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 Australian Dollar (AUD) rebounded on Monday, recovering losses from the previous two sessions against the US Dollar (USD). The AUD/USD pair's upward movement was primarily driven by concerns over a potential slowdown in the US economy. The Aussie Dollar also received support from stronger-than-expected GDP growth and trade data from Australia released last week. On the monetary policy front, the latest Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Meeting Minutes indicated caution regarding further interest rate cuts, clarifying that February's rate reduction does not signal a commitment to...
Brent crude oil futures dropped to around $69.9 per barrel on Monday as weak economic data from China and uncertainty over U.S. tariffs fueled demand concerns. China's consumer prices fell for the first time in 13 months, while producer price deflation persisted, underscoring deflationary pressures in the world's largest crude importer. Oil remains under pressure as President Trump's shifting tariff policies raised concerns on economic growth and energy demand. While Trump eased some tariffs on Mexico and Canada until April 2, Canada's retaliatory tariffs remain in place, and China's...
Oil fell to near the lowest since September as weak economic data from China compounded a dour outlook for demand. Brent crude traded near $70 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate was below $67 after seven weeks of declines. China's consumer inflation dropped by more than expected and was below zero for the first time in 13 months, highlighting persistent deflationary pressures in the world's biggest crude importer. Crude has been hit by a confluence of bearish factors, including an escalating global trade war, plans by OPEC and its allies to increase production, and talks to end the...
Gold edges higher in the early morning Asian session, supported by prospects of a U.S. recession that could enhance the safe-haven appeal of the precious metal. In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, President Trump refused to rule out a recession for the U.S. this year. "Traders and investors are reacting to a sharp and sudden deterioration in U.S. economic data," Saxo Bank's Ole S. Hansen says in a research report. Gold's outlook is still supportive, especially given the limited scope of its latest correction, which signals strong demand despite selling pressure from technically...
Oil prices gained on Friday but retreated from session highs after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened sanctions on Russia if it fails to reach a cease-fire with Ukraine. Brent crude futures settled at $70.36 a barrel, up 90 cents, or 1.3%. West Texas Intermediate futures finished at $67.04, up 68 cents, or 1.02%. Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he was "strongly considering" sanctions on Russian banks and tariffs on Russian products because its armed forces continue attacks in Ukraine. In early trade, Brent jumped as high as $71.40, while WTI hit $68.22 after Russia's Deputy...
Gold prices fell on Friday as the Greenback trims some of its losses and US Treasury bond yields recover following the release of a US jobs market report. At the time of writing, the XAU/USD trades at $2,907, down 0.11%. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the February Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report, which showed that the economy added more people to the workforce than in January despite missing the mark. The same data showed that the Unemployment Rate remained within familiar levels with Federal Reserve (Fed) Governor Adriana Kugler saying that hiring remains above the...
EUR/USD trades firmly around the fresh four-month high of 1.0850 in Friday's North American session after the release of the softer-than-expected United States (US) Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) data for February. The US NFP report showed that the economy added 151K fresh workers, slightly lower than estimates of 160K. However, the pace of labor demand remained higher than what investors saw in January. In the previous month, 125K fresh workers were added, downwardly revised from 143KThe Unemployment Rate accelerated to 4.1%, from estimates and the former release of 4%. Meanwhile, Average Hourly...
The dollar index remained near a four-month low of 103.7 on Friday, marking its fifth straight session of declines, the longest losing streak in nearly a year. Traders were analyzing the payrolls report, which showed that the labor market showed few signs of weakness. The U.S. economy added 151,000 payrolls, slightly lower than the 160,000 expected, the unemployment rate unexpectedly edged up to 4.1% and wage growth eased to 0.3%, as expected. Meanwhile, federal government employment declined by 10,000, but the full impact of the DOGE layoffs has yet to materialize. Additionally, ongoing...
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....