Oil prices plunged 1.5% on Thursday, extending a more than 2% decline in the previous session, as investors awaited the weekend OPEC+ meeting where producers are expected to consider another production hike. Brent crude fell $1, or 1.5%, to $66.59 a barrel at 11:04 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell $1, or 1.6%, to $62.95 a barrel. The eight-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC+) and its allies – known collectively as OPEC+ – will consider further production increases in October at a meeting on Sunday, two sources familiar with the discussions told...
Gold prices (XAU/USD) traded in a tight range around $2,650.00 during the European session on Thursday (5/12). The precious metal struggled to find direction as investors have been sidelined ahead of the United States (US) Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) data for November, due for release on Friday. The labor market data will significantly influence market expectations for the Federal Reserve's (Fed) likely interest rate decision at its monetary policy meeting on December 18. Financial market participants currently expect the Fed to cut interest rates by 25 basis points (bps) to 4.25%-4.50%,...
Gold steadied after a modest gain as the market digested remarks from the head of the Federal Reserve before data that may influence the central bank's next interest-rate decision. Bullion traded near $2,645 an ounce after Fed Chair Jerome Powell said he expects officials can move cautiously as they continue to lower rates. US nonfarm payroll figures due Friday are the next major data point before policymakers meet on Dec. 17-18 in Washington, with swaps markets pricing in a 25-point cut. Gold has scope to push higher next year, likely hitting a...
Oil prices were mostly steady on Thursday ahead of an OPEC+ meeting later in the day, with investors waiting to see what the producer group will do next on supply cuts while also monitoring geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Brent crude futures were up 5 cents, or 0.07%, at $72.36 a barrel by 0730 GMT, while U.S. crude futures were at $68.60 a barrel, up 6 cents, or 0.09%. Both benchmarks fell nearly 2% on Wednesday. A bank sold a large number of U.S. futures contracts in afternoon trading on Wednesday, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said, pushing prices lower. The...
EUR/USD moved higher and attempted to stay above 1.0500 during European trading hours on Thursday (5/12). The major currency pair strengthened slightly as investors tried to recover from the anticipated collapse of Michel Barnier's three-month-old government after it lost a no-confidence motion brought by a coalition of right-wing and left-wing politicians. The dismantling of the French government has plunged the economy into a deeper crisis by limiting its capacity to tame a burgeoning fiscal deficit. Right-wing and left-wing lawmakers backed the no-confidence motion against Barnier after...
EUR/USD moved higher and tried to stay above 1.0500 during European trading hours on Thursday. The major currency pair edged higher as investors tried to recover from the collapse of Michel Barnier's three-month-old government after it lost a no-confidence motion brought by a coalition of the right and left. The collapse of the French government has plunged the economy into a deeper crisis by limiting its ability to tame a growing fiscal deficit. Left and right-wing lawmakers backed the no-confidence motion against Barnier after claiming his government's budget was "flawed and detrimental"...
Silver (XAG/USD) prices moved lower to around $31.20, snapping a two-day winning streak during the early European session on Thursday. The Federal Reserve's (Fed) cautious stance on rate cuts weighed on the white metal. Federal Chairman Jerome Powell said on Wednesday that the strength of the US economy means the US central bank can afford to be "a little more cautious" about its decisions on interest rate moves. Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM US, noted that he does not expect further rate cuts after the December meeting until March 2025 at the earliest. Increasing bets of a less...
Gold price (XAU/USD) drifts lower during the Asian session on Thursday, albeit it remains confined in a familiar range held over the past week or so amid mixed fundamental cues. The overnight hawkish remarks by FOMC members, including Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell, reaffirmed expectations that the US central bank will take a cautious stance on cutting rates. This assists the US Treasury bond yields to rebound slightly from their lowest closing levels in more than a month and turns out to be a key factor undermining the non-yielding yellow metal. Apart from this, the prevalent...
The dollar index held steady around 106.3 on Thursday after experiencing increased volatility in the previous session as investors continued to assess the outlook for Federal Reserve monetary policy. On Wednesday, Fed Chair Jerome Powell indicated that the central bank was in no rush to cut interest rates, citing stronger-than-expected growth, a strong labor market and persistent inflation pressures. Meanwhile, data showed that U.S. service sector growth slowed more than anticipated in November. The probability of a 25 basis point rate cut in December increased to about 79%, up from 66.5%...
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....