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...
Gold rose as expectations for a US interest rate cut grew, while Deutsche Bank AG joined Goldman Sachs Group Inc. in raising its price forecasts for next year. Dovish comments from policymakers since last week have revived bets on a December rate cut. The latest US jobless claims data—which showed applications for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week to their lowest level since mid-April—is not expected to deter the Federal Reserve from cutting interest rates next month. Enhancing the prospect of lower interest rates, a top economic adviser to Donald Trump has emerged as a...
According to the latest reports, the US dollar weakened against many major world currencies after disappointing US economic data reinforced speculation that the Federal Reserve (The Fed) will cut interest rates in the near future. This dollar weakening provided a boost to "riskier" currencies and emerging market currencies, such as the South African currency, which appreciated today. Furthermore, stock indices in Asia also rose as investors regained their comfort in taking risks after lingering doubts about the US economy. This situation has led to a positive response from safe-haven...
Gold (XAU/USD) edges higher on Wednesday as traders lean into a more dovish Federal Reserve (Fed) outlook, with XAU/USD trading around $4,171, near two-week highs after closing almost unchanged on Tuesday. Traders grew more confident in a softer monetary policy path after reports that White House Senior Adviser Kevin Hassett has emerged as the leading candidate to become the next Fed Chair. Hassett's rise to the top of the shortlist is being viewed as a dovish signal, especially since he has previously advocated for interest rate cuts. Furthermore, delayed US economic data released on...
Gold is breaking historical norms. Outperformance versus the US Dollar (USD) matches a record set last year, and the 2025 range in Gold is the largest since 1980. Stabilising investor flow and technical measures indicate a positioning correction has completed, Deutsche Bank's Research Analyst Michael Hsueh report. Central bank demand keeps Gold strong"Third quarter supply-demand data supports a continued central bank bid. The positive structural picture shows inelastic demand from central banks and ETF investment diverting supply from the jewellery market. Also, overall growth in demand...
Oil prices climbed on Wednesday after sliding to a one-month low in the previous session, though an expected supply glut and a potential Russia-Ukraine peace deal capped gains. Brent crude futures rose 28 cents, or 0.45%, to $62.76 a barrel at 0708 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures gained 26 cents, or 0.45%, to $58.27 a barrel. "The mild gains feel more like a technical breather than a trend," said Priyanka Sachdeva, a senior market analyst at Phillip Nova. "Any upticks we see – today or going forward - are largely driven by softer inventory signals and pockets of...
Gold prices rose in Asian trade on Wednesday, benefiting from a softer dollar as a batch of middling U.S. economic readings drove increased conviction that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in December. Haven demand for gold appeared strong even as broader risk-driven assets rallied this week, amid lingering tensions between Japan and China, while uncertainty over a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire and stretched fiscal spending also helped. Spot gold rose 0.9% to $4,166.13 an ounce, while gold futures for February rose 0.9% to $4,201.15/oz by 00:24 ET (05:24 GMT). Gold rises as weak US...
Silver prices (XAG/USD) continued their three-day rally, approaching US$52.00 per troy ounce during Wednesday's Asian session. This strengthening occurred as US bond yields weakened, with the 10-year US Treasury yield holding around 4.00% after falling around 3.4% over the week. Lower yields make non-yielding assets like silver attractive again to investors. According to the CME FedWatch tool, the probability of the Fed cutting interest rates by 25 bps to a range of 3.50%-3.75% at its December meeting jumped to around 85.3%, from just 50.1% the previous week. These dovish expectations were...
The Australian dollar strengthened to around US$0.65 on Wednesday, hitting a one-week high. This strengthening occurred after higher-than-expected inflation data came out, further convincing the market that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will remain hawkish and not ready to ease interest rates anytime soon. The first full monthly inflation data showed that price pressures remain high. Headline inflation rose to 3.8% in October, the fastest pace in seven months and above market expectations. More importantly, trimmed mean inflation—the RBA's favorite measure of underlying price...
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....