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,...
Silver (XAG/USD) prices are trading lower after posting gains in the previous two sessions, trading around $36.50 per troy ounce during Asian hours on Friday (6/27). The decline in precious metals, including Silver, could be restrained by renewed concerns over the independence of the US Federal Reserve (Fed). US President Donald Trump called Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell "terrible" in The Hague on the sidelines of a NATO summit and said he has several potential successors in mind. "I know of three or four people I'm going to pick." Trump could undermine Powell's authority by...
Oil prices were headed for their biggest weekly drop since March 2023 on Friday, as the absence of significant supply disruptions from the Iran-Israel conflict caused the risk premium to evaporate. Brent crude futures were up 35 cents, or 0.52%, at $68.08 a barrel by 0429 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up 40 cents, or 0.61%, at $65.64. That left both contracts on track for weekly declines of about 12%. The benchmarks are now back to levels before Israel started the conflict by firing missiles at Iranian military and nuclear targets on June 13. The week began with prices...
Gold fell on Friday and headed for a second weekly loss, as a slight rise in the dollar and an Israel-Iran truce weighed on prices, with markets eyeing U.S. inflation data for clues on the Federal Reserve's interest rate trajectory. Spot gold fell 1% to $3,292.19 an ounce by 0402 GMT. Bullion has fallen 2.2% so far this week. U.S. gold futures fell 1.3% to $3,305.20. The dollar (.DXY), opens a new tab, rose 0.2% against its rivals, making dollar-priced bullion more expensive for overseas buyers. The decline this week was driven by the Israel-Iran peace deal, said Brian Lan, managing...
The US Dollar Index (DXY), a measure of the US Dollar (USD) against a basket of six major currencies, held steady near 97.25, its lowest level in three-and-a-half years during the Asian session on Wednesday (6/27). US President Donald Trump is considering picking the next Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair early, fueling fresh bets on a US interest rate cut. Trump said he has a shortlist of potential Powell successors down to "three or four people," without naming the finalists. Concerns over the Fed's future independence could weaken the US Dollar (USD) against its rivals. "For now, expectations...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) weakened across the board during the Asian session on Friday (6/27) in reaction to data showing that consumer inflation in Tokyo slowed sharply in June. Moreover, Japanese Retail Sales posted growth for the 38th straight month, albeit at the slowest pace since February. This came on top of expectations that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) could delay an interest rate hike until Q1 2026, which, along with upbeat market sentiment, turned out to be the main factors weakening the safe-haven JPY. Moreover, uncertainty over the impact of US tariffs on the Japanese economy turned...
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...