Oil slipped after a weekly advance, as lingering concerns about demand in China vied with indications the US may tighten sanctions on supply from Russia. Brent traded above $74 a barrel after rising almost 5% last week, while West Texas intermediate was near $71. China's crude refining dipped to the lowest in five months while two key economic indicators — home sales and consumer spending — also fell. The data out of the top crude importer sent prices somewhat lower. They had earlier held steady after US Treasury Secretary said the US and its allies could...
The EUR/USD pair trades in positive territory around 1.0510 during the early European session on Monday. However, the upside for the cross might be limited due to the dovish stance of the European Central Bank (ECB). The ECB decided to cut interest rates for the fourth time this year last week and kept the door open to further easing as the Eurozone economy is weighed by political instability at home and the potential Donald Trump's tariff threats. Later on Monday, traders await the preliminary Eurozone HCOB Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for December for fresh impetus, along with the...
Gold (XAU/USD) prices staged a modest recovery from one-week troughs touched on Monday (16/12), albeit lacked any follow-through buying and currently trades around the $2,655 region. A modest pullback in the US Treasury bond yields kept the US Dollar (USD) investors on the defensive and offered some support to the commodity. Additionally, persistent geopolitical risks and concerns about US President-elect Donald Trump's policies kept the safe-haven precious metal underpinned. That said, growing acceptance that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will slow the pace of its interest rate-cutting cycle,...
Oil futures eased from multi-week highs as traders took profits while awaiting the Federal Reserve meeting later this week for clues on further interest rate cuts. However, the declines were capped by concerns about supply disruptions if further U.S. sanctions on key suppliers Russia and Iran are imposed. Brent crude futures were down 29 cents, or 0.4%, at $74.20 a barrel by 0746 GMT after hitting their highest since Nov. 22 on Friday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 36 cents, or 0.5%, at $70.93 a barrel after hitting their highest close since Nov. 7 in the previous...
The dollar hovered close to a three-week peak versus major peers on Monday, ahead of a week of central bank meetings in which markets expect the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates but signal a measured pace of easing for 2025 Bitcoin soared above $105,000 for the first time, buoyed by signs President-elect Donald Trump will go ahead with a potential strategic bitcoin reserve. The euro was up 0.13% on the day at $1.0517, after dipping to $1.0453 at the end of last week, its weakest since Nov. 26, hampered by ratings agency Moody's (NYSE:MCO) unexpectedly downgrading France on...