Crude Oil

The demand for electricity from AI data centers is reviving peaker power plants Peakers emit more pollutants than power plants. The majority of power plants are located in minority and low-income communities By Laila Kearney Dec 23, CHICAGO - A 60s oil-fired plant rises from an industrial site behind Dvorak Park in Chicago's working class Pilsen district. In warmer weather, the park is crowded with children playing on its colorful playground or zooming down slides. Next year, the eight-unit Fisk Power Plant owned by Houston's NRG Energy is scheduled to be retired. The next step was artificial intelligence. As electricity...

The oil prices fell in early trading on Tuesday, after rising by more than 2% the previous day. This was due to the U.S. saying it may'sell Venezuelan crude that it has seized. Meanwhile, Ukraine's attacks against Russian vessels and piers increased supply disruption concerns. Brent crude futures dropped 11 cents or 0.18% to $61.96 a barrel at 0100 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), which is a blend of U.S. West Texas Intermediate and Brent crude, fell 13 cents or 0.22% to $57.88. Brent posted its best performance in over two months, while WTI climbed the most since...

Donald Trump, the U.S. president, said that it would be a good idea for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro if he left power. The United States can 'keep or sell' the oil they have seized in recent weeks off the coast of Venezuela. Trump's campaign of pressure on Maduro includes a stepped-up military presence and over two dozen military attacks on vessels suspected of trafficking drugs near Venezuela in the Pacific Ocean or Caribbean Sea. The?attacks have killed at least 100 people. When asked if his goal was to remove Maduro from the presidency, Trump replied to reporters: "Well I think...

Donald Trump, the U.S. president, said that it would be wise for Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro if he left power. The United States can keep or sell the oil it has seized in recent weeks off the coasts of Venezuela. Trump's campaign of pressure on Maduro includes a stepped-up military presence and over two dozen strikes against vessels suspected of trafficking drugs near Venezuela in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. The attacks have killed at least 100 people. When asked if the aim was to remove?Maduro, Trump replied: "Well I think it would probably... It's up to him to...

The majority of major stock indices rose on Monday at the beginning of a holiday-shortened week. Shares of Nvidia were up, and the yen was stronger versus the U.S. Dollar after Japanese officials warned of "one-sided, sharp" currency movements. Gold and silver prices soared to new records, and oil prices rose as well after the U.S. Coast Guard started pursuing an oil-tanker near Venezuela in international waters a day before. Nvidia gained 1.3%. The company told Chinese clients that it plans to begin shipping its second most powerful artificial intelligence chip to China before mid-February's Lunar New Year holiday. The...

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...

Donald Trump's decision imposing a partial Venezuelan blockade marks a dramatic increase in U.S. political pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. But it could also undermine a key U.S. goal: deterring an eventual Chinese naval encirclement. The U.S. President on Tuesday ordered a "total and complete blockade" against all sanctioned oil tanks entering or leaving Venezuela. This was a move to choke off the main source of revenue for the Maduro regime. The action immediately raised questions about its legal status under international law. Military planners in the Indo-Pacific have feared for years that China could use a blockade of...

U.S. crude oil futures were a dollar higher in Asian trading Thursday after President Donald Trump imposed a 'blockade' on tankers entering or leaving Venezuela. Most exports remained on hold. As of 1109 GMT, the West Texas Intermediate contract had risen 98 cents or 1.75% to $56.92 a barrel. Trump had on Tuesday ordered a 'blockade' of all sanctioned tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, calling the administration of President Nicolas Maduro a foreign terrorist group. Sources said most Venezuelan ?exports remained On Hold Wednesday, due to the 'blockade' even though Venezuelan state oil firm PDVSA had resumed loading crude and...

Shell, the oil major, has made a final investment decision for a 'waterflooding project' at its Kaikias Field in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The project aims to increase oil recovery and prolong the life of Ursa Platform. The project will add an additional 60 million barrels of oil to the recoverable resources. Shell, the top deep-water operator in the U.S. Gulf, is making a new investment to maintain liquids production of?nearly 1.4 million barrels per day?until the year 2030. The first injection is scheduled for 2028, and will extend Ursa’s production cycle by several years. Waterflooding is a secondary...

Asian stocks fell on Tuesday while the dollar drifted to two-month lows. Investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of the release of several U.S. economic data including the jobs report that could 'help gauge the direction of Federal Reserve policy for next year. Risk assets were under pressure due to the defensive mood, including bitcoin. Bitcoin, which?hit an all-time low of two weeks in the previous session, was down by 0.3%, at $86,017.67. Nasdaq Futures dropped 0.8%, and European Futures declined 0.5%. Hang Seng's technology index fell 2.7%. The MSCI broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan fell by 1.45%, its...

Ankur Banerjee gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets Investors are avoiding risky bets ahead of a slew of economic data coming from around the world and the central?bank meeting in what looks to be an eventful last full week of the calendar year. The European session's focus will be on the UK wage data, which comes just days before a vote on interest rate cuts on Thursday. Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey may change his mind and tilt the balance in favor of a reduction. The manufacturing data for Europe in...

The oil prices dropped in the early trade on Tuesday. This was a continuation of previous sessions'?losses as prospects of a Russia-Ukraine deal seemed to?strengthen, raising expectations for a possible?easing sanctions. Brent?crude futures dropped 24 cents or 0.40% to $60.32 a bar by 0101 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude was trading at $56.60 a bar, down 22 cents or 0.39%. U.S. officials said that the U.S. offered NATO-style security guarantees to Ukraine during talks with its president in Berlin. This unprecedented move sparked hope in some European capitals, that the?talks are drawing closer to negotiations to end the conflict....

The yen rose after Tokyo's sternest warning to date about its willingness to support the battered yen currency. European shares were slightly higher in the early trading, while U.S.?futures remained?little altered on the day. Gold also reached a new record just short of the $4,500-per-ounce threshold. The U.S. economy, which was delayed by the record-breaking government shutdown, was the focus of a week that saw many countries on holiday. The U.S. third quarter growth numbers are expected to show that the U.S. continued to grow with a strong 3,3% clip. This would still be a slight drop from the previous...

In 2025, precious metals outperformed all other "safe haven" investment options. This is remarkable, especially in an year that was marked by turmoil, conflict and artificial intelligence bubble concerns. The market landscape for this year was shaped by a number of factors: a booming economy, politicians pushing for easy money, fading recession fears, an AI frenzy, and rising geopolitical tensions. Precious Metals outperformed almost everything else. Silver and platinum have more than doubled and gold has risen over 60%. This is its biggest jump since 1979's oil crisis. This performance was far superior to the roughly 20% gain in global...

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...

The?yen eased on Friday after the Bank of Japan increased interest rates to three-decade-high levels and left the door open for?further easing. The decision to raise rates to 0.75 percent was widely expected and the initial reaction was to sell the yen in anticipation of a more detailed outlook at the media conference by BOJ Governor Kazuo ueda later in the day. The markets had bet on just one rate hike in 2019, to 1.0%. Ueda, however, has said that a neutral rate range would include rates from 1.0% up to 2.5%. Investors should be wary if he suggests that...

Tom Westbrook gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. The markets expect that the Bank of England will be the sole mover in a series of central bank meetings on Thursday. A 25-basis point rate cut to 3.75 percent is almost as predictable as the collapse of the top order at the Ashes Test in Adelaide. Investors were reassured by the unexpected drop in UK inflation on Wednesday. However, with inflation at the highest level among G7 countries, 3.2%, it is unlikely that further rate cuts will be imminent. Sterling is down to...

Rae Wee gives us a look at what the European and global markets will be like tomorrow. The Bank of England will announce its rate decision on Thursday, which is expected to be a razor-thin vote. The expectation is that 'the headline and core consumer price indexes will have decreased on a month-to-month basis. This would allow policymakers to feel more comfortable about lowering rates on Thursday. In October, headline inflation eased to 3.6% annually - still far above the BoE target of 2% but its first decline since May. The UK's high inflation rate has divided policymakers on the...

European stocks were up in the early hours of Friday's trading, on course for a third weekly gain. The Fed's recent interest rate cut boosted sentiment. However, Wall Street futures indicated some lingering caution following the previous session's tech stock sell-off. Nasdaq dropped on Thursday, after cloud computing firm Oracle announced massive spending and poor forecasts. This fueled fears that big AI bets were paying off. Tech stocks fell. As the S&P 500 & Dow hit new highs, it had a minimal impact on risk appetite. Wall Street futures fell during Asian trading as tech concerns remained, and struggled to...

Asian stocks rose on Friday, following the gains on Wall Street. However, a new decline in Oracle’s share price sent jitters throughout the tech sector. Investors were under pressure to find their feet this week after the Federal Reserve cut rates, but provided a dovish outlook. The return of AI-related bubble concerns added to investor stress. Shanghai copper prices also reached a new record and are on course for a third straight weekly gain. This is boosted by the promise of fiscal stimulus from China, which is the world's largest consumer. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific index outside Japan gained nearly 1%...

Gregor Stuart Hunter gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. Shanghai copper futures have reached a new'record high' today, as more stimulus from China is expected. Investors are looking to real assets as the U.S. Dollar falls to its lowest level in two months after the Fed's rate cut this week and the policy stance that pushed against the market’s hawkish view. Dollar debasement had already lifted the price of silver. The stock markets in Asia were up despite fears about the AI bubble. The MSCI Asia-Pacific ex-Japan Index rose 0.8% on the...

Henrique Braun's appointment as Coca-Cola’s next CEO is a gamble on Henrique's experience from Latin America and China. The company will use this to expand the brand in new markets and appeal to consumers who are strapped for cash. They will also develop healthier products to meet changing tastes. The 57-year old?American who was raised Brazil is expected to take over in March. This comes as Coke, Sprite, and Fairlife Milk have been reshaping their offerings and changing the size of the packs. They also acquired companies to help them appeal to health-conscious consumers and low-income customers. Coke's stock is...

The dollar suffered losses following the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut. Bonds were also firm. Oracle shares fell more than 11% in Asia trading. S&P futures were down 0.9% and Nasdaq futures 1.3%. AI-related stocks suffered the most in Tokyo as Oracle missed its profit and revenue forecasts, and executives cited higher spending as a sign infrastructure investments aren't turning into profits at the rate investors had expected. Japan's Nikkei Index fell by 1%, with the AI-exposed SoftBank Group contributing 7.5% to the decline. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong rose only 0.06%. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside...

The?dollar, U.S. Treasury yields and most major stock indices fell on Tuesday as the Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates. However, policymakers may also make hawkish remarks. Treasury yields and dollar rose after the release of U.S. Labor Market Data, which showed that U.S. Job Openings grew modestly in October but hiring remained low. Investors expect the Fed to announce a rate reduction on Wednesday, but policymakers are expected to remain divided. Some policymakers are concerned that the price pressures may easily return, while others are more concerned with the health of labor markets. It's quiet before the...