Crude Oil

MSCI's global equities index advanced along with the dollar Wednesday as investors?assessed higher-than-expected inflation data, while they waited for a meeting between U.S. president Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Labor Department, U.S. producer price increases were?higher than expected for April and their largest gain since early?2022. The latest economic impact of the U.S. and Israel war on Iran is evident in the U.S. consumer price data, which showed that energy costs have increased the most since 2012. Jim Baird is the chief investment officer of Plante Moran Financial Advisors. He...

The gold price fell a second time on Wednesday as inflation fears fueled by war weighed on the expectations for interest rate reductions. Markets were also looking forward to the upcoming summit between U.S. president Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. At 1:59 pm EDT (1759 GMT), spot gold was down by 0.6% to $4,686.35 an ounce. U.S. Gold Futures closed 0.4% higher at $ 4,706.70. U.S. Producer Prices increased more than expected in April, posting the biggest gain since early 2020. This is the latest sign that inflation has accelerated amid a 'war on Iran. Peter Grant, senior...

MSCI's global equities index advanced with the dollar Wednesday. U.S. treasury yields also saw a slight increase as investors evaluated hotter than expected inflation data, all while waiting for a meeting between U.S. president Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping. U.S. producer price increases were higher than expected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics at the Labor Department in April, marking their largest increase since early 2022. The latest economic impact of the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran was evident in Tuesday's U.S. consumer price data, which showed that energy costs accounted for the largest increase in the last...

Gold prices fell on Wednesday, following a strong U.S. Inflation data dampened speculation 'of interest rate cuts in the near future. At 0946 GMT the spot gold price was down by 0.4% at $4,694.59 an ounce, reversing a recent three-week high. U.S. Gold Futures for June Delivery gained 0.3%, to $4702.40. Dollar bullion is now more expensive than ever for those who hold other currencies. Data on Tuesday revealed that U.S. consumer inflation increased further in April. The annual rate posted its biggest gain in three-years, as higher oil prices caused by the U.S./Israeli war against Iran drove costs up....

The rise in government borrowing costs over the long term is not slowing down, and there are more aggravators every day. If you have been enthralled by the gravity-defying markets of this year, then look no further for where stress is growing in world markets. The debt, oil, inflation and interest rate risks, combined with the domestic political and geopolitical uncertainties, as well as the waning demand from the private and public sectors for long-term bonds, have pushed borrowing costs in the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies to their highest level in over 20 years. According to ICE Bank...

The U.S. Department of Energy has been considering a plan to finance billions of dollars for components of large reactors, which can take years to secure. This was revealed by the director of industry group Nuclear Energy Institute on Tuesday. The U.S. Department of Energy is considering a plan to 'finance billions of dollars?for components that can take a long time to secure. The DOE did not respond immediately to a comment request. It's going help several?U.S. "It's going to help several?U.S. utility companies who are interested in AP1000?" deployment, Maria Korsnick said at NEI's Washington conference about the financing...

The U.S. Dollar extended gains for the second consecutive?session? on Tuesday. This was largely due to the sustained uncertainty surrounding the Middle East conflict, which drove investors towards the greenback in search of a?traditional safe haven?. In March, the greenback rose sharply as oil prices soared after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz. The dollar weakened after the ceasefire began on April 7. Donald Trump, who dismissed Iran's proposal Monday as "garbage," threatened to terminate it. The U.S. Dollar Index, which measures its value in relation to a basket major foreign currencies, rose 0.36%, reaching 98.30. The index was at...

The U.S. Dollar extended gains for the second consecutive session?on Tuesday. This was largely due to the sustained uncertainty surrounding the Middle East conflict, which drove investors towards the greenback in search of a "traditional safe haven". The dollar rose sharply in March, as currencies of oil-dependent economies like?Japan?and the euro zone were heavily sold following the surge in oil prices after Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The greenback weakened after the ceasefire began on April 7. Donald Trump, who dismissed Iran's proposal Monday as "garbage," threatened to terminate it. The dollar is now close to pre-war levels....

The price of oil rose by?2% Tuesday, as the hopes of a deal to?end the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran faded. Meanwhile, the stark differences between Washington and Tehran on a proposed peace plan brought supply concerns back into the spotlight. Brent crude futures rose $2 or 1.9% to $106.21 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate climbed $2.31 or 2.4% to $100.38 at 0726 GMT. Both benchmarks rose nearly 2.8% Monday. U.S. president Donald Trump said Monday that the ceasefire agreement with Iran was "on life support". He cited disagreements on several demands such as the cessation on...

Gold prices fell on Tuesday as the markets weighed developments in the Middle East conflict and interest rate expectations before key U.S. Inflation data. Gold spot fell 0.6% to $4,705.99 an ounce at 0603 GMT after reaching a session high of three weeks earlier. U.S. Gold Futures for June Delivery fell 0.3% to $4.714.50. The hope for a peace agreement on?Iran has faded since U.S. president Donald Trump said that a ceasefire deal with Iran is "on life support".?Tehran rejected the U.S. proposal and refused to accept a list demands from the U.S. President Donald Trump called the proposal "garbage"....

The U.S. Dollar strengthened on Tuesday, as there were no signs that the war in the Middle East would be ended. This pushed oil prices up and worried investors about whether interest rates might need to remain high to combat inflationary pressures. Investors are now concerned that the ceasefire, which has been in place since the 7th of April, could be at risk and that hostilities may resume in this conflict that began in February and killed thousands. Brent crude futures rose 0.6% to $104.88 per barrel, as the Strait of Hormuz remained largely closed. U.S. West Texas Intermediate is...

Ankur Banerjee gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets The markets are stuck in a cycle of hope and disappointment as talks to end war in the Middle East continue to be deadlocked. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, said that a ceasefire agreement with Iran is "on life support", after Tehran rejected an American proposal to end this conflict. Investors bet that both sides would not escalate their attacks. The lack of progress between Washington and Tehran in the negotiations has begun to weigh on some corners of the stock market. Investors are...

The stock market started Wednesday's Asian session in a negative mood, as the U.S. inflation rate was higher than expected and underscored the growing economic impact of the Middle East conflict. MSCI's "broadest" index of Asia-Pacific stocks outside Japan fell 0.6% for the second consecutive day, as Korean shares dropped as much as 3.2%. They then recovered. In recent weeks the Korean market has been on fire, breaking records on a rally led by artificial intelligence that some traders believe was due for a correction. Nikkei was down by 0.2% in Japan, while S&P e-mini futures were 0.1% lower. Tony...

The dollar rose on Tuesday as the hopes of a deal that would allow ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz faded. Meanwhile, a hot rally in "chip" stocks cooled down and traders waited for U.S. inflation data. The U.S. president Donald Trump said that the ceasefire agreement with Iran, which had been in place for a month, was "on life-support" after Tehran's reaction to the U.S. plan of ending the war showed how far apart the two sides were. Brent crude futures rose almost 4%, to $108 per barrel. The STOXX 600 in Europe was down by 0.6%....

Investors were 'fretted' that the talks between Iran and the U.S. had reached a deadlock, leaving the Strait of Hormuz almost?closed. This sent oil prices back up. Donald Trump, the president of the United States, rejected Iran's response on Sunday to a U.S. proposal for peace talks that would end the war. He said Tehran's requests were "totally inacceptable". Brent crude futures, around 45% more expensive than they were before Israel and the U.S. began their strikes against Iran on February 28th, jumped up to 4.6% over night and closed at $103.75 per barrel, an increase of 2.4% for the...

On Monday, the dollar rose and share futures fell in Asia as signs emerged that the talks between the United States &?Iran had reached a deadlock. This would have effectively closed the 'Strait of Hormuz and sent oil prices up. Donald Trump rejected Iran's response on Sunday to the U.S. proposal to hold peace talks in order to end the conflict, calling Tehran's demands "totally unacceptable." Iranian media reported that an Iranian plan sent to Washington stressed the need to end the war on all sides and lift sanctions against Tehran. Bruce Kasman noted that the conflict in the Middle...

On Friday, global equities were mixed as new U.S. job data showed growth in the U.S. market. However, consumer sentiment was down and oil prices continued to rise due to ongoing fighting near Strait of Hormuz. European stocks fell, but the S&P 500 gained 0.8% and the Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.4%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average remained largely unchanged. Chipmakers, such as Qualcomm, recovered. Qualcomm was up around 10% while Nvidia rose 2.3%. The price of oil rose again on the Friday following renewed fighting in the Strait of Hormuz, which raised doubts about the ceasefire agreement between Iran and...

China announced on Friday that it would raise the price caps of gasoline and diesel, one month after it curbed the price increases. The country is trying to control the inflationary effects of the Iran War and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The?country’s state planner announced on Friday that maximum retail gasoline prices and 'diesel will rise by 320 Yuan ($47.05), per metric tonne, as part of an ongoing price review. Retail diesel prices will also increase by 310 Yuan per metric tonne. China is the world's?second-largest consumer of oil. It has a diversified oil supply network and...

As the U.S. and Iran traded?fires in the Middle East many Asian markets were still on track for stellar gains this week as AI 'demand' swept over chipmakers. Benchmark Brent crude futures rose about 1% in Asia to $101 per barrel, while European stock?futures fell 0.8%. FTSE futures dropped 0.7% while S&P futures rose 0.3%. Sterling remained steady at $1.3575, but traders were wary of Labour Party losses, which could put pressure on Prime Minister Keir starmer. The United States and Iran clashed over the Gulf, and the UAE was again attacked in a test for a month-long truce. However,...

Oil prices rose on Friday, and stocks were slightly lower. The U.S. and Iran were exchanging fire in the Middle East. However, many Asian markets were still heading towards stellar weekly gains as AI demand has swept chipmakers. Benchmark Brent crude futures rose 1.3% to $101.60 per barrel, while European stock futures declined 0.7%. On Thursday, the United States and Iran traded fire in the most severe test of their month-long truce. Iran claimed that the situation was back to normal while the U.S. stated it didn't want to escalate. The President Donald Trump stated that the ceasefire which has...

On Thursday, global stocks mostly maintained their gains - despite the fact that oil prices fell again due to optimism about a U.S. Iran peace deal. Meanwhile, it appeared as if there was no resolution for the Strait of Hormuz. The previous session's highs were maintained on?Wall Street. The?S&P500 was little changed and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.27%. Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 0.12%. The STOXX Europe 600 index was down 0.37% after a 2.2% jump on Wednesday. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan also hit a new all-time record. Last up 1.75 %. Japan's Nikkei surpassed 62,000...

Oil prices sank as stocks rose Thursday amid optimism about a U.S. Iran peace deal. However, the fate of the Strait of Hormuz remained unclear. MSCI's "All-Country World Index" rose by 0.23%, approaching a record high. Europe's STOXX was little changed after a?2.2% jump on Wednesday. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific index outside Japan also rose to an all-time record high. After a long holiday weekend, trading on the Nikkei 225 index resumed. Samy Chaar, chief economist at Lombard Odier, said that while the Middle East situation is uncertain, "the market momentum is moving in a positive direction", and they have taken...

Stocks rose and oil prices fell?on Wednesday? after a report stated that?the White House believed it was close to a memorandum ending the war with Iran. Meanwhile, momentum in AI driven trades increased. Axios reported that the U.S. was expecting Iranian responses to several key issues in the next 48-hours. On Wednesday, a Pakistani source who is involved in peace efforts confirmed that the report was true. Brent crude, a global benchmark, fell 7.5% to $101.70 a barrel. A peace agreement could ease some of the pain for the oil and gas market. The Iran war has closed the Strait...

In the morning of Wednesday, the Asian session, stocks soared, oil prices fell and the dollar dropped after U.S. president Donald Trump hailed "great progress" toward a "final deal" with Tehran, while momentum for AI-driven trading accelerated. Trump said he would temporarily pause an operation of escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz carries a fifth of all global oil, and Iran has blocked it since late February. This has triggered a global energy shortage. Brent crude fell 1.2% to $108.51 per barrel on the news, while S&P500 e-minis futures rose 0.3%. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific index...