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...
Goldman Sachs on Monday raised its year-end 2025 gold price forecast to $3,100 per ounce, up from $2,890, citing sustained central bank demand. The bank estimates that "structurally higher central bank demand will add 9% to the gold price by year-end, which combined with a gradual boost to ETF holdings as the funds rate declines." This should outweigh the drag from normalizing investor positioning, assuming uncertainty diminishes, Goldman Sachs added. However, if policy uncertainty, including tariff concerns, remains high, Goldman sees the potential for gold to surge to $3,300 per ounce...
Silver prices held steady above $32 an ounce on Monday (2/17) after experiencing wild swings in the previous session. The metal found support from a weaker dollar, boosted by weak US economic data and easing concerns over a global trade war. Investors are also keeping an eye on US-led efforts to resolve the war in Ukraine, which could dampen demand for safe-haven assets such as silver. However, silver hit a three-month high on Friday as strong industrial demand, especially from the electrification and manufacturing sectors, supported prices. Recent data showed that China is adding 357...
GBP/USD traded for its fifth straight easy gain on Monday (2/17), rising almost a third of a percent and re-passing the 1.2600 mark. Currency market flows were limited to start the new trading week with US markets quiet due to the Presidents Day holiday. UK Average Earnings for the three months to December are expected to rise on a yearly basis on Tuesday. The headline figure for bonuses and allowances taken into account is expected to come in at 5.9%, compared to the previous reading of 5.6%. The UK Claimant Count Change for January is also projected to rise to 10,000 net new jobless...
Oil prices rose on Monday as attacks on Caspian Sea oil pumping stations slowed oil flows from Kazakhstan, while investors monitored developments on a possible Moscow-Kiev cease-fire agreement that could ease sanctions and boost global supplies. The dollar index, which hovered near a two-month low after weaker-than-expected U.S. retail data for January, also boosted oil prices by making crude cheaper for non-U.S. buyers. Brent crude futures settled at $75.22 a barrel, up 48 cents. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up 65 cents at $71.39 a barrel at 2:33 p.m. EST, and did not close at...
Gold prices rose on Monday (17/) during the North American session, posting a gain of 0.56% amid thin trading as markets in the United States (US) were closed for Presidents Day. XAU/USD was trading at $2,898 after hitting an intraday low of $2,878. Gold posted its biggest loss since December 18 last Friday, but the outlook for the precious metal looks promising amid geopolitical uncertainty and US trade policy aimed at narrowing the deficit. Data from the US was mixed last week with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Producer Price Index (PPI) rising slightly. Retail Sales disappointed...
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the performance of the US Dollar (USD) against six major currencies, consolidates last week's losses and trades flat at around 106.80 at the time of writing on Monday. The United States (US) economy is no longer an outlier, with several data points and the blood-red January Retail Sales data released last week pointing to slower economic growth. All eyes this week will be on Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia, where US and Russian officials are set to meet ahead of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The economic...
Oil held near $75 in a volatile session as OPEC+ considers pushing back a series of monthly supply increases that were due to start in April. Brent futures earlier added as much as 0.6% in London, before trading little changed. Global oil markets remain too fragile to revive production now, a delegate of the group said. A decision is yet to be made and the group is split on how to proceed, said another. At the same time, Kazakhstan's primary oil export pipeline was operating at a reduced rate after an attack by drones, the facility's operator said. The...
Gold advanced, following its biggest one-day decline in two months, on nervousness over President Donald Trump's latest trade threats. Bullion traded near $2,900 an ounce, after tumbling 1.6% on Friday. The gains on Monday came even after the 14-day relative strength index — a gauge of the pace and intensity of moves — showed the precious metal reached overbought levels in recent sessions. Market participants are waiting for more insights on Trump's reciprocal tariff plans, which could heighten global trade tensions, said Manav Modi, an analyst at Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd....
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....