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...
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil is trading around $62 on Friday ahead of the weekend, staging a modest rebound after snapping a two-day losing streak. The US Oil found renewed buying interest following a retest of the $55 support zone, where a potential double-bottom structure has formed on the daily chart. While the short-term technical picture has improved, macroeconomic and geopolitical headwinds, especially surrounding rising Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC+) output and the potential return of Iranian barrels, continue to weigh on sentiment. OPEC+ supply...
The dollar rose on Friday after the latest round of economic data showed a jump in import prices while consumer sentiment remained subdued, putting it on pace for a fourth straight weekly advance. The Labor Department said import prices gained 0.1% last month after dropping 0.4% in March as a jump in the cost of capital goods outweighed cheaper energy prices. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast import prices, which exclude tariffs, would decrease 0.4%. The dollar began to strengthen after a separate reading from the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers showed its Consumer...
Gold (XAU/USD) continues to decline on Friday, falling toward $3,180 and marking a sharp weekly loss of over 4%, its biggest since November 2024. The precious metal has now shed over $300 from its record high of $3,500 set in April, as safe-haven demand weakens and technical selling accelerates. Risk sentiment improved this week after the United States (US) and China agreed to reduce tariffs for 90 days, while geopolitical tensions remained muted with India-Pakistan and Middle East risks stabilizing. After a period of conflicting reports and diplomatic deadlock, Ukrainian and Russian...
Oil prices edged up on Friday, heading for a second consecutive weekly gain on easing U.S.-China trade tensions, although the optimism was somewhat offset by higher supply expectations from Iran and OPEC+. Brent crude futures were up 29 cents, or 0.5%, at $64.82 per barrel at 1054 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 27 cents, or 0.4%, to $61.89. Both contracts fell more than 2% in the previous session on the prospect of an Iranian nuclear deal, which could result in more barrels being released onto the global market. "The enthusiasm resulting from progress in...
Gold prices slipped more than 1% on Friday and were heading for their worst week in six months, as an overall higher dollar and a temporary U.S.-China trade agreement dented demand for the safe-haven metal among investors. Spot gold was down 0.9% to $3,210.19 an ounce as of 0933 GMT. Bullion has lost more than 3% so far this week and is set for its worst weekly performance since November 2024. U.S. gold futures fell 0.4% to $3,213.60. "We've gone through a week where there have been optimistic signals in terms of trade negotiations and we have seen the dollar appreciate on the course,...
The dollar fell alongside U.S. Treasury yields on Friday after a surprise downside in U.S. economic data this week reinforced bets that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this year. The week started with a mix of market drivers, led by a U.S.-China trade truce that pushed the dollar higher, although the euphoria soon wore off and the currency traded sideways. Most of the action in the foreign exchange market came from the dollar's moves against the South Korean won, where it fell sharply for a second straight day on news that Washington and Seoul were discussing a dollar/won...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) maintained its positive bias against the broadly weaker US Dollar (USD) and dragged the USD/JPY pair down for the fourth straight day, to a fresh weekly low during the Asian session on Friday (5/16). The JPY's intraday strength seemed unaffected by the release of disappointing Japanese Q1 GDP data amid growing acceptance that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) will raise interest rates again in 2025. Moreover, hopes for an eventual US-Japan trade deal turned out to be another factor lending some support to the JPY. The US Dollar (USD), on the other hand, continued to struggle...
Oil prices held steady on Friday, heading for a second straight weekly gain as U.S.-China trade tensions eased, although a potential return of Iranian supplies capped gains. Brent crude futures were down 1 cent at $64.52 a barrel by 0326 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up 2 cents at $61.64. Both contracts fell more than 2% in the previous session after selling off on the growing prospect of an Iran nuclear deal. President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is close to a nuclear deal with Iran, with Tehran "sort of" agreeing to its terms. However, a source familiar with the talks...
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....