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 Japanese Yen (JPY) weakened across the board during the Asian session on Wednesday (07/05) as optimism over the US-China trade talks was seen denting demand for traditional safe-haven assets. This comes on top of uncertainty over the likely pace and timing of future interest rate hikes by the Bank of Japan (JPY), which was seen weighing on the JPY. This, along with a modest uptick in the US Dollar (USD), helped the USD/JPY pair to gain some positive traction and snap a three-day losing streak to a near one-week low touched on Tuesday. However, investors seem convinced that the BoJ could...
The dollar was steady on Wednesday before a Federal Reserve meeting to determine policy for an uncertain economy and as major investors in Asia continued to cash out of U.S. assets. News that the United States and China will hold talks on Saturday eased concerns about a trade war that has shaken investor confidence in the dollar and U.S. markets. Fed Chair Jerome Powell is expected to say more data is needed before deciding on the U.S. central bank's next move. There appears to be a slowdown in dollar selling since last week, which has been driven by investors globally, particularly in...
Gold prices fell on Wednesday as optimism over potential US-China trade talks dampened demand for safe-haven assets, while investors prepared for a Federal Reserve policy meeting later in the day. Spot gold fell 1.2% to $3,388.67 an ounce by 0225 GMT. The metal had gained nearly 3% in the previous session. US gold futures fell 0.7% to $3,397.70. "Gold appears to be pulling back amid the broad risk-on movement across the market ... this is a pro-cyclical configuration that may echo optimism amid hints that the US and China have begun real trade negotiations," said Ilya Spivak, global head...
The AUD/USD pair extended its upward momentum for the fourth straight session, holding around the 0.6510 mark during Asian trading hours on Wednesday (07/05). The Australian dollar (AUD) found support from the release of mid-tier domestic economic data and improving global trade sentiment. In April, the AiG Industrial Index rose by 5.1 points to -15 on a seasonally adjusted basis, signaling a moderate improvement despite persistent headwinds in the industrial sector. Headwinds such as global trade uncertainty, currency volatility, and the upcoming federal election continued to weigh on...
Oil prices rose after rising more than 3% in the previous session as the U.S. and China agreed to start trade talks, raising optimism that tensions between the world's two largest economies could ease. West Texas Intermediate crude rose near $60 a barrel after rising the most in nearly three weeks on Tuesday. Brent crude settled above $62. U.S. Treasury and Commerce officials are due to travel to Switzerland this week for talks with Chinese officials, the first such discussions since President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs. Crude is facing increasing pressure from escalating trade...
Gold fell in early Asia on a possible technical correction after front-month Comex gold futures closed up 3% at a fresh record high of $3,411.40/oz on Tuesday. Gold prices may be weighed down by positioning ahead of the outcome of today's two-day FOMC meeting. While the FOMC is widely expected to hold rates, Fed Chair Powell's press conference will be scrutinized for any change in tone, Konstantinos Chrysikos of Kudotrade said in an email. "A hawkish stance would likely benefit Treasury yields and limit gold's upside," the head of Client Relationship Management added. Spot gold was down 1.2%...
The AUD/USD pair corrects sharply to near 0.6450 in Tuesday's European session from the five-month high of 0.6500 posted on Monday. The Aussie pair retraces as the Australian Dollar (AUD) underperforms across the board due to a slowdown in business activity in China.Signs of moderate growth in economic activities in China weigh heavily on the Aussie Dollar, given Australia's significant reliance on its exports to Beijing. Caixin Manufacturing and Services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) data for April have demonstrated that businesses are facing pressure due to the fallout of higher...
Crude Oil WTI Futures rebounded Tuesday, following a slump a day earlier when major oil producers announced plans to ramp up production in the coming months, but the bears may soon retake the reins, Scotiabank (TSX:BNS) says, warning of a supply surplus. "The latest OPEC+ June quota increase of another 411,000 barrels per day will further pressure the already weakened oil market," Scotiabank analysts said in a recent note. The analysts expect that as Saudi Arabia ramps up production to its new quota, global supply could exceed demand by up to 1 million barrels per day for the rest of 2025...
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....