Oil prices posted a slight increase on Friday (October 17th), but were close to a weekly loss of nearly 3% after the International Energy Agency (IEA) forecast a widening oversupply, and U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to meet again to discuss Ukraine. Brent crude futures closed at $61.29 per barrel, up 23 cents, or 0.38%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures closed at $57.54 per barrel, up 8 cents, or 0.14%. Trump and Putin agreed on Thursday to hold another summit on the war in Ukraine, to be held in Hungary within the next two weeks. This...
Gold steadied after Friday's sharp decline in the precious metal, with traders weighing the latest developments in trade tensions and concerns surrounding the credit exposure of regional US banks. At the end of a volatile week, bullion closed 1.7% lower, its biggest daily decline since May. Silver also traded little changed on Monday after falling 4.3% in the previous session as pressure on London stocks eased. Technical indicators suggest that the explosive rally for both metals that began in August and pushed them to new records last week may have overheated, paving the way for a...
The Japanese yen weakened earlier this week following reports that the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Japan Innovation Party (JIP) had agreed to form a coalition government. This agreement opened the door for Sanae Takaichi to become Japan's first female prime minister, while also reviving expectations of large fiscal spending and loose monetary policy. As a result, the market began to speculate that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) would delay its next interest rate hike, pushing the yen lower and sending the USD/JPY pair rallying from 149.35. However, the BoJ has not completely reversed...
World oil prices slipped again at the start of this week after recording a third consecutive weekly decline. Brent fell below $61 per barrel, while WTI (West Texas Intermediate) approached $57. Pressure stemmed from market optimism about easing trade tensions between the US and China, ahead of new negotiations scheduled for this week. President Donald Trump stated that the threat of higher tariffs on China would likely not be pursued, opening the door to a trade deal. However, the market also monitored China's economic slowdown, which continued into the second quarter. Although exports...
Silver held below $52 per ounce on Monday after losing more than 4% in the previous session when investors locked in profits after a historic rally to record highs. Improving risk sentiment, driven largely by signs of easing US-China trade tensions, also weighed on safe-haven demand. Traders now await key US inflation data this week following a data blackout caused by the government shutdown. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut rates by 25 basis points next week, followed by another move in December and possibly three more in 2026. Last week, silver spiked to all-time...