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Wayne Cole gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. Investors are awaiting details about President Trump's economic 'war' on Iran. This has led to a nervous start for the Asian markets. The main move was a drop of 1.5% in the oil price. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will hold a press briefing at 2 pm EST (1800 GMT) on Wednesday to announce even more severe economic sanctions against a country which has been subjected to near-continuous sanctions since 1979's Islamic Revolution. Trump said that sanctions would also be imposed on any country that...

The crude oil market is currently debating the wrong issue about how much oil actually moves through the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, it should focus on the restricted flows of'refined products' around Asia. Energy Secretary Chris Wright of the U.S. has claimed repeatedly that vessel tracking analysts such as Kpler cannot see how much crude oil is flowing through the disputed Strait. Wright claimed that 15 million barrels of oil per day (bpd), or about 500,000 barrels a day, left the Strait of?Hormuz in a single day last week. If true, this would bring the volumes to?what they were before...

The global stock market was headed for a largely lower week last Friday as the strain on the global bond markets did not show any signs of easing and the diplomatic deadlock over the Gulf pushed oil prices up to a one-month high. The yields on U.S. government bonds resumed their rise after the surprise intervention by the Treasury on Wednesday. This was barely a relief from selling that had been sparked primarily by fears of inflation and fiscal pressures. The increase came as?U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested that the government could increase its repurchases and also floated the...

What's important in U.S. and Global Markets Today By Mike Dolan, Editor at Large, Finance and Markets Bond storm calmed down overnight, but equity markets were still bruised. A tense calm is hanging over the markets as U.S. Treasury prepares for a sale of 20-year bonds later on Wednesday. The minutes of the Federal Reserve split meeting held in July could also help to resolve some of this uncertainty about the central bank's view on persistently high inflation. Below, I'll go into more detail. Check out my mid-week article, in which I discuss diversification away from AI, and much more....

On Wednesday, global bond yields were at their highest level in decades as fears of a swelling sovereign debt drove borrowing costs up and roiled stock markets around the world. U.S. stock futures and European stock futures wiggled around 0.2% lower in the Asia session. Japan's Nikkei dropped 3.3% and South Korea's KOSPI fell nearly 6% as Wall Street's selling of'semiconductor' stocks spilled into Asia. The yield of the U.S. Long Bond has remained stable at around 5.27%, after reaching its highest level in almost 20 years on February 2, 5.3371%. German and French debt were also stable following a...

On Wednesday, global bond yields were at their highest level in decades as fears of a swelling sovereign debt drove borrowing costs up and roiled stock markets around the world. On Tuesday, the yield on the U.S.?bond reached its highest level in almost 20 years, at 5.3371%. It then settled around 5.28% on Wednesday in?Asia. The yields on the 10-year and 30-year 'bonds have reached their highest levels since 2011. The yield on the?French?30-year bond has risen by nearly 50 basis points from June's end, and Japan's formerly zero 10-year bond is now approaching 3%. Investors are worried that policymakers...

The yields on U.S. government bonds eased a little bit on Tuesday. However, longer-dated yields remain near multi-year highs. Earlier in the day, the 30-year Treasury yield had reached a level that was not seen since 2007. Fears of an escalating Middle East?conflict have fueled inflation concerns and put pressure on stocks. Oil prices rose for the third consecutive session as prospects of a U.S. - Iranian peace deal dimmed. Tehran announced it would take a more aggressive stance, and Washington said that it wouldn't extend a ceasefire agreement. U.S. crude climbed 0.82%, to $85.17 per barrel. Brent was up...

?U.S. Government bond yields eased on Tuesday. However, longer-dated yields remain near multi-year-highs. The 30-year Treasury yield had earlier reached a level not seen since 2007. Fears of a Middle East conflict that escalated fueled inflation fears and weighed heavily on stocks. Brent crude reached its highest level since late last week after Washington and Tehran's latest signals crushed hopes for an imminent resolution to the conflict. U.S. crude climbed 0.3% to $84.75 per barrel while Brent dropped to $90.79, a 0.09% drop on the day. The yields on Treasury bonds have increased despite recent soft economic data in the...

The United States' long-term borrowing costs to Japan and Germany reached their highest level in decades on Tuesday as new inflation concerns added to the nagging concern about the fiscal pressures that are facing some of the largest economies around the world. The 30-year bond yields of the United States - the world's most important government bond market - hit their highest level since 2007. Oil prices -- which are up 50% this year -- have risen back above $90 per barrel, causing inflation fears as U.S. - Iran peace hopes fade. In Japan, fears of inflation and the expectation...

The sell-off of U.S. government bond prices accelerated?on? Tuesday. This sent the 30-year Treasury yield to a two-decade?high as inflation fears and stock pressure were fueled by?fears?of an escalation?in the Middle East conflict. Brent crude oil prices rose for a third day in a row, after Washington and Tehran's latest signals crushed hopes that the Middle East conflict would be resolved soon. The market's response shows that tensions remain high in the Middle East, and a new escalation could have a ripple effect on oil, bonds, currencies, and stocks. The Federal Reserve's recent rate hikes were tempered by a recent...

Four traders reported that the price of Russia's ESPO blend crude oil for October delivery to China can be up to $1 per barrel higher than ICE Brent. This is due to the strong Chinese demand as well as uncertainty about Middle East and Iranian oil supplies. The traders reported that Asian buyers were looking for alternatives to Middle Eastern crude oil due to concerns about the disruption of shipments across the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices rose Monday, despite the lack of progress in diplomatic efforts to resolve the Middle East conflict. One of the traders stated that they...

Markets reduced bets on an imminent rate hike by the Federal Reserve after a series of soft U.S. data, which included an 'unexpected drop in the retail sales. According to CME Group's FedWatch, a hike in the next month has been priced at 30%. This is down from 50% a week ago. The STOXX benchmark, which measures 600 large European companies, rose by 0.21%. This followed earlier gains of MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific index outside Japan (which rose 0.5%), while Japan's Nikkei rose by 0.3%. The Hang Seng index rose 1.6% and Chinese blue-chips gained 0.8% ahead of the release of...

Copper prices fell on Thursday but remained?above $14,000 per metric ton, as increased inventories at the London Metal Exchange (LME), eased supply concerns, and countered the?support of sharp drops in the dollar. The benchmark three-month copper price on the LME fell 0.04% to $14,043.5 per ton at 0300 GMT. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract edged up 0.15% to 107140 yuan (15,934.20 USD) per ton. The LME copper stocks rose another 12,425 tons on Wednesday. This alleviated concerns about supply caused by outflows into the?U.S. Warehouses are being prepared in anticipation of a possible tariff on refined copper....

Two senior DFC executives said that the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), is supporting a pipeline of African projects involving rare-earth elements, as private investors are reluctant to fund this sector. The DFC announced on Wednesday that it had committed $62.8 to rare-earth project in Malawi, Angola and Madagascar, but none of them has yet reached production. The majority of this funding, about $50 million, was allocated to the Phalaborwa Project in South Africa. It is backed by Dublin-based mining investors TechMet. One of the executives, who asked to remain anonymous because they weren't authorised for public discussion on...

Prices of copper fell on Wednesday as a large increase in warehouse stocks pushed supply concerns that had supported prices to the background. By 0300 GMT, the benchmark three-month copper contract on the London Metal Exchange was down 0.06% to $13,978 per metric tonne. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract fell by 1.02%, to 106 880 yuan per ton. Ed Meir, Marex consultant, wrote that copper was "tripped" by a surprise increase in inventories at the LME. The LME data on Tuesday and Monday showed total copper stock The number of large parcels delivered to warehouses increased by...

China is now a major swing?supplier for aluminium in a Western market reeling from the loss production in the Gulf due to the Iran War. The top aluminium producer in the world has increased exports of metals, alloys and semi-manufactured goods (semis) to help cushion the impact on the global supply chains. China views the timing as fortunate. The national production has reached record levels, despite a slowdown in domestic demand. While China's exports may have temporarily relieved the market, a long-term problem could be lurking. Mind the Tax Gap Tax code is the primary factor that determines the composition...

The fact that China's steel production dropped to its lowest level this year in July supports the idea that the world's second largest economy struggles for growth momentum. As usual, the devil lies in the details. Steel demand is unevenly distributed across the economy. The world's biggest producer of industrial metal saw its steel output fall to 76.93 metric?tons during July. This is a 3.6% drop from the same period in 2025, and it was the lowest July since 2017. China's first seven months of the year saw a production volume of 577.04 millions tons, down by 3.1% compared to...

The market was digesting a string of disappointing economic reports from China and the U.S., as well as the fact that a truce between Iran and the U.S. had expired with no longer-term agreement. Benchmark 'three-month' copper on the London Metal Exchange fell 0.39% to $14,102 per metric ton at 0300 GMT. Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract fell 1.19%, to 107 690 yuan (15,971.58) per ton. After copper prices reached a six-month peak on Monday, disappointing economic indicators in China drew attention to the demand outlook. "Weaker-than-expected economic ?data in China weighed on sentiment across the base metals...

The London Metal Exchange's inventories, which are at their lowest since February, have led to concerns about copper availability. Prices rose Monday by the most in six months. Benchmark copper prices increased by 1.1% to $14,310 per metric ton in official rings. This was up from a previous high of $13,396. Prices for the metals used in construction and power industries reached an all-time record high of $14,527.5 per metric ton in January. Stocks at LME-approved warehouses Since May, copper exports to the United States have decreased by half to less than 210.000 tons. This is because traders are moving...

On Monday, copper prices reached their highest level in over six months due to concerns about the availability of metals on the London Metal Exchange where inventories have been at their lowest since February. Benchmark copper was up?0.9% to $14,290 per metric ton as of 0923 GMT. It had previously reached a high of $13,396. Prices for the metals used in construction and power industries reached an all-time record high of $14,527.5. Stocks at LME-approved warehouses Since May, the amount of copper exported to the United States has decreased by half. This is because traders are moving the metal to...

Prices of copper?and aluminum dipped on Friday, as investors took advantage of a rally in the face of uncertainty over the global economy and the unresolved conflict?in the Middle East. Benchmark three-month?copper?on the London Metal Exchange?was down 0.3% to $14,106 per metric ton at 0930 GMT. LME copper is up 9% from its seven-week low reached on the 24th of June, due to declining inventories and a tight supply outside of the United States. "We are seeing some profit-taking after a strong uptrend, but this trend looks pretty solid." Ole Hansen is the head of commodity strategy for?Saxo Bank, Copenhagen....

Three sources familiar with the matter said that the Chinese state iron ore purchaser reached an agreement in April with 'Anglo American over an annual supply contract for the key ingredient used to make steel. China Mineral 'Resources Group' (CMRG) was established in 2022 in order to gain more power on the iron ore markets where China is a dominant buyer. They have increased their efforts to get better terms for Chinese Steelmakers who are struggling with dwindling margins and dwindling demand. Bloomberg broke the news on Friday. Sources said that CMRG, under the?agreement which was not previously reported, became...

Copper prices fell on Friday but have remained higher so far this week, as analysts wondered if global demand would be able to keep up with the recent price rally. Benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange fell 0.34% to $14,100.5 per metric ton at 0715 GMT. The red metal will likely gain 0.3% this week. This is the longest weekly streak it has had since 2020, when it gained 5.49%. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract fell?0.12% to 107 690 yuan (15,970.64) per ton. The economic activity could be boosted by the fact that inflationary pressures...

Copper fell on Friday, and it was expected to snap its longest weekly gains since '2020. It and the wider Industrial Metals Complex were weighed down by worries about 'demand prospects. Benchmark three-month Copper on the??London Metal Exchange fell 0.56% to $14,069 per metric ton at 0300 GMT. After six weeks of gains, the metal will end this week at its current level. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract fell?0.33% to 107460 yuan (15,935.82 USD) per ton. Metal demand is still a concern, despite the fact that inflationary pressures are easing and interest rate fears are fading. Fastmarkets...