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...
AUD/USD pair extends its decline to around 0.6340 during the early Asian session on Thursday. Fresh US President Donald Trump tariff threats continue to underpin the US Dollar (USD) and weigh on the pair. The strengthening of the Greenback is supported by concerns about escalating trade tensions. Last week, US President Donald Trump ordered his administration to consider imposing reciprocal tariffs on numerous trading partners. Late Tuesday, Trump said that he would likely impose tariffs of around 25% on foreign cars, while semiconductor chips and drugs are set to face higher duties. "So...
Gold edges higher in early Asian trade, as investors digest the Fed's latest policy meeting minutes. The precious metal appears to be supported by the central bank's minutes, with the Fed uncertain what the economic environment will look like in terms of inflation. Escalating trade tensions have also increased demand for safe-haven assets like gold, says Harbourfront Wealth - Sonora Wealth Group in a note. Trump's recent proposal to impose an additional 25% on auto imports has raised market volatility, with major economies including China expected to impose retaliatory measures, investment...
The USD/JPY pair moved lower near 151.90 during the North American session on Wednesday (2/19). The asset moved lower despite the US Dollar (USD) trading higher, with the US Dollar Index (DXY) rising near 107.20. The greenback strengthened as market sentiment turned slightly cautious following US President Donald Trump's tariff threats. On Tuesday, Donald Trump threatened to impose a 25% tariff on foreign imports of cars, pharmaceuticals, and semiconductors. Trump did not provide a timeframe for allowing local manufacturers to increase operating capacity. Market participants expect...
Oil prices held near one-week highs on Wednesday on concerns about supply disruptions in Russia and the U.S., as markets awaited clarity on sanctions as Washington tries to broker a deal to end the war in Ukraine. Brent crude futures rose 20 cents, or 0.3%, to settle at $76.04 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 40 cents, or 0.6%, to settle at $72.25. That was the highest close for both crude benchmarks since Feb. 11. "The market is trying to determine the three drivers that are bullish: Russia, Iran and OPEC," said BNP Paribas (OTC:BNPQY) commodity strategist...
Gold prices fell on Wednesday (2/19) during the North American session after the latest Federal Reserve (Fed) monetary policy minutes showed that all policymakers voted to keep interest rates unchanged at their January meeting. XAU/USD was trading around $2,925, down 0.31%. The minutes showed that Fed officials assessed the risks of a dual mandate as roughly balanced, while "some participants cited potential changes in trade and immigration policies as potentially hindering the disinflation process." Participants noted that some measures of inflation expectations "have risen...
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the performance of the US Dollar (USD) against six major currencies, is slowly moving higher and recovers above the 107.00 level on Wednesday, with traders seeing the DXY well positioned amidst all tariff and geopolitical headlines. Overnight, United States (US) President Donald Trump said that car tariffs will be around 25%, and that pharmaceutical and semiconductor imports will be added to the same scheme by April. President Trump tried to deflect the rather unsuccessful first day of negotiations between Russia and the US officials on a peace deal...
Oil prices edged higher in European trading on Wednesday, as traders weighed supply disruption concerns in Russia and the U.S.. Yet gains were limited by the prospect of easing sanctions of Russia -- and a subsequent return of supplies from the major oil-producing country -- in the event of a peace deal to halt the war in Ukraine. Brent crude futures rose 0.5% to $76.26 a barrel by 06:13 ET, while West Texas Intermediate crude futures had increased by 0.6% to $72.29 per barrel.Prices rose in the prior session after Ukrainian drone strikes targeted a key Russian crude-pumping station,...
The Pound Sterling weakens against its major peers even though the United Kingdom (UK) Consumer Price Index (CPI) report for January showed that inflationary pressures accelerated at a faster-than-expected pace. In the 12 months to January, the headline CPI rose by 3%, faster than estimates of 2.8% and the December reading of 2.5%. In the same period, the core CPI – which excludes volatile components of food, energy, alcohol, and tobacco – grew by 3.7%, as expected, faster than the former reading of 3.2%. Month-on-month headline CPI inflation deflated at a slower-than-projected pace of...
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....