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 prices rose slightly on Monday (October 20th) after rallying to a record high, supported by expectations of further US interest rate cuts and increased demand for safe-haven assets amid the government shutdown in Washington. Investors are now awaiting market direction from the upcoming US-China trade talks. Spot gold prices rose 0.3% to $4,259.84 per ounce at 09:51 GMT, while US gold futures for December delivery jumped 1.5% to $4,275 per ounce. Spot silver also rose 0.5% to $52.12, recovering some ground after plunging 4.4% on Friday, despite earlier touching a record...
Oil prices dipped on Monday, pressured by worries over a global glut as U.S.-China trade tensions added to concerns about an economic slowdown and weaker energy demand. Brent crude futures were down 18 cents, or 0.3%, at $61.11 a barrel as of 0938 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures fell 17 cents, or 0.3%, to $57.37. Oil traders' concerns have shifted from under-supply to over-supply, the futures contract structure of the global benchmark Brent showed. The six-month spread for Brent shows contracts for earlier loading are trading below those for later loading, a structure...
The U.S. dollar edged higher Monday, rebounding after last week's losses although sentiment remains wary ahead of key inflation data and amid worries over the health of the U.S. regional banking sector. U.S. CPI data dueThe U.S. currency has stabilized on the back of a rebound on Wall Street despite the sudden return of market scrutiny on U.S. regional banks, after two lenders Zions and Western Alliance Bancorp reported problems with loans associated with fraud. "Concerns about the health of regional banks and the broader quality of credit in the U.S. remain very central for FX markets,"...
Silver held below $52 per ounce on Monday after losing more than 4% in the previous session when investors locked in profits after a historic rally to record highs. Improving risk sentiment, driven largely by signs of easing US-China trade tensions, also weighed on safe-haven demand. Traders now await key US inflation data this week following a data blackout caused by the government shutdown. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut rates by 25 basis points next week, followed by another move in December and possibly three more in 2026. Last week, silver spiked to all-time...
World oil prices slipped again at the start of this week after recording a third consecutive weekly decline. Brent fell below $61 per barrel, while WTI (West Texas Intermediate) approached $57. Pressure stemmed from market optimism about easing trade tensions between the US and China, ahead of new negotiations scheduled for this week. President Donald Trump stated that the threat of higher tariffs on China would likely not be pursued, opening the door to a trade deal. However, the market also monitored China's economic slowdown, which continued into the second quarter. Although exports...
The Japanese yen weakened earlier this week following reports that the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Japan Innovation Party (JIP) had agreed to form a coalition government. This agreement opened the door for Sanae Takaichi to become Japan's first female prime minister, while also reviving expectations of large fiscal spending and loose monetary policy. As a result, the market began to speculate that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) would delay its next interest rate hike, pushing the yen lower and sending the USD/JPY pair rallying from 149.35. However, the BoJ has not completely reversed...
Gold steadied after Friday's sharp decline in the precious metal, with traders weighing the latest developments in trade tensions and concerns surrounding the credit exposure of regional US banks. At the end of a volatile week, bullion closed 1.7% lower, its biggest daily decline since May. Silver also traded little changed on Monday after falling 4.3% in the previous session as pressure on London stocks eased. Technical indicators suggest that the explosive rally for both metals that began in August and pushed them to new records last week may have overheated, paving the way for a...
Oil prices posted a slight increase on Friday (October 17th), but were close to a weekly loss of nearly 3% after the International Energy Agency (IEA) forecast a widening oversupply, and U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to meet again to discuss Ukraine. Brent crude futures closed at $61.29 per barrel, up 23 cents, or 0.38%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures closed at $57.54 per barrel, up 8 cents, or 0.14%. Trump and Putin agreed on Thursday to hold another summit on the war in Ukraine, to be held in Hungary within the next two weeks. This...
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....