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 hit an all-time high on Monday (October 6), surging above $3,900 an ounce, as investors flocked to safe-haven assets amid the US government shutdown, broader economic uncertainty, and the prospect of further Federal Reserve interest rate cuts. Spot gold rose 1.4% to $3,940.04 an ounce, as of 11:08 GMT, after reaching $3,949.34 earlier in the session. US gold futures for December delivery rose 1.4% to $3,964.50. Washington will begin mass layoffs of federal workers if US President Donald Trump decides negotiations with Democratic lawmakers to end the partial government shutdown...
Oil prices rose more than 1% on Monday after OPEC+ only raised November production by 137,000 bpd, a smaller increase than would have affected the market. At 08:08 GMT, Brent rose 1.2% to $65.33 per barrel, while WTI rose 1.3% to $61.64. These limited increases are short-term supply increases. Analysts believe the market was previously anticipating a larger increase. Janiv Shah (Rystad) said that an increase of 137,000 bpd still risks "bloating" the surplus in the fourth quarter of 2025 and into 2026. Behind the scenes, Russia is pushing for a 137,000 bpd increase, while Saudi Arabia was...
Politics dominated currency markets on Monday as the Japanese yen weakened by the most against the dollar in five months as Sanae Takaichi looked set to become Japan's next prime minister, while the euro slid on news that France's new prime minister had quit. Takaichi is a former economic security and internal affairs minister with an expansionary fiscal agenda for the world's fourth-largest economy, and won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election at the weekend. Her victory traders caused to reduce bets that the Bank of Japan will increase interest rates this month and...
Gold prices hit an all-time high on Monday (October 6), soaring above $3,900 an ounce, as investors flocked to safe-haven assets amid the US government shutdown, broader economic shutdown, and the prospect of further Federal Reserve interest rate cuts. Spot gold prices rose 1.2% to $3,932.40 an ounce at 07:30 GMT, after reaching $3,944 earlier in the session. US gold futures for December delivery rose 1.2% to $3,956.50. Washington will begin mass layoffs of federal employees if US President Donald Trump decides negotiations with Democratic lawmakers to end the partial government shutdown...
The Australian dollar (AUD) strengthened against the US dollar (USD) this morning after the latest inflation data from the TD Securities–Melbourne Institute (TD-MI) showed a higher-than-expected surge in consumer prices. The monthly inflation index rose 0.4% in September, reversing from a 0.3% decline in the previous month. Annually, inflation now stands at 3%, slightly above the upper end of the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) target range of 2–3%. This rise in inflation has fueled speculation that the RBA may reconsider its cautious stance on interest rates. Although the RBA held its...
The USD/JPY pair climbs to near 149.65 during the early Asian session on Monday. The Japanese Yen (JPY) faces some selling pressure against the Greenback after a ruling-party vote for Sanae Takaichi to become Japan's next Prime Minister. Reuters reported on Sunday that Japan's ruling party elected Sanae Takaichi as its new leader on Saturday, positioning the 64-year-old to become Japan's first female Prime Minister. A vote in parliament to replace outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is scheduled for October 15. Takaichi is favoured as the ruling coalition has the largest number of...
Gold prices hit a new record early this week, hitting $3,920 per ounce on Monday, October 6, 2025, before a slight correction. This surge fueled investor concerns over the ongoing US government shutdown. This uncertainty prompted a massive outflow of funds into safe-haven assets like gold. The shutdown also caused the postponement of US employment data, which was scheduled for release last Friday, further clouding the picture of the US economy. With crucial data withheld, investors grew wary, and precious metals became a prime choice for hedging. So far this year, gold has risen nearly 50%...
OPEC+ is once again playing it cautiously. For the second consecutive month, the world's largest oil producer group only increased supply by 137,000 barrels per day—a figure significantly lower than market expectations. Although Saudi Arabia and Russia initially disagreed, this decision indicates they are still trying to maintain a balance between maintaining prices and regaining market share. But the move comes at a less than ideal time. The global oil market is becoming oversupplied, with oil reserves continuing to grow and global demand predicted to slow. According to the International...
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....