Markets are kicking around the idea of a Federal Reserve rate cut in September, but Morgan Stanley isn't sure, warning that the odds may be closer to 50-50 despite widespread expectations. Strong economic indicators including solid GDP growth, healthy financial conditions, and low volatility stand in the way of a clear case for easing, the bank said in a recent report. Nominal GDP growth remains robust at over 5%, unemployment holds steady at 4.2%, and retail sales continue surpassing expectations, reflecting an economy far from needing stimulus, Morgan Stanley's economists said. "It cannot...
Gold was steady below a record high, with traders monitoring a tight US presidential election that could have a dramatic impact on economic policy. Bullion traded near $2,740 an ounce after the latest raft of polling data showed no clear frontrunner in the race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump ahead of the vote on Tuesday. The uncertainty has spurred a rush to haven assets, and many investors anticipate the precious metal could rise further — especially if the result is contested. Gold has surged by around a third this year on a combination of easing monetary...
Gold prices edged down on Friday, pressured by a stronger U.S. dollar and Treasury yields, but a weak job growth data from the world's biggest economy prompted analysts to increase bets for a rate cut from the Federal Reserve, limiting some losses. Spot gold fell 0.2% to $2,736.28 per ounce by 1:55 p.m. ET (1755 GMT). Prices fell 1.5% on Thursday as some traders took profit after bullion hit a record high of $2,790.15. U.S. gold futures settled largely steady at 2,749.2. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 12,000 jobs last month, the smallest gain since December 2020, affected by disruptions...
Oil prices edged up on Friday on reports Iran was preparing a retaliatory strike on Israel from Iraq in coming days, but record U.S. output weighed on prices. Brent futures were up 29 cents, or 0.4%, to settle at $73.10 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained 23 cents, or 0.3%, to settle at $69.49. At their session highs, both benchmarks were up over $2 a barrel. Brent posted a weekly decline of about 4% with WTI down about 3%. On Thursday, U.S. news website Axios reported that Israeli intelligence suggests that Iran is preparing to attack Israel from Iraq within days,...
EUR/USD gives up gains after facing selling pressure near the key resistance of 1.0900 in North American trading hours on Friday. The major currency pair drops as the US Dollar (USD) bounces back strongly in the aftermath of the United States (US) Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) data for October. Initial reaction from the US Dollar was negative, however, it rebounded strongly, with the US Dollar Index (DXY) returning back above 104.00. The report showed that the economy added 12K fresh payrolls, significantly lower than estimates of 113K and the former release of 223K, downwardly revised from 254K...
Silver was trading near 32.6USD/troy on Friday, close to 2-week low as investors continued to assess Fed policy outlook and demand for safety ahead of the upcoming US elections.The ISM manufacturing PMI fell more than expected but mostly becouse the price pressures intensifed. Earlier, the labout data showed US jobs creation slowed much more than anticipated but mostly due to strikes and distortions related to hurricanes. Still, silver prices are expected to finish the week at least 3% lower as economic data from Eurozone, combined with the UK's new government budget reeinforced the view of...
President Donald Trump said he would fire Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors if she does not resign her post over mortgage-fraud accusations from a top...
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) maintained its cash rate at 4.1% during its April meeting, holding borrowing costs unchanged after slashing 25 bps in the February meeting, aligning with market...