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...
The Australian Dollar (AUD) extended its decline for the second straight session against the US Dollar (USD) on Wednesday (18/12). Traders are bracing for a potential 25 basis point interest rate cut by the US Federal Reserve (Fed) later in the North American session. The AUD is also facing headwinds as traders increase their bets that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will cut rates sooner and more significantly than previously expected. However, the upcoming decision will be data-driven, with evolving risk assessments guiding the RBA's approach. The US Dollar (USD) remains solid amid...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) struggled to build on the previous day's modest recovery against its US counterpart and attracted fresh sellers during the Asian session on Wednesday. Data released today showed that Japan's Trade Balance unexpectedly improved in November on strong export growth, although a decline in imports indicated weak local demand. This, coupled with an uncertain economic outlook amid concerns about US President-elect Donald Trump's tariff plans, reaffirmed expectations that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) will keep interest rates steady later this week and weakened the JPY. Meanwhile,...
The U.S. dollar rose against major currencies on Tuesday following better-than-expected retail sales data that pointed to underlying economic momentum as markets braced for interest rate moves from the Federal Reserve and other central banks. Commerce Department data on Tuesday showed U.S. retail sales beat expectations by rising 0.7% in November, supported by a surge in auto and online purchases. Markets expect the Fed to deliver a 25 basis point rate cut at the conclusion of its two-day policy meeting on Wednesday, with futures implying a nearly 97% chance of a cut, according to the CME...
Gold prices were steady in early Asian trading on Wednesday (12/18) as markets awaited the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision, with a rate cut widely expected. The future direction of monetary policy remains uncertain, especially given potential inflationary pressures, FlowCommunity's Ruben Ferreira wrote in a note. Upcoming policy decisions from other major central banks such as the Bank of Japan are among the factors that could influence the precious metal's trajectory in the coming months, Ferreira said. Gold typically has an inverse relationship to interest rates, with higher...
US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices were trading around $69.70 on Wednesday (12/18). WTI prices moved lower amid fresh concerns about Chinese demand. Investors remained cautious ahead of the US Federal Reserve's interest rate decision on Wednesday. Disappointing Chinese Retail Sales raised concerns about weakening consumer spending in China, the world's largest oil importer. "The bearish momentum generated by the Chinese data has crushed speculators' hopes of breaking out of the upper two-month range," said Robert Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho...
The bullish momentum behind the Euro evaporated on Tuesday, dragging the pair back below the 1.0500 level as traders prepare for the Federal Reserve's (Fed) final interest rate decision in 2024. European data was relatively light this week, forcing Fiber traders to navigate a slew of US data. The Euro market largely ignored the appearances of several European Central Bank (ECB) officials earlier in the week, and despite December's European PMI figures beating expectations. The pan-EU Services PMI survey figures remained in contraction as concerns over a deepening economic slowdown in Europe...
Gold price dropped to a new weekly low of $2,633 on Tuesday following the release of strong Retail Sales data in the United States. This weighed on investors' expectations of the Federal Reserve (Fed), which is expected to adopt a gradual approach to easing in 2025. At the time of writing, the XAU/USD trades at $2,637, down 0.57%.The Fed has begun its two-day meeting in Washington, DC, and is expected to lower interest rates by 25 basis points (bps) on Wednesday. The markets have already priced in the decision, but participants are looking for the Summary of Economic Projections (SEP) and...
The US Dollar (USD) suffered a setback on Tuesday heading into the US trading session with the US Retail Sales figures taking the spotlight. Coming in at 0.7%, beating the 0.5% estimate for November, the reading was less impressive than the US Services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) on Monday. Even a revision to the previous reading to 0.5%, from 0.4% failed to cheer traders and add to their US Dollar positions. Instead, the US Dollar began to pare back some of its gains on the day. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve is set to cut its policy interest rate by 25 basis points on Wednesday –...
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....