The U.S. dollar strengthened slightly on Friday, but the greenback is still facing its sharpest weekly drop since July as traders assess the probability of a rate reduction by the U.S. Federal Reserve next month. Traders have raised the odds of a quarter-point Fed cut at its December 9-10 meeting to around 87% from roughly 40% a week earlier, a swing that has knocked the dollar lower and trimmed bond yields. The shift was driven by benign U.S. data and some dovish comments from Fed policymakers, although other officials have called for a more cautious approach to rate changes due to a lack...
Spot gold prices rose 1% to a two-week high on Friday (November 28th), as expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next month boosted demand for the non-yielding asset, while silver hit a new record high. Spot gold prices rose 0.9% to $4,192.78 an ounce at 10:09 a.m. ET (1510 GMT), the highest since November 14th, and are expected to post a weekly gain of 2.9%. Bullion prices, which are expected to gain 4.6% this month, are on track for their fourth consecutive monthly gain. Silver rose to a new record high of $55.33 an ounce, up 3.5% for the session and 13% for the...
Brent crude oil futures were flat on Friday (November 28th), while U.S. crude prices edged higher as protracted Russia-Ukraine peace talks kept geopolitical risks high, and traders continued to monitor Sunday's OPEC+ meeting for clues on potential production changes. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude oil prices resumed trading after being frozen due to a system outage at exchange operator CME Group, caused by a cooling issue at its CyrusOne data center. Brent oil is traded on the Intercontinental Exchange, or ICE. Front-month Brent crude oil futures for January, which expire on Friday,...
Gold surged past $4,220 an ounce on Friday (November 28th) to a one-month high and is on track for a fourth straight monthly gain as markets price in a higher probability of a Fed rate cut in December. Dovish statements from several Fed officials and the release of delayed economic data showing weakness have reinforced expectations of easing. Furthermore, Kevin Hassett, seen as a leading candidate to replace Jerome Powell, has also signaled support for lower interest rates, increasing the odds of a 25 basis point rate cut to over 80% and prompting traders to expect around three additional...
Crude oil futures fell slightly on Friday (November 28th) as investors weighed the geopolitical risk premium on oil amid protracted Russia-Ukraine peace talks, while keeping an eye on Sunday's OPEC+ meeting for clues on potential production changes. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures resumed trading after being frozen due to a system outage at exchange operator CME Group, caused by a cooling issue at its CyrusOne data center. Brent is traded on the Intercontinental Exchange, or ICE. Brent crude futures for January, which expire on Friday, closed down 14 cents, or 0.22%, at $63.20 per...