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...
Silver (XAG/USD) held firm around $47.80/oz during the Asian session on Thursday (October 2), continuing its rally after hitting a new record on Wednesday. The US government shutdown following the Senate's failure to pass a short-term funding bill sparked demand for safe-haven assets, increasing the appeal of the white metal amidst the uncertainty. On the policy front, US Vice President JD Vance warned of potential layoffs if the shutdown continues, which could weaken the labor market and raise expectations of a Fed rate cut. This sentiment was further strengthened after ADP reported that...
The Japanese yen strengthened for the fifth straight day on Thursday, remaining near the two-week high reached the previous day as the US dollar weakened. Markets are increasingly accepting that the Bank of Japan will continue its policy normalization, contrary to speculation that the Fed could cut interest rates two more times this year. This divergence in policy direction has narrowed the US-Japan interest rate differential, providing additional support for the lower-yielding JPY. Meanwhile, the market response to the US government shutdown has been subdued so far, with expectations of a...
The Australian Dollar (AUD) maintains its position against the US Dollar (USD) on Thursday, following the release of Trade Balance data. Additionally, the AUD/USD pair moves little as traders adopt caution after the United States (US) government shut down. Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on Thursday that Australia's Trade Surplus narrowed to 1,825 million month-over-month (MoM) in August, against 6,500 million expected and 7,310 million in the previous reading. Meanwhile, Exports fell by 7.8% MoM in August from 3.3% seen a month earlier as Gold exports declined after a run of...
Gold edges lower in the early morning Asian session on a likely technical correction. Front-month Comex gold futures closed 0.7% higher at $3,867.50/oz on Wednesday, a fresh high. Any declines in gold may be limited by the ADP report released overnight that showed an unexpected fall in U.S. private-sector jobs in September. A series of soft data would bring Fed rate-cut expectations closer, supporting gold's move toward higher psychological levels, says XS.com's Linh Tran in an email. "Gold will continue to grind higher but with intermittent swings around key psychological levels, given...
Oil held a run of losses after US crude inventories expanded for the first time in three weeks, ahead of an OPEC+ meeting on the weekend that will likely lead to the return of more idled supply. West Texas Intermediate traded below $62 after tumbling 6% over the previous three sessions. Brent closed near $65 on Wednesday. US crude stockpiles rose by 1.79 million barrels last week, while gasoline inventories swelled the most since late June, according to Energy Information Administration data. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies are expected...
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...