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...
EUR/USD is trading quietly around 1.0300 during the European session on Friday. The major currency pair is trading cautiously as investors await the United States (US) Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) data for December, due to be published at 13:30 GMT. Investors will be watching the official US jobs report as it will influence market expectations about when the Federal Reserve (Fed) will deliver its first interest rate cut this year. Economists expect 160,000 new workers to be added to the labor force in December, down from 227,000 in November. The Unemployment Rate is expected to remain steady at...
Gold (XAU/USD) prices extended its uptrend for the fourth straight day and climbed to four-week tops, around $2,678-$2,679 area during the early European session on Friday. Ongoing geopolitical risks stemming from the prolonged Russia-Ukraine war and tensions in the Middle East, along with fears of a trade war and a generally softer risk tone, turned out to be key factors supporting the precious metal as a safe-haven. Further, expectations that Trump's expansionary policies will boost inflation further benefitted the precious metal's status as a hedge against rising prices. Source: FXStreet
The Australian Dollar (AUD) extends its losses for the fourth consecutive day against the US Dollar (USD), with the AUD/USD pair hovering near two-year lows on Friday. The AUD receives downward pressure as the ANZ is now forecasting a 25 basis points (bps) rate cut by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) in February. Traders are now focused on US labor market data including Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP), for additional policy direction insights. The AUD found no support from China's latest inflation data, which highlighted increasing deflationary risks. China's Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) ticks higher in reaction to comments from Japan's Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa during the Asian session on Friday, albeit it lacks bullish conviction amid the Bank of Japan (BoJ) rate hike uncertainty. Data released earlier today showed that real household spending in Japan fell for the fourth month in November and pointed to an economic fragility. This gives the BoJ another reason to be cautious about raising interest rate hikes further, which might continue to undermine the JPY. Furthermore, the US-Japan bond yield differentials have widened significantly over...
ilver price (XAG/USD) continues its rally after registering little losses in the previous session, trading around $30.20 per troy ounce during the Asian hours on Friday. Traders are now focused on US labor market data including Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP), for additional insights into the Federal Reserve's policy direction.The precious Silver, often considered a safe-haven asset, gains support amid uncertainty surrounding inflation and potential tariffs under President-elect Trump's administration, as highlighted by the US Federal Reserve (Fed). However, the upside of the non-yielding metal...
The USD/CHF pair gains traction to around 0.9115 during the early European trading hours on Thursday, bolstered by the stronger US Dollar (USD). The cautious stance of the Federal Reserve (Fed) and solid US economic data provide some support to the pair. Traders will monitor the Fedspeak on Thursday for more cues about the US interest rate outlook this year. Investors scaled back rate cut bets, with pricing a less than 50% chance the Fed cuts rates ahead of its June meeting, according to the CME FedWatch Tool. "With the Federal Reserve expected to cut rates less than most other major...
West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the US crude oil benchmark, is trading around $73.65 on Friday. The WTI price flat lines as the stronger US Dollar (USD) broadly offsets concerns over supply disruptions. A strengthening of the USD on the cautious stance of the US Federal Reserve (Fed) undermines the WTI price as it makes oil more expensive for holders of other currencies. FOMC Minutes released on Wednesday showed that the Fed policymakers expressed concern about inflation and the impact that President-elect Donald Trump's policies could have. Fed officials indicated that they would be moving...
The dollar looked set to extend its longest weekly winning streak in over a year on Friday, underpinned by rising bond yields and expectations of another strong set of U.S. jobs numbers. The dollar has gained 0.5% on the yen this week to buy 158.03 yen and added more than 1% on an ailing British pound, which was battered to a 14-month low in tandem with a selloff in gilts and concern about British finances. The dollar is set for a broadly steady week on the euro, which buys $1.0926 and it has notched small gains on the Australian and New Zealand dollars. [AUD/] The dollar index is set for...
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....