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 (XAU/USD) prices reversed a modest Asian session decline to the $2,679 area and is currently trading just below a one-month high touched on Friday, though the upside seems limited. The upbeat US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report reinforced market expectations that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will pause its interest rate-cutting cycle later this month. This, coupled with persistent geopolitical risks, dampened investors' appetite for riskier assets, which was evident from a softer tone around equity markets and acted as a tailwind for the safe-haven precious metal. Meanwhile, hawkish Fed...
Gold price (XAU/USD) attracts some sellers during the Asian session on Monday and for now, seems to have snapped a four-day winning streak to the $2,700 neighborhood, or a one-month high touched on Friday. The upbeat US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report reinforced market expectations that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will pause its rate-cutting cycle later this month. This keeps the US Treasury bond yields elevated near their highest level in over a year and the US Dollar (USD) near a two-year peak, which, in turn, exerts some pressure on the non-yielding yellow metal. Meanwhile, hawkish Fed...
Oil prices jumped on Friday as the U.S. Treasury Department announced sweeping sanctions against Russia's oil industry. Brent gained $2.84, or 3.69%, to close at $79.76 per barrel, while U.S. crude oil advanced $2.65, or 3.58%, to settle at $76.57 per barrel. The benchmarks closed at their highest levels since October. The sanctions target Russian oil companies Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas and their subsidiaries, more than 180 tankers, and more than a dozen Russian energy officials and executives. The sanctioned executives include Gazprom Neft CEO Aleksandr Valeryevich Dyukov. The...
Gold (XAU/USD) price traded with slight losses near $2,690 against the broadly stronger US Dollar (USD) during the early Asian session on Monday (13/1). However, safe-haven demand due to uncertainty surrounding the policies of President-elect Donald Trump's administration could help limit Gold's decline. A stronger-than-expected US employment data on Friday reinforced expectations that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) may not cut interest rates aggressively this year. This, in turn, weighed on non-yielding assets. Traders expect the Fed to cut interest rates by only 30 basis points (bps) this...
The AUD/USD pair held steady around 0.6145 during the early Asian session on Monday. The US jobs growth came in stronger than expected in December, supporting the US Dollar (USD) across the board. The data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Friday showed that Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) rose by 256K in December, compared to an increase of 212K (revised from 227K) seen in November. This reading beat the market expectation of 160K by a wide margin. Meanwhile, the Unemployment Rate fell to 4.1% in December from 4.2% in November. Lastly, annual wage inflation, as measured by the...
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...