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 were steady on Wednesday (October 29th) as investors weighed optimism over a meeting between the leaders of major consumers, the US and China, against expectations of an increase in production quotas from the next OPEC+ meeting. Brent crude rose 11 cents, or 0.2%, to $64.51 a barrel at 10:20 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 6 cents, or 0.1%, to $60.21. China's Foreign Ministry said Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with US President Donald Trump on Thursday in the South Korean city of Busan. The ministry said the meeting would "inject new momentum into the...
Gold rebounded more than 1% on Wednesday (October 29th) as investors found the precious metal attractive after prices fell to a three-week low in the previous session, while the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut decision and Chairman Jerome Powell's speech were the main highlights. Spot gold rose 1% to $3,991.59 an ounce, as of 07:48 GMT, after falling to its lowest level since October 6 on Tuesday. U.S. gold futures for December delivery rose 0.6% to $4,005.60 an ounce. "Bargain hunting could be (supportive) because it has lost a little over 10% of its value, which makes it attractive...
GBP/USD fell again for a second session and is now trading around 1.3250 in the Asian session on Wednesday morning. The pound weakened after data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) showed food prices in the UK fell at the fastest rate in almost five years. This decline in price pressures has made the market increasingly confident that the Bank of England (BoE) will cut interest rates. Traders now estimate there is a 68% chance the BoE will cut interest rates by 0.25% in December. Expectations of BoE easing are growing due to problems in the UK economy itself. The Office for Budget...
The Japanese yen strengthened, breaking through 152 per US dollar on Wednesday (October 29th), continuing its two-day rally. Market participants are positioning themselves ahead of this week's Bank of Japan (BOJ) decision. The BOJ is not expected to change interest rates now, but officials are said to be opening discussions about when to raise interest rates further in the future. This pressure arises because Japanese inflation remains stubbornly high. Yen sentiment strengthened after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama and said Japan...
Oil held a three-day drop as investors assessed the impact of Western sanctions against leading Russian crude producers alongside a mixed industry estimate of US inventory changes. West Texas Intermediate was steady near $60 a barrel after falling by almost 3% over the prior three sessions, while Brent closed above $64. US President Donald Trump will follow through and enforce harsh new sanctions against Moscow to pressure Vladimir Putin into negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, according to Matthew Whitaker, the US ambassador to NATO. Meanwhile, the US industry report...
Gold prices began to stabilize on Wednesday after three consecutive days of decline. The precious metal was trading around $3,950 per ounce, ahead of a crucial meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The market is optimistic due to hopes for a breakthrough in US-China trade. There's even news that the US is ready to lift some tariffs if China takes a firmer stance on the export of chemicals used to make fentanyl. This sentiment has made investors more willing to invest in riskier assets, not just gold. Previously, gold had gone on a rampage, soaring to a...
AU/USD drops 0.63% to $3,955 after rebounding from three-week lows under $3,900 Gold price drops 0.63% on Tuesday during the North American session with the yellow metal suffering from its safe-haven appeal as hopes of a de-escalation of the US-China trade war keep ebbs and flows going toward riskier assets like US equities. At the time of writing, XAU/USD trades at $3,955, after bouncing off three-week lows beneath $3,900. The US-China trade war seems to be fading following last week's meeting between senior officials in Malaysia. Discussions about tariffs, shipping fees, fentanyl and...
Oil prices slipped about 2% on Tuesday, marking a third straight day of declines as investors considered the impact of U.S. sanctions against Russia's two biggest oil companies on global supply, along with a potential OPEC+ plan to raise output. Brent crude futures settled down $1.22, or 1.9%, to $64.40 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures settled down $1.16, or 1.9%, at $60.15. Brent and WTI last week registered their biggest weekly gains since June, reacting to U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to impose Ukraine-related sanctions on Russia for the first time in his...
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....