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...
AUD/USD firms as traders brace for Australia Q3 inflation data and Fed decision The Australian Dollar (AUD) edges higher against the US Dollar (USD) on Tuesday, extending its winning streak for the fifth consecutive session as the Greenback stays under pressure ahead of the Federal Reserve's (Fed) interest rate decision on Wednesday. At the time of writing, AUD/USD trades around 0.6586, up nearly 0.5% on the day and marking its highest level in over two weeks. Traders are turning their attention to key Australian inflation data due early Wednesday, which could shape expectations for the...
The dollar index was little changed around 98.8 on Tuesday, as traders avoided making major moves ahead of the FOMC meeting, with the Federal Reserve widely expected to announce another 25-basis-point cut to the federal funds rate on Wednesday. Investors also looked ahead to Thursday's planned meeting between US President Trump and Chinese President Xi, where the two leaders are expected to discuss a potential trade deal following reports that officials have agreed on a preliminary framework covering rare earth minerals, soybean purchases, and TikTok. The dollar fell sharply against the...
Gold (XAU/USD) continued its decline on Tuesday (October 28th) as investors shifted away from safe-haven assets amid a resurgent risk-on sentiment. At the time of writing, XAU/USD was trading around $3,925, down nearly 1.3% on the day, after briefly dipping below $3,900, marking its lowest level in three weeks. The risk-on mood was fueled by optimism surrounding a potential US-China trade truce, with attention focused on the upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, scheduled for Thursday on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in South Korea. The...
The dollar weakened on Tuesday ahead of a series of central bank meetings that are likely to lead to interest rate cuts in the US and as investors continued to monitor President Donald Trump's visit to Asia, hoping for a trade deal with China. The yen strengthened more than 0.6% to 151.855 per dollar ahead of this week's Bank of Japan meeting, where the central bank is expected to keep interest rates unchanged, but focus will be on whether it provides any clues about the timing of the next hike. Comments from US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent boosted the yen as he called for "sound...
Gold plunged more than 2% to a three-week low on Tuesday (October 28th), as optimism over easing trade tensions boosted risk appetite and dented demand for bullion as a safe-haven asset, while investors shifted their attention to this week's Federal Reserve policy meeting. Spot gold prices fell 2% to $3,899.94 per ounce at 08:57 GMT, hitting their lowest level since October 6th. US gold futures for December delivery fell 2.6% to $3,915.30 per ounce. "Hopes to avoid a full-blown trade war between the US and China... (are) driving a rally in risk assets like stocks. On the other hand, this...
Oil prices plunged 2% on Tuesday (October 28th), marking a third straight day of declines as investors assess the impact of US sanctions on Russia's two largest oil companies, as well as a potential OPEC+ plan to increase production. Brent crude fell $1.29, or 2%, to $64.33 per barrel at 08:56 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude fell $1.20, or 2%, to $60.11. "Traders are weighing progress in US-China trade talks and the broader supply outlook," ANZ said in a morning note. The lower prices come after Brent and WTI posted their biggest weekly gains since June last week, in response to US...
The Australian dollar (AUD) rose to around $0.656 on Tuesday, its highest level in nearly three weeks. This increase was primarily due to the weakening US dollar (greenback). US market participants await the Fed's decision on Wednesday, and many have already set expectations that the benchmark interest rate will be cut by 25 basis points. Positive sentiment regarding the possibility of a US-China trade deal has also slightly reduced demand for safe-haven assets like the US dollar, giving the AUD more room to move. Domestically, the Australian market is now awaiting two important data:...
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....