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...
Oil prices fell more than 1% on Wednesday as a stronger dollar and large builds in U.S. fuel inventories last week pressured prices, reversing earlier gains driven by tightening supplies from Russia and other OPEC members. Brent crude settled down 89 cents, or 1.16%, to $76.23 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 93 cents, or 1.25%, to $73.32. Both benchmarks had risen more than 1% earlier in the session. Gasoline stocks rose by 6.3 million barrels last week to 237.7 million barrels, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 1.5 million-barrel build,...
Gold prices hit a near four-week high on Wednesday after a weaker-than-expected private employment report for December provided reassurance for some in the market the U.S. Federal Reserve may be less cautious about easing rates this year. Spot gold rose 0.3% to $2,657.38 per ounce, as of 02:15 p.m. ET (1915 GMT) and hit its highest since Dec. 13. U.S. gold futures settled 0.3% higher at $2,672.40. Weaker private payrolls "is contributing to gold's move, because ultimately, weaker employment numbers imply that the economy has been weaker than many had expected," said Bart Melek, head of...
The U.S. dollar strengthened on Wednesday, benefiting from rising bond yields after the release of healthy U.S. economic data, while weak German industrial orders weighed on the euro. At 4:35 AM ET (09:35 GMT), the Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six other currencies, was trading 0.3% higher at 108.690. Dollar strengthens on rising Treasury yields The dollar continued to strengthen on Wednesday, following the previous session's positive tone after data showed U.S. job openings rose unexpectedly in November, layoffs were low, while service sector activity...
Oil prices rose on Wednesday as supplies from Russia and OPEC members tightened while data showing an unexpected rise in U.S. job openings pointed to expanding economic activity and growing demand for oil as a result. Brent crude rose 37 cents, or 0.5%, to $77.42 a barrel by 0730 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 44 cents, or 0.6%, to $74.69. Oil output from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries fell in December after two months of increases, a Reuters survey showed. Field maintenance in the United Arab Emirates offset a rise in Nigerian output and increases...
Gold (XAU/USD) prices held on to modest intraday gains through the first half of the European session on Wednesday, albeit lacked bullish conviction and remained below the $2,665 resistance zone retested the previous day. Uncertainty surrounding US President-elect Donald Trump's tariff plans, trade war fears, geopolitical tensions, and softer risk tone turned out to be key factors that acted as a tailwind for the safe-haven bullion. However, the Federal Reserve's (Fed) hawkish shift, which kept the US Treasury bond yields elevated near multi-month tops, along with the emergence of some...
Gold (XAU/USD) prices attracted some dip-buying following the previous day's decline from the $2,665 resistance zone, albeit lacked any follow-through or bullish conviction. The US Dollar (USD) bulls turned cautious and preferred to wait for the release of the FOMC Meeting Minutes before placing fresh bets. Additionally, uncertainty surrounding US President-elect Donald Trump's tariff plans, trade war fears, geopolitical tensions, and a softer risk tone turned out to be key factors that acted as a tailwind for the safe-haven bullion. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve's (Fed) hawkish signal...
Silver prices held above $30.10 an ounce on Wednesday, near their highest level in more than three weeks despite pressure from a stronger dollar and rising Treasury yields. The move came as strong U.S. economic data reduced the likelihood of further interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. Silver, along with other safe-haven assets, has also benefited from uncertainty ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20 and confusion over his tariff plans. Silver has also drawn support from hopes that China, the world's top consumer of the metal, will follow through on...
The dollar index held its recent advance to above 108.5 on Wednesday, supported by higher Treasury yields as strong US economic data diminished the likelihood of further Federal Reserve interest rate cuts. Growth in the US services sector accelerated in December, boosting business activity and pushing prices to their highest levels since early 2023. Job openings also rose by 259,000 to 8.098 million in November, surpassing expectations and reaching a six-month high. Investors are now focused on Friday's monthly jobs report, one of the last major data releases before the Fed's upcoming...
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....