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...
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...
The USD/JPY pair lost traction around 150.95 during the early Asian session on Friday (11/29). The Japanese yen (JPY) moved higher after Japan's Tokyo Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation report came in higher than expected for November. Data released by the Statistics Bureau of Japan on Friday showed that the Tokyo Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 2.6% YoY in November, compared to 1.8% in the previous month. Meanwhile, the Tokyo CPI ex Fresh Food, Energy rose by 2.2% YoY in November compared to 1.8% previously. The Tokyo CPI ex Fresh Food increased by 2.2% YoY in November, compared to a...
The Australian dollar (AUD) continued its uptrend for the third straight session on Friday following aggressive comments from Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Governor Michele Bullock. However, the AUD/USD pair may face downward pressure as the United States (US) is set to announce additional measures on Monday aimed at curbing China's ability to advance artificial intelligence technology. RBA Governor Bullock said on Thursday that Australia's core inflation is still "too high" to consider cutting interest rates anytime soon. He stressed that there is still progress to be made before...
The Japanese yen jumped 1% to around 150 per dollar on Friday, hitting a six-week high as investors reacted to data showing Tokyo inflation rose above 2% in November. The inflation data reinforced expectations for another interest rate hike from the Bank of Japan in December. Markets now price in about a 60% chance of a 25 basis point rate hike next month, up from about 50% a week ago. Tokyo's inflation figures are often seen as a leading indicator of national price trends, with national CPI data usually following in about three weeks. However, national CPI for November will not be...