Renewed tensions between the United States and Russia have resurfaced following an incident involving an oil tanker, sparking market concerns about potential disruptions to global energy supplies. Washington's move, associated with tightening oversight and enforcement of sanctions on Russian oil shipments, is viewed by Moscow as provocative and could worsen relations between the two countries. Russia views these actions as an attempt by the United States to suppress Russian energy exports and strengthen its dominance in the global oil market. Meanwhile, Washington argues that these measures...
Gold prices rose in Asian trade on Wednesday, benefiting from a softer dollar as a batch of middling U.S. economic readings drove increased conviction that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in December. Haven demand for gold appeared strong even as broader risk-driven assets rallied this week, amid lingering tensions between Japan and China, while uncertainty over a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire and stretched fiscal spending also helped. Spot gold rose 0.9% to $4,166.13 an ounce, while gold futures for February rose 0.9% to $4,201.15/oz by 00:24 ET (05:24 GMT). Gold rises as weak US...
Silver prices (XAG/USD) continued their three-day rally, approaching US$52.00 per troy ounce during Wednesday's Asian session. This strengthening occurred as US bond yields weakened, with the 10-year US Treasury yield holding around 4.00% after falling around 3.4% over the week. Lower yields make non-yielding assets like silver attractive again to investors. According to the CME FedWatch tool, the probability of the Fed cutting interest rates by 25 bps to a range of 3.50%-3.75% at its December meeting jumped to around 85.3%, from just 50.1% the previous week. These dovish expectations were...
The Australian dollar strengthened to around US$0.65 on Wednesday, hitting a one-week high. This strengthening occurred after higher-than-expected inflation data came out, further convincing the market that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will remain hawkish and not ready to ease interest rates anytime soon. The first full monthly inflation data showed that price pressures remain high. Headline inflation rose to 3.8% in October, the fastest pace in seven months and above market expectations. More importantly, trimmed mean inflation—the RBA's favorite measure of underlying price...
The Japanese yen held its recent advance to around 156 per dollar on Wednesday, hovering at one-week highs and benefiting mainly from dollar weakness as traders ramped up bets on a US Federal Reserve rate cut in December. Those expectations grew after the latest US data pointed to softening consumer spending, while reports suggested that a dovish candidate is being considered for the next Fed chair. The yen also found support amid rising speculation that Japanese authorities could intervene in currency markets, with the US Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday creating a potential window for...
The dollar index held below 100 on Wednesday, continuing its decline from the previous session. Pressure stemmed from weak US economic data, reinforcing market confidence that the Fed will cut interest rates at its December meeting. Data showed that US retail sales rose less than expected in September, while consumer confidence fell sharply in November. This indicates that consumer spending is beginning to slow after months of strong demand. Currently, market participants estimate an 84% chance of a 25 basis point Fed rate cut next month, up sharply from around 50% a week earlier. This...
Asian stock markets fell in unison on Thursday, following Wall Street's decline. A brief rally in tech stocks led by Nvidia quickly faded, prompting investors to turn away from riskier assets like...
European stock indices closed marginally lower on Wednesday as equities took a breather from their recent strong momentum, while investors continued to assess the outlook for the ECB's policy this...
The upcoming Supreme Court ruling on the legality of President Donald Trump's massive tariffs, which rocked markets in April, is one of the next major tests for US stocks and bonds.
Equity markets...