European shares closed flat on Wednesday, surrendering early session gains, as healthcare stocks felt the pinch from U.S. President Donald Trump's latest threat to impose higher tariffs on pharmaceutical imports. The pan-European STOXX 600 index closed 0.06% lower, breaking its two-day winning streak despite starting the session on a positive note. Healthcare stocks bore the brunt of the selling pressure. The sector index plunged 2.8% to its lowest level in more than three months after Trump unveiled a graduated tariff plan targeting pharmaceutical imports that could see levies on the...
Gold was steady amid thin trading due to the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, with investors weighing the prospect of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut and rising tensions in Ukraine. Bullion was trading near $2,640 an ounce on Friday and down about 3% for the week after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah reduced some demand for the safe-haven asset. Swap markets are pricing in a more than 60% chance the Fed will ease borrowing costs again next month The market is also monitoring fresh threats from Russia, after President Vladimir Putin warned on Thursday that his forces could strike...
Oil was steady as traders eyed further clues on OPEC+'s output plans after postponing a key meeting for four days. West Texas Intermediate crude futures held below $69 a barrel, while Brent crude settled above $73. The producer group is set to discuss whether to press ahead with a supply restart at a delayed online meeting on Dec. 5, or extend curbs into 2025 to avoid global markets becoming oversupplied Crude has traded in a tight range since mid-October, alternating between weekly gains and losses. Prices have been shaken by volatile geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, waning...
Oil held steady as trading thinned during the US Thanksgiving holiday, with the market looking ahead to an upcoming OPEC+ meeting that has been delayed until Dec. 5. West Texas Intermediate was little changed below $69 a barrel in a choppy session, while global benchmark Brent traded above $73. OPEC+ is widely expected to once again delay restoring production when it next meets, to offset concerns about an anticipated glut next year. The meeting, originally scheduled for Sunday, has been pushed back by four days. The group had started talks earlier in the week on delaying an increase to...
Crude Oil falling flat, and is returning less than 0.50% profit on this Thursday after headlines that Israel has already broken the ceasefire deal between in the Gaza region, Bloomberg reports. Meanwhile, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) have confirmed they will postpone its upcoming Output Policy Meeting decision from Sunday to December 5. The conglomerate of Oil producers and exporters is again facing an existential crisis, with a slowdown in global demand with more non-OPEC supply to be released to markets taking place. The US Dollar Index...
Gold futures rise, finding some support after a volatile month. Futures are up 0.3% at $2,646.60 a troy ounce. The precious metal has gained as the U.S. Federal Reserve appears likely to continue interest-rate cuts at its December meeting, ING analysts write. The CME's Fed watch tool shows the market is currently pricing in a 68% chance of a 25-basis-point cut, up from around 56% a week ago. Lower interest rates typically boost the appeal of non-interest bearing bullion. On the other hand, Wednesday's inflation numbers were on the higher side, which could weaken the case for further rate...