Gold prices briefly caused a stir after hitting a new record, but then slowed. The main trigger: US President Donald Trump withheld the threat of tariffs on Europe and claimed there was a "framework" for a future agreement on Greenland. This calmer tone made the market a little more willing to take risks, thus easing the pressure to buy gold as a safe haven. However, the big picture hasn't changed: gold remains in high territory because the world remains filled with uncertainty. Trade wars could resurface at any time, geopolitical tensions haven't completely subsided, and investors are...
The Japanese yen (JPY) pared some of its strong intraday gains against its US counterpart, lifting the USD/JPY pair back above the 156.00 level heading into the European session on Thursday (16/1). Expectations that the Federal Reserve (Fed) could cut interest rates twice this year, coupled with easing concerns about disruptive trade tariffs from US President-elect Donald Trump, remained supportive of the risk sentiment. This turned out to be a key factor undermining the safe-haven JPY and helped the pair find decent support ahead of the 155.00 psychological mark. Additionally, the...
GBP/USD moved lower after two days of gains, trading around 1.2220 during Asian trading hours on Thursday (16/1). The pound (GBP) came under downward pressure following weaker-than-expected inflation data from the United Kingdom (UK) released on Wednesday. The yield on the benchmark 10-year UK bond fell to 4.73%, retreating from a multi-decade high, after official data showed an unexpected drop in UK headline inflation, raising expectations of a rate cut by the Bank of England (BoE). The UK Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 2.5% year-on-year in December, down from 2.6% in November and...
Silver price (XAG/USD) remains stable at around $30.70 per troy ounce during the Asian session on Thursday. The price of the non-yielding metal gained support as December's lower-than-expected underlying inflation in the US sparked speculation that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) might implement two interest rate cuts this year. Meanwhile, 2-year and 10-year US Treasury bond yields stand at 4.27% and 4.66%, respectively, at the time of writing. Both yields dropped by over 2% on Wednesday. Additionally, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which gauges the US Dollar's (USD) performance against six major...
The dollar index held around the 109 level on Thursday (16/1) after declining for three straight sessions, as signs of easing U.S. inflation strengthened expectations for further Federal Reserve interest rate cuts this year. U.S. core inflation rose 3.2% year-on-year in December, slowing from 3.3% in November, which was also the consensus forecast. On a monthly basis, the core reading fell to 0.2% from 0.3%, in line with expectations. The inflation data led to a sharp drop in the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield, which fell about 14 basis points to around 4.65%. Market participants also expect...
The Australian Dollar (AUD) remains stable on Thursday following three consecutive days of gains against the US Dollar (USD). The AUD/USD pair saw modest support as the AUD posted slight gains in response to the Australian Employment report. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), employment increased by 56.3K in December, up from 28.2K in November (revised from 35.6K) and significantly exceeding the market forecast of 15.0K. Meanwhile, the Unemployment Rate rose to 4.0% in December, compared to 3.9% in November, aligning with market expectations.Bjorn Jarvis, head of labor...
West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the US crude benchmark, was trading around $78.85 on Thursday (16/1). WTI prices moved lower on improving prospects of a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel that could ease geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, weighing on WTI prices. According to an official, Israel and Hamas have agreed to a deal to halt fighting in Gaza and exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners. An end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas would ease tensions in the Middle East and reduce the threat of disruption to crude supplies in the region. This, in turn, could hurt...
The EUR/USD pair held steady around 1.0295 during the early Asian session on Thursday (16/1). A cooler-than-expected US Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation data for December raised bets that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) could cut interest rates twice this year, weighing on the greenback. However, growing concerns over the Eurozone economic growth may cap gains for the major currency pair. The US dollar (USD) fell after the US core CPI data came in weaker than expected, fueling expectations that the Fed's easing cycle may not be over yet. Markets now expect the US central bank to deliver 40...
Oil prices rose more than 2% on Wednesday, supported by a large draw in U.S. crude stockpiles and potential supply disruptions caused by new U.S. sanctions on Russia, while a Gaza ceasefire deal limited gains. Brent crude futures settled $2.11, or 2.64%, higher at $82.03 a barrel, the highest since August 2024. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) settled up $2.54, or 3.28%, at $80.04 a barrel, the highest since July. In post settlement trade, Brent rose to the highest since July and WTI gained more than $3 a barrel. U.S. crude oil inventories fell last week to their lowest since...
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....