Gold prices weakened in early December, dragged down by investor caution ahead of the Federal Reserve's looming interest rate decision. Amid speculation that the Fed was ready to cut rates again this month, market participants opted to hold back, keeping gold's movements limited. Pressure from the mixed US dollar also prevented gold from posting significant gains. Despite showing some strength in the previous month, gold is now moving defensively due to ongoing global uncertainty. US economic data released in the next few days—including inflation, consumer spending, and signs of a weakening...
The US Dollar (USD) remains under pressure in the early American session on Tuesday. At the time of press, the USD Index was down 0.2% on the day at 99.97. With the US Government open again after a 43-day shutdown, federal agencies are scrambling through a backlog of data to deliver a stream of delayed macroeconomic releases. The focus today is on September's US Retail Sales report. The latest reference, released more than two months ago, showed a strong increase in retail consumption, with a 0.6% monthly gain beating market expectations and easing concerns about the deterioration of the...
Oil prices eased on Tuesday as oversupply concerns outweighed worries that Russian shipments will remain under sanctions as talks to end the Ukraine war remain inconclusive. Brent futures were down 33 cents, or 0.5%, at $63.04 a barrel by 1146 GMT. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude declined 32 cents, or 0.5%, to $58.52. Both crude benchmarks gained 1.3% on Monday as rising doubts about a peace deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war reduced expectations for the unfettered flow of Russian crude and fuel supplies, which are under sanctions from Western nations. Even as market participants...
Silver rose above $51 per ounce on Tuesday, hitting an over one-week high as dovish comments from Federal Reserve officials strengthened expectations for a near-term interest rate cut. Fed Governor Christopher Waller expressed support for a December reduction, citing rising labor market risks and echoing remarks from San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly and New York Fed President John Williams. Waller also noted that policy moves next year would depend heavily on a backlog of delayed data caused by the government shutdown. Markets now price in an 81% chance of a 25 basis point cut next...
Oil steadied as investors tracked risk-on mood in wider financial markets, which countered the impact of progress in peace talks over Ukraine that could pave the way for increased crude supplies. Brent held near $63 a barrel after gaining more than 1% on Monday, while West Texas Intermediate was below $59. Asian stocks tracked gains on Wall Street on the outlook for further rate cuts from the Federal Reserve. Adding to the upbeat mood, US President Donald Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held their first talks since agreeing to a tariff truce last month. On...
Oil prices moved steadily in Tuesday morning trading, with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) holding near US$59 per barrel after rising more than 1% on Monday, while Brent closed above US$63 per barrel. Risk-on sentiment in global financial markets supported prices, as stocks and other commodities rallied on expectations of further interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. The optimistic mood was also supported by the latest talks between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping following last month's tariff truce agreement. On the geopolitical front, the market is closely...
GBP/USD traded flat and hovered around the 1.3100 level at the start of the week, as trading momentum slowed. Market participants faced a very short week due to the Thanksgiving holiday in the US: US markets were closed on Thursday and only open for a half-day on Friday. In practice, there were only three effective days when both London and New York markets were active, so cable movement tended to be limited. On the fundamental side, expectations that the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates for the third consecutive time in December remained quite strong. The FedWatch Tool showed the...
Gold prices rose by around 1.7% to around US$4,134 per troy ounce as market participants became increasingly confident that the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates at its December 9-10 meeting. Dovish comments from Fed Governor Christopher Waller and New York Fed President John Williams fueled expectations of a rate cut, particularly amid signs of weakness in the US labor market and the delay in several data releases due to the government shutdown. Swap traders now assess the probability of a December rate cut at nearly 80%, although there are still differing views within the Fed...
Oil prices rose about 1% on Monday as rising bets on US interest rates in December offset the prospect of a peace deal in Ukraine that could lead to the easing of sanctions on Russian oil. Brent crude futures rose 78 cents, or 1.3%, to $63.34 a barrel at 2:14 p.m. EST (19:14 GMT), while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 77 cents, or 1.3%, to $58.83. Both benchmarks closed Friday at their lowest levels since October 21. Federal Reserve Chairman Christopher Waller said on Monday that available data suggests the US labor market remains weak enough to justify another quarter-point...
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....