US stocks rose on Friday (October 17th) as investors reacted positively to President Trump's remarks alleviating concerns about further trade escalation with China, while regional bank stocks rebounded after Thursday's sharp declines. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq each rose 0.5%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 239 points. Trump said his proposed 100% tariffs on Chinese goods would be unsustainable, although he blamed Beijing for recent trade tensions, and confirmed that his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping was still possible at the end of the month. Consumer staples,...
Crude oil prices have started to rise as tensions mount ahead of the most important OPEC+ meeting before 2025, which will be held on Thursday. Ahead of the meeting, Iranian official Afshin Javan made an ominous statement by issuing an opinion piece that blamed OPEC+ for the current low prices. The main point of the opinion piece was that OPEC+ had kept oil prices high for too long, funding its competitors to boost cheaper alternatives. The debate is heated ahead of Thursday's online meeting after Afshin Javan's opinion piece, where OPEC+ will agree to extend its production curbs. At the...
Gold dropped 1% on Monday, ending a four-session winning streak, weighed down by a robust U.S. dollar, as investors eyed upcoming economic data and remarks from Federal Reserve officials for clues on the future of U.S. interest rates. Spot gold was down 0.5% to $2,640.93 per ounce, as of 1207 GMT. It was down 1% earlier in the session. U.S. gold futures fell 0.6% to $2,663.90. The dollar index gained 0.5%, on track for its best day in over a week, making greenback-priced bullion more expensive for holders of other currencies. Trump on Saturday called on BRICS nations to pledge not to...
The greenback snapped a three-day losing streak amid focus on French budget talks and a fresh currency warning by President-elect Donald Trump. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rises as much as 0.6% while the yield on 10-year Treasuries is up by three basis points to 4.20%. Trump warned the so-called BRICS countries he would require a commitment that they wouldn't create a new currency as an alternative to using the greenback, and repeated threats to levy a 100% tariff if they did. This is a tactic that risks backfiring, market watchers...
WTI crude oil prices were steady at $68.5 a barrel on Monday, as investors monitored positive economic data from China, and awaited the upcoming OPEC+ meeting. Chinese factory activity grew for a second month and at the fastest pace in five months in November, signaling a recovery in the world's largest oil importer after a series of stimulus measures introduced in late September. At the same time, Saudi Arabia, is anticipated to lower crude prices for Asian buyers in January to a four-year low. Attention also remains on the delayed OPEC+ meeting, rescheduled for later this week, where the...
Gold (XAU/USD) prices maintained its bid tone through the first half of the European session on Monday (2/12) and is currently trading around the $2,630 region, or the lower end of its daily range. The US Dollar (USD) bounced back after its recent decline to a near three-week low amid a healthy uptick in the US Treasury bond yields and turned out to be a key factor weighing on the precious metal. Furthermore, expectations that US President-elect Donald Trump's tariff plans and expansionary policies will boost inflation, setting the stage for the Federal Reserve (Fed) to halt interest rate...