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...
Gold rose during the North American session on Tuesday with buyers eyeing the $2,700 mark for the first time since November 25. One of the drivers of the yellow metal's rise was expectations that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will cut interest rates at its December meeting. At the time of writing, XAU/USD was trading at $2,694, up 1.32%. US economic data released on the day suggested that small businesses have grown optimistic about the economy, according to a survey by the National Federation of Independent Business. However, traders are focused on the release of US inflation figures on the...
Oil prices were little changed on Tuesday as concerns eased about the fallout from the overthrow of Syria's president while the market found support from Chinese stimulus that could boost demand from the world's biggest crude buyer. Brent crude futures rose 5 cents, or 0.07%, to close at $72.19 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate gained 22 cents, or 0.32%, to settle at $68.59. Both benchmarks had risen more than 1% on Monday. In Syria, rebels were working to form a government and restore order after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, with the country's banks and oil sector set to...
Gold prices hit a two-week high on Tuesday, underpinned by rising geopolitical tensions and expectations of a third U.S. rate cut by the Federal Reserve next week, while the market's gaze shifted to Wednesday's U.S. inflation data. Spot gold was up 1.3% at $2,692.32 per ounce at 01:41 p.m. ET (1841 GMT). U.S. gold futures settled 1.2% higher at $2,718.40. The spotlight is moving to the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Wednesday, which is expected to rise by 0.3% in November, according to a Reuters poll, and the Producer Price Index (PPI) on Thursday, both pivotal in shaping the Fed's...
Oil prices fell slightly in trade on Tuesday, losing some ground after pledges of more stimulus in top importer China and heightened geopolitical tensions in Syria sparked strong gains. Anticipation of more economic signals from China and the U.S. in the coming days also kept traders to the sidelines, as did caution over a monthly report from the OPEC. Brent oil futures expiring in February fell 0.2% to $72.0 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 0.2% to $67.96 a barrel by 20:44 ET (01:44 GMT). Oil prices rose over 1% on Monday after China's top political body...
Gold futures rise on safe-haven demand and central-bank purchases. Futures are up 0.5% at $2,699.30 a troy ounce. The precious metal found support from heightened geopolitical tensions, bolstering its appeal as a safe-haven asset, says Ricardo Evangelista, senior analyst at ActivTrades. China's central bank said it has resumed gold purchases after a six-month hiatus, adding further support, Evangelista writes. Expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut U.S. interest rates later this month have solidified among traders, boosting the appeal of non-interest bearing bullion and completing...
The Pound Sterling (GBP) consolidates in a tight range near 1.2750 against the US Dollar (USD) in Tuesday's European session. The GBP/USD pair trades sideways as investors focus on the United States (US) Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for November, which will be published on Wednesday. Economists expect the annual headline inflation to have accelerated to 2.7% from the October reading of 2.6%. In the same period, the core CPI which excludes volatile food and energy prices is expected to have risen steadily by 3.3%. The month-on-month headline and core CPI are estimated to have grown...
Oil prices slipped on Tuesday as concerns eased about the fallout from the overthrow of Syria's president, despite support from China's plan to ramp up policy stimulus - a potential boost to demand from the world's biggest crude buyer. Brent crude futures fell 24 cents to $71.90 per barrel at 1009 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was down 28 cents at $68.09. Both benchmarks had risen more than 1% on Monday. In Syria, rebels were working to form a government and restore order after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, with the country's banks and oil sector set to resume work on...
EUR/USD slides to near 1.0530 in Tuesday's European session as investors turn cautious ahead of the European Central Bank (ECB) monetary policy meeting, which will be announced on Thursday. Traders have priced in a 25-basis points (bps) reduction in the Deposit Facility Rate to 3%. This would be the third interest rate cut decision by the ECB in a row. Market experts assume that a slew of factors, including Donald Trump's victory in the United States (US) Presidential elections, political turmoil in France and Germany, and a sharp slowdown in the Eurozone business activity compelled...
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....