th), ahead of a busy week of central bank meetings led by the US Federal Reserve, where a rate cut is widely expected, although a deeply divided committee is an unexpected factor. In addition to the Fed's decision on Wednesday, the central banks of Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Switzerland also hold rate-setting meetings, although none of those meetings are expected to change monetary policy. Analysts expect the Fed to deliver a "hawkish" rate cut, with the language of the statement, median projections, and Chairman Jerome Powell's press conference...
The US dollar index traded below 99 on Monday after recording two consecutive weeks of declines. The main pressure comes from strong expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates by 25 basis points on Wednesday, with the market probability now approaching 88%, up sharply from around 67% a month ago. However, the direction of interest rate policy for 2026 remains a question mark. Some analysts expect the Fed to undertake a series of aggressive rate cuts, but Fed Chairman Jerome Powell is expected to signal a more cautious stance regarding the potential for further...
Gold strengthened at the start of the Asian trading session as market participants grew more confident that the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates later this week. The price increase for this precious metal emerged after the release of key US inflation indicators, which were in line with expectations, providing no negative surprises for the market. This situation has led to gold being re-emerged as a safe-haven asset amidst the Fed's monetary policy shift. ANZ Research, in a note, explained that the indicator in focus is the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) deflator, long known...
Global oil prices have been stable amidst various geopolitical dynamics. Brent crude is hovering just below $64 per barrel, while WTI is approaching $60. One of the market's key focuses is energy relations between India and Russia, especially after President Vladimir Putin promised unhindered fuel deliveries to India. This issue has become increasingly important as US negotiators arrive in India for trade talks. Meanwhile, developments related to a potential Ukraine-Russia peace deal have also influenced price movements. US President Donald Trump stated that he had held discussions with...
Silver prices are rising again and are now very close to their record high. The precious metal is trading around $58.50 per ounce, just over a dollar off its high reached the previous day. This increase occurred alongside massive inflows into silver-backed ETFs, which surged by nearly 590 tons in a week—signaling strong investor confidence that the silver rally will continue. Expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this week also boosted silver prices. Low interest rates typically benefit non-yielding precious metals, potentially increasing demand. The silver market is...
Oil prices edged up nearly 1% to a two-week high on Friday (December 5th) amid growing expectations that the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next week, which could boost economic growth and energy demand, as well as geopolitical uncertainty that could limit supply from Russia and Venezuela. Brent crude futures rose 49 cents, or 0.8%, to $63.75 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 41 cents, or 0.7%, to $60.08. This was the highest close for both crude benchmarks since November 18th. For the week, Brent rose about 1% and WTI rose about 3%, marking the...
Gold closed around $4,210 an ounce on Friday, near its highest level since late October, paring an earlier rally as a series of US data strengthened the case for an imminent Fed rate cut. Delayed September PCE rose 0.3% month-on-month and 2.8% year-on-year, while core PCE fell to 2.8% from 2.9%, a combination of sticky goods prices and declining services inflation suggesting weaker underlying pressures. The Michigan preliminary survey improved slightly to 53.3 as one-year inflation expectations fell to 4.1% and the five-year outlook fell to 3.2%, reinforcing the view that near-term price...
Gold (XAU/USD) strengthened slightly on Friday (December 5th) as the latest US economic data reinforced expectations of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut next week. Steady PCE inflation and easing consumer inflation expectations kept the policy outlook dovish. At the time of writing, XAU/USD was trading near $4,245, keeping the precious metal on track for a modest weekly gain. The pending US Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) report for September offered no surprises. Core PCE, the Fed's preferred gauge, rose 0.2% month-on-month, in line with expectations, while the annual rate fell...
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....