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...
Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Governor Michele Bullock is due to address a press conference and respond to media questions as part of a new reporting format for the central bank that started this year. The RBA maintained the benchmark interest rate at 4.35% for the ninth straight meeting earlier this Tuesday. The central bank, however, softened its hawkish tone, hinting at a dovish pivot early next year. This section below was published at 03:30 GMT to cover the Reserve Bank of Australia's monetary policy announcements and the initial market reaction. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA)...
The Australian dollar weakened past $0.64 on Tuesday, reversing gains from the previous session, after the Reserve Bank of Australia kept its policy rate unchanged at 4.35% for the ninth straight meeting. However, the slightly more dovish tone from the central bank in its policy statement fueled market expectations of an earlier rate cut than previously anticipated. Last week, data showed Australia's economy grew just 0.3% quarter-on-quarter in the three months to September, lower than the 0.4% growth expected by markets. In addition, business confidence in Australia weakened sharply in...
Gold rose above $2,660 an ounce on Tuesday, rising for a second straight session, supported by a shift in Chinese policy and geopolitical risks in the Middle East. China's ruling Politburo on Monday announced plans to ease monetary policy for the first time in 14 years to stimulate the economy, boosting market sentiment across commodities. In addition, China's central bank added gold to its reserves for the first time in seven months, bolstering demand for the precious metal. Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, particularly the fall of the Syrian government, also added further...
The dollar index held steady around 106.1 on Tuesday, following two consecutive sessions of gains, as investors awaited crucial inflation data later this week that could shape expectations for Federal Reserve policy. On Monday, data revealed that US inflation expectations for the year ahead rose to 3% in November, up from 2.9% in October, signaling ongoing concerns about persistent price pressures. Additionally, last week's data showed stronger-than-expected job growth in November, although the unemployment rate edged up to 4.2%. Despite these mixed signals, markets are currently pricing...
Silver price (XAG/USD) extends its gains for the second day, trading around $32.00 per troy ounce during the Asian hours on Tuesday. The daily chart analysis indicates a bullish bias, with the pair moving upwards within an ascending channel pattern. Additionally, the 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) remains above the 50 mark, further supporting the bullish sentiment. The XAG/USD pair continues to trade above the nine- and 14-day Exponential Moving Averages (EMA), reinforcing a bullish outlook and signaling to strengthen short-term price momentum. This points to increasing buying...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) loses ground against its American counterpart for the second consecutive day on Tuesday and lifts the USD/JPY pair to over a one-week high, above mid-151.00s during the Asian session on Tuesday. The uncertainty over how soon the Bank of Japan (BoJ) could raise interest rates again keeps the JPY bulls on the defensive. Furthermore, the overnight bounce in the US Treasury bond yields from October lows undermines the lower-yielding JPY. Apart from this, the post-NFP US Dollar (USD) recovery from a nearly one-month trough, bolstered by expectations for a less dovish...
Gold steadied after a rally as traders shifted focus to a key US inflation report due later this week that could shape expectations ahead of the Federal Reserve's final interest rate decision of the year. Bullion prices held near $2,660 an ounce — near a two-week high — after China's central bank added the precious metal to its reserves for the first time in seven months. Geopolitical concerns also fueled demand for safe-haven assets amid fears of a power vacuum in Syria after Bashar al-Assad was ousted from power over the weekend. Data on Wednesday and Thursday will give Fed officials a...
West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the U.S. crude benchmark, was trading around $67.90 on Tuesday. WTI prices recovered amid rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East following the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Over the weekend, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family fled to Moscow and were granted political asylum, ending 50 years of brutal dictatorship. The fall of the Syrian leader's regime could lead to a conflict involving regional countries, boosting WTI prices. Mitsubishi UFJ Research's Tomochi Akuta noted that these geopolitical risks are driving crude...
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....