European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she will travel to Scotland this weekend to meet with US President Donald Trump, as both sides aim to reach a trade deal before the August 1 deadline when 30% tariffs on the bloc's exports are due to take effect. After months of negotiations and back-and-forth diplomacy between Brussels and Washington, D.C., the two sides have zeroed in on a deal last week that will see the EU face 15% tariffs on most of its trade. Limited exceptions are expected to apply to aviation, some medical devices and generic drugs, some alcoholic beverages,...
Gold (XAU/USD) is on the defensive heading into the weekend, pressured by a combination of mixed US data and improving global risk sentiment. The precious metal is trading below $3,300, down nearly 2% on the day, as safe-haven flows continue to unwind. Friday's core PCE inflation print showed a modest uptick in May, reinforcing the Fed's cautious stance and creating a murkier outlook for the timing of rate cuts. Meanwhile, the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index ticked higher in June, while inflation expectations softened, pointing to stable consumer outlooks.The release of the...
The dollar index fell to 97.1 on Friday, its lowest level since February 2022, extending this week's drop to almost 2%, driven by mounting expectations of Fed rate cuts. Chair Powell struck a notably dovish tone during recent congressional testimony, suggesting that in the absence of inflationary pressures from tariffs, the Fed would have continued its rate-cutting cycle. Reports also suggested that President Trump may announce his pick for the next Fed Chair as early as September or October, potentially creating a "shadow" leadership structure that could guide monetary policy in a more...
Gold futures slump on profit-taking and reduced safe-haven demand. Futures are down 1.8% at $3,287.20 a troy ounce. The precious metal is on track to finish the week nearly 3% lower on the sudden de-escalation in the Israel-Iran conflict, StoneX's Fawad Razaqzada says in a note. Investors have rotated funds out of safe-haven assets and instead into the racier tech sector, Razaqzada writes. Still, a pullback in gold prices might not be a bad thing. Gold's slide will allow technical overbought conditions on higher time frames to cool off, allowing the metal to shine again once macroeconomic...
Oil prices moved higher for a third day on Friday with traders seeing solid summer demand amid falling U.S. inventories even as supply is on the rise. West Texas Intermediate crude oil for August delivery was last seen up US$0.55 to US$65.79 per barrel, while August Brent crude was up US$0.52 to US$68.25. The rise comes as the market calms after the end of the 12-day war between Israel and Iran collapsed a risk premium for the commodity, sending prices down 14% from a five-month high and returning oil to the narrow range it has stuck to for most of the past two months. However Wednesday's...
Silver price slides over 2% to near $35.85 during European trading hours on Friday. The white metal faces a sharp selling pressure due to improvement in trade relations between the United States (US) and China and no signs of Israel-Iran truce violation. During the European trading session, a spokesperson from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce confirmed that Beijing has agreed to expedite exports to rare earths to the US, while Washington will revoke non-tariff barriers. On Thursday, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also confirmed that China is going to "deliver rare earths to us" and...
China's official NBS Manufacturing PMI increased to 49.7 in June 2025 from May's 49.5, matching market expectations while marking the third consecutive month of contraction in factory activity.
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Both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 hovered around the flatline on Friday, as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of further developments in trade talks between US President Trump and Chinese...
President Donald Trump locked horns with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell during a rare presidential visit to the U.S. central bank on Thursday, criticizing the cost of renovating two historical...