Oil prices continued their rally amid growing concerns that Ukrainian drone attacks could disrupt oil flows through Russia's two most important crude export hubs on the Baltic coast. Brent crude rose above $67 per barrel, after falling 1.7% on Thursday. The attacks have halted operations at Primorsk, the region's main oil loading port, and three pumping stations that deliver crude to the Ust-Luga hub, a source familiar with the situation said. This increased risk premium offsets the International Energy Agency's (IEA) projection for a record-breaking oil supply surplus next year. The IEA's...
WTI crude futures traded around $66 per barrel on Friday, heading for its worst week since October and the longest weekly losing streak since December 2023. Prices came under pressure from the potential fallout of global trade shifts. While President Donald Trump eased some tariffs on Mexico and Canada until April 2, Canada's retaliatory tariffs remain, and China's measures take effect next week. Adding to bearish sentiment, OPEC+ plans to revive output in April, coinciding with prospects of a restart of the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline and increased production at Kazakhstan's Tengiz field,...
The Australian Dollar (AUD) remains subdued against the US Dollar (USD) for the second consecutive day on Friday. The AUD/USD pair faces modest headwinds as the USD steadies ahead of the upcoming Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report in the North American session. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) maintains its outlook for economic growth to slow toward 2% by 2025. While its stance has previously bolstered AUD strength, investors remain cautious about potential policy shifts in response to inflation and labor market dynamics. The AUD could find support from easing concerns after US President...
Gold is steady in the early Asian trade. Prices are largely unchanged given the rising macroeconomic uncertainty, the ANZ Research team writes in a note. The move by the U.S. to delay tariffs on Mexico saw yields on U.S. Treasurys push toward their lowest levels this year, as markets price in the possibility of several U.S. Fed rate cuts this year, given the tariffs' potential impact on growth, they add. The precious metal is consolidating its upward trend, and there might be room for prices to rise further given its value as a safe-haven asset, Antonio Di Giacomo of trading platform...
EUR/USD tried to stretch for a fourth straight day of gains, but markets are drawing into the middle ahead of Friday's key US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) print. The Euro saw a sharp rejection from the 1.0850 level on Thursday, ending Fiber's three-day win streak. EUR/USD has had a stellar week, climbing 4.6% bottom-to-top from Monday's opening bids. Forex Today: The US Nonfarm Payrolls are coming! FX markets have sharply rebalanced after rate cut expectations took a tumble this week. According to rate markets, the European Central Bank (ECB) is broadly expected to only cut interest rates one...
Gold halted its three-day rally due to investors booking profits ahead of the crucial US Nonfarm Payrolls report. The rise of US Treasury bond yields also made holding the non-yielding metal less appealing. At the time of writing, the XAU/USD trades at $2,918, virtually unchanged. The yellow metal consolidated above the $2,900 figure, capped by the earlier rise of the US 10-year Treasury bond yield to a one-week high, before paring those gains to stand at 4.286%. Uncertainty surrounds the financial markets, spurred by controversial trade policies proposed by the President of the United...
Oil was largely steady in choppy trade on Thursday with global benchmark Brent still below $70 a barrel under pressure from tariffs between the U.S., Canada, and China, and OPEC+ plans to raise output. Brent futures were up 8 cents, or 0.1%, at $69.38 a barrel by 1:40 p.m. ET (1840 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures eased 6 cents, or 0.1%, to $66.24. Brent hit $68.33 on Wednesday, its weakest since December 2021, after a larger-than-expected build in U.S. crude inventories added to the bearish news earlier in the week of OPEC+'s hike in output quotas for the first time...
The US Dollar Index (DXY) is extending its losing streak on Thursday as fresh labor market and trade data put additional pressure on the Greenback. Job cuts surged dramatically, while weekly jobless claims showed a mixed picture of the labor market. Meanwhile, the European Central Bank (ECB) delivered a widely anticipated rate cut, with President Christine Lagarde emphasizing the need for heightened vigilance in uncertain economic conditions.US Dollar down after an additional round of soft labor data, ECBThe latest Challenger Job Cuts report for February revealed a sharp rise in layoffs,...
Gold prices fell about 1% on Thursday as investors booked profits after a three-day rally, with markets eyeing US jobs data for clues on the Federal Reserve's interest rate path amid rising global trade tensions. Spot gold, which was down 0.5% at $2,904.51 an ounce by 1211 GMT, has gained more than 10% this year. It hit a record high of $2,956.15 on Feb. 24. US gold futures also fell 0.5% to $2,912.10. "Gold appears to be seeing some profit-taking as investors watch tariff developments with prices trading near $2,900 ahead of the nonfarm payrolls report," said Lukman Otunuga, senior...
Gold (XAU/USD) is extending its decline on Wednesday for a second consecutive day as the US Dollar (USD) and US Treasury yields firm ahead of the release of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC)...
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....