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 surged above $3,890 an ounce on Wednesday (October 1), hitting a new record high as the US government shutdown boosted demand for safe-haven assets. Washington has suspended most operations after a partisan standoff prevented a funding deal between Congress and the White House, triggering a potentially prolonged impasse that threatens thousands of federal jobs. Traders are closely monitoring the duration of the government shutdown, as it threatens to delay key economic data, including Friday's nonfarm payrolls report, which is seen as crucial ahead of the Fed's policy meeting in late...
The Australian dollar edged lower to around $0.660 on Wednesday, ending its three consecutive session of gains, as investors digested soft economic data. Australia's manufacturing sector continued to expand in September, though at a slower pace, while industry activity showed slight improvement but remained in contraction, with weak demand, rising costs, and labor shortages weighing on firms. Additionally, global sentiment remained cautious amid concerns over a potential US government shutdown after the Congress's failure to pass funding bills. The commodity-linked Aussie also came under...
The US dollar continued to weaken, approaching its lowest level in a week as uncertainty over a possible US government shutdown looms. If the US government does shut down, the release of key data, such as Friday's jobs report, could be delayed, heightening market caution. US President Donald Trump warned that a shutdown would force the government to take "irreversible" steps, including shutting down critical programs. Meanwhile, recent data showed the US labor market is starting to weaken, with a decline in the number of workers employed despite a slight increase in job openings. In the...
Gold edges higher in the early morning Asian session. The U.S. federal government is on track to shut down, with Congress set to miss the deadline to fund federal agencies. Front-month Comex gold futures ended 16.59% higher in 3Q, a record quarterly net gain. The precious metal's strong performance has been fueled by risingdemand for safe-haven assets, Exness's Agustina Patti says in an email. Immediate focus has remained on Washington, where talks between President Trump and congressional leaders ended without agreement on extending government funding, the financial markets strategist...
Oil steadied after a two-day drop as OPEC+ may discuss fast-tracking its latest round of supply hikes when members gather this weekend. West Texas Intermediate traded near $62 a barrel, after falling more than 5% in the first two days of the week, while Brent closed above $66. The alliance is slated to discuss potentially lifting output in three monthly installments of 500,000 barrels a day to recoup market share, a delegate said. Still, OPEC said in a statement that it didn't have such a plan. In wider markets, traders were counting down to a possible US government...
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...