Asia / Pacific

The Kremlin stated on Monday that Ukraine must withdraw its troops from the part of Donbas it still controls, if it wants peace. If Kyiv does not strike a deal it will lose more territory. Putin and Trump spoke Sunday, ahead of Trump's Miami meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, said that another call was planned for very soon. Peskov declined to comment on the idea that a "free economic zone" could be created in Donbas, or the future of Zaporizhzhia's nuclear power plant (controlled by Russia), saying the Kremlin deemed it inappropriate. Peskov, when asked...

Investors weighed Middle East tensions which could disrupt supply and a major obstacle remains in the Russia-Ukraine talks. Brent crude futures rose 57 cents, or 0.94%, to $61.21 a barrel at?0112 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), however was up 54 cents, or 0.95%. The benchmark prices of both oil and gold fell by more than 2 percent on Friday, as investors considered a global glut of supply and the potential for a peace agreement in Ukraine ahead of weekend negotiations between U.S. president Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The main reason for the price increase is...

The Kremlin announced on Sunday that?Russian President Vladimir Putin and the U.S. The Kremlin said on?Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and?U.S. Yuri Ushakov, Kremlin's foreign policy aide, said that a phone call between Putin - and Trump lasted an hour and fifteen minutes - at Trump's request ahead of Trump meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Miami. Ushakov stated that "the main thing is that the presidents from Russia and the United States share the same view that the temporary ceasefire option proposed by the Ukrainians or the Europeans, under the pretext of preparation for a referendum (or...

Three sources familiar with this matter late Wednesday said that China issued 19 million tonnes of export quotas, including gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, in the first batch for 2026. In this batch of export quotas, the world's second largest consumer of oil gave out?8 millions tons of low sulphur marine fuel. Both volumes were stable compared to a year ago. China's refined fuel exports are managed by a quota-based system that balances the fundamentals of supply and demand in its domestic market. The main recipients of the quotas were the state-owned oil companies Sinopec and CNPC. They received 13.76...

Asian shares rose on Wednesday, capping off a year of rapid artificial intelligence-driven gains. Commodities such as gold and silver also extended their bullish trend to new highs, as 2025 approaches. Overnight, on Wall Street the S&P 500 closed at a record high as the long-elusive Santa Claus rally finally took hold. The U.S. economic data that showed the economy expanding at a faster rate than expected in the third quarter helped boost risk sentiment, but also weighed on bonds. Early Asian trading was dominated by gold and silver. Gold spot prices rose 0.8%, to $4,524 an ounce. This brings...

The oil prices remained stable on Tuesday, after rising by more than 2% the previous session. The U.S. announced that it may sell the Venezuelan crude they seized. Meanwhile, Ukraine's attacks against Russian vessels and piers increased fears of supply disruption. Brent crude futures fell by 6 cents or 0.1% to $62.01 a barrel at 0440 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), which is a blend of West Texas and Texas Intermediate crudes, fell 9 cents or 0.16% to $57.92. Brent's daily performance was the best in two months, and WTI rose to its highest level since November 14....

Wall Street opened higher, while the yen fell to near-all-time lows versus the euro. Higher interest rates put pressure on Japanese government bonds. S&P 500 futures rose 0.4%. Nasdaq futures gained 0.1%. MSCI's broadest world share index added 0.2%. Due to the fact that the?U.S. The?U.S. Investors are primarily focused on closing the year before January's inflation and labour market releases," he said. Even though it was a holiday-shortened weekend for most of the world, momentum funds continued to flow to equities and precious metals ahead of delayed data which is expected to show that the U.S. economic growth has...

Asian shares rose broadly on Monday, tracking Wall Street's tech-driven gains. Meanwhile, the yen fell to new lows against the Euro and Swiss Franc due to higher interest rates. Even though it was a holiday-shortened weekend for most of the world, momentum funds continued to flow to commodities, precious metals, and equities ahead of delayed data which is expected to show that the U.S. economic growth has been strong in the third quarter. Median estimates predict an annualised increase of 3.2%. This is due to a sharp drop in imports following a surge earlier in the year before the introduction...

Oil prices increased on Monday, after the U.S. announced that it had intercepted a tanker of oil in international waters near the Venezuelan coast. This has caused new supply uncertainty. Brent crude futures rose by 46 cents or 0.8% to $60.93 a barrel at 0400 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained 46 cents or 0.8% to $56.98. The market is now recognizing that the Trump Administration is taking a tough stance on the Venezuelan oil industry, said June Goh. She is the senior oil analyst at Sparta Commodities. Goh said that the geopolitical news, along with the simmering...

The oil prices rose in the early hours of Monday morning after the U.S. intercepted an?oil-tanker from Venezuela over the weekend. Brent crude futures rose by 44 cents (or 0.73%) to $60.91 per barrel at 0141 GMT. West Texas Intermediate (WTI), crude oil, rose by 40 cents or 0.71% to $56.92. Officials told Sunday that the U.S. Coast Guard was also pursuing a tanker near Venezuela in international waters. If successful, this would be the second operation of the weekend, and the third within less than two weeks, if it is successful. Tony Sycamore, IG analyst, said that the rebound...

Vladimir Putin stated on Friday that Russia’s terms to end the war in Ukraine are unchanged from what he outlined in June 2024. This is a sign of no compromise, as the United States continues to push for a resolution. Putin outlined the Kremlin stance at the start of his annual press conference that lasts for four hours. He said he didn't see any readiness from the Ukrainian side for a peace agreement, but that there were "certain signs" of a willingness to engage in dialogue. Putin stated: "The only thing that I would like to say is we have...

Investors digested central bank decisions that highlighted divergent monetary policies around the world. Global shares rose Thursday, after?benign U.S. data on inflation. U.S. consumer prices rose less than expected during the year ending November. This initially hurt the dollar, but lifted equities on the hope of U.S. interest rate cuts in 2019. The pound rose after the Bank of England reduced interest rates, but indicated that further easing was unlikely. As expected, the European Central Bank left euro zone rates unchanged and took a more optimistic tone about the economy. Bank of Japan expected to raise rates on Friday. However,...

Gold and other precious metals prices rebounded on Tuesday from the sharp drop in the previous session as investors shifted their attention to persistent global risks, which have propelled gold bullion's strongest annual performance for more than 40 years. By 1311 GMT, spot gold had risen 1.6% to $4,398.94 per ounce. It posted its largest daily percentage loss for more than two month on Monday, a retreat away from Friday's high of $4,549.71. Analysts blamed this decline on profit-taking. U.S. Gold Futures rose 1.7% to $4,415.50. The selloff yesterday was a result of profit-taking and repositioning for the New Year....

On Tuesday, gold rose to recover from a two week low that was hit the previous session. This is due to a 'profit-taking at year-end which sparked a wide pullback of precious metals. As of 0322 GMT spot gold was up by 0.7% to $4,363.79 an ounce after reaching a record-high of $4,549.71 last Friday. On Monday, it fell to its lowest level since December 17, and also suffered its biggest daily loss?since October 21, U.S. Gold Futures for February Delivery were up 0.8% to $4,377.80/oz. Kelvin Wong is a senior market analyst with OANDA. He said that the earlier...

Shanghai copper fell on Tuesday as profit-taking, a weaker Chinese economy and a general risk-off trend weighed on the markets. As of?0330 GMT the most traded contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell 1.96% to $14,064.78, per metric ton. It briefly touched 96,010, its lowest level since December 25. Losses in the first minutes of trading have narrowed, after gains in the benchmark 3-month copper at the London Metal Exchange which rose 2.19% to $12,489.50 per ton. Traders said that lower copper prices encouraged dip-buying and helped reduce losses. Shanghai copper prices fell as profit-taking and a weaker Chinese demand...

Silver fell after reaching a record high of $80 per ounce on Monday, while gold dropped from near-historic levels as investors booked profits. A market perception that geopolitical risk had decreased also curbed the safe haven buying. Gold spot was down 1.7% to $4,455.35 per ounce at 1321 GMT. It had hit a record of $4,549.71 an ounce on Friday. U.S. Gold Futures for February Delivery lost 1.7% and reached $4,474.80. Spot silver fell?5.1%, to $75.15 per ounce. This is a retreat from the record high of $83.62 reached earlier in this session. Spot 'platinum' fell 6.9%, to $2281.15, after...

On Monday, copper prices spiked to an all-time high of just $13,000 per metric ton. The London market was racing to catch up to gains in China and?the?US. While?it was closed Friday. LME copper prices have risen by 41% in the past year. This is due to fears of shortages, a weaker dollar and gains on other financial markets. The benchmark three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange soared 6.6% in Asian trading to a record of $12,960 per ton, but then fell to $12,415 (up 2.1%) by 1030 GMT. The Shanghai Futures Exchange, the U.S. Comex and the...

Hong Kong's Census and Statistics Department reported on Monday that China's net imports of gold via Hong Kong rose 101.5% in November compared to October. Why it's important China is the world's largest gold consumer. Its buying activities can have a significant impact on?global?gold markets. Hong Kong's data might not be a complete view of Chinese gold purchases as it is also imported through Shanghai and Beijing. By the Numbers The net imports from Hong Kong into China in November were 16.16 metric tonnes, up from 8.02 tons for October. China's total gold imports via Hong Kong in November increased...

Silver rose above $80 per ounce on Monday for the first-time, fueled by a strong industrial and investment market, persistent shortages of supply, its recent designation as "a U.S. Critical Mineral" and a wave momentum-driven purchases. Prices fell 4.2% at 0830 GMT, after a record high of $83.62 was reached earlier in the day. Investors booked profits and a easing of geopolitical tensions reduced demand for safe havens. Spot silver is up more than 160% in the last year, outpacing gold’s rise of over 70%. How does silver trade work? Over the Counter London is the largest marketplace for physical...

Prices of copper trimmed gains as the Asian markets closed on Monday. Investors locked in profits after a sharp rise that drove prices to new highs. As of 0740 GMT the benchmark three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange had risen 3.27%, to $12,560 a metric ton, after earlier setting a new record at $12,960 per ton. After briefly reaching an all-time high of 102660 yuan, the most active copper contract at the Shanghai Futures Exchange has retreated below the 100,000 yuan mark, with a 0.76% increase in daytime trading to 98860 yuan ($14,105.33). Traders said that investors locked...

Iron ore prices rose on Monday, as the top steel-making ingredient's demand was boosted by China's promise to adopt more "proactive fiscal policies" in 2026. The most-traded iron ore contract for May on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange closed morning trade at 800 yuan (114.12 dollars) per metric ton after reaching its highest level at 803 yuan at the start of?the session. As of 0343 GMT, the benchmark January iron ore traded on Singapore Exchange rose 1.32% to $106.05 per ton. The price of iron ore in January hit its highest level since November 27 at $106.3. China's Finance Ministry said...

As investors took profits and geopolitical tensions eased, precious metals fell on Monday. Silver traded lower after breaking $80 an ounce earlier that day, and gold was a little less than record highs. As of 0242 GMT spot gold was down by 0.4% to $4,512.74 an ounce after reaching a record-high of $4,549.71 last Friday. U.S. Gold Futures for February Delivery lost 0.4% per ounce to $4,536.40 Silver spot fell?1.3%, to $78.12 an ounce. It had earlier reached a session high of $83.62. Tim Waterer, KCM Trade's Chief Market Analyst, said that a combination of?profit-taking and apparently productive talks between...

Australian shares rose on Monday as mining and gold stocks extended gains to reach record highs. This was due to a rise in commodity prices that overshadowed the losses of?energy companies. S&P/ASX 200 index increased 0.2% to 8,777.90 by 2319 GMT. The benchmark index fell by 0.4% before the markets closed on Boxing Day and Christmas Day. The mining stocks rose by 1.1%, reaching a new record high. Copper prices reached a new high on Friday and iron ore prices also increased. Rio Tinto, the world's largest iron ore company, rose 0.7% following a?briefly reaching another record high. The Anglo...

China's iron ore state buyer uses increasingly aggressive tactics against mining giants like BHP in order to tighten their grip on the $132 Billion seaborne market, and to extract better terms from steel?mills. This is happening just as an enormous new supply source is about to strengthen China's hand. China Mineral Resources Group, (CMRG), in November asked their steel mills and traders to refrain from buying spot cargoes for a second BHP-product. This was months after the group blacklisted a product that had raised concerns with Australia's top supplier. Analysts and traders said that the standoff over a supply deal...