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Gold falls from near 2-week-high as traders consider US rate cuts
Gold prices fell on Thursday after hitting a two-week high in the previous session. Investors also assessed the probability of a U.S. rate cut in December. As of 1601 GMT, spot gold was down by 0.2%, at $4,157.29 an ounce. U.S. Gold Futures for December Delivery fell 0.2% to $4154.30 an ounce. Carsten Menke, analyst at Julius Baer, said: "We expect that the consolidation process that began with the October setback will continue because the dust from that setback is still not completely settled." Bullion is down 5% from its record high of $4381.21 reached on October 20. However, it has traded broadly above the $4,000 per ounce key level. Menke said, "The factors that we see favoring the gold market remain largely unchanged. These include slowing U.S. economic growth, which has led to lower interest rates, a weaker U.S. Dollar, and sustained demand for safe havens, as well as continued central bank purchases." Federal Reserve signals contradictory on timing and magnitude of U.S. rate cuts has accelerated hedge flows into swaptions, and derivatives linked to overnight rates. Kevin Hassett has aligned himself with Donald Trump, the frontrunner for Jerome Powell to be the next Fed chair, in urging a rate reduction. The comments made this week by San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank president Mary Daly, and Fed Governor Christopher Waller boosted expectations for a reduction. CME FedWatch shows that traders now price in an 85% probability of a rate reduction next month, compared to just 30% one week ago. Gold that does not yield tends to do well in an environment of low interest rates. The U.S. market will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday and operate with a reduced schedule on Friday. Silver spot fell by 0.3%, to $53.17 an ounce. Platinum rose 1%, to $1.604.72, while palladium increased 0.5%, to $1.430.40. (Reporting from Noel John, Bengaluru. Editing by Alexander Smith and Ed Osmond. Nia Williams.
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Gold falls from near 2-week-high as traders consider US rate cuts
Gold prices fell on Thursday after hitting a two-week high in the previous session. Investors also assessed the probability of a U.S. rate cut in December. As of 1423 GMT, spot gold was down by 0.1% to $4,159.31 an ounce. U.S. Gold Futures for December Delivery fell 0.3% to $4156.30 an ounce. Carsten Menke, analyst at Julius Baer, said: "We expect that the consolidation process that began with the October setback will continue because the dust from that setback is still not completely settled." Bullion is down 5% from its record high of $4381.21 reached on October 20. However, it has traded well above the important 4,000 per ounce mark. Menke said, "The factors that we see favoring the gold market remain largely unchanged. These include slowing U.S. economic growth, which has led to lower interest rates, a weaker U.S. Dollar, and sustained demand for safe havens, as well as continued central bank purchases." Federal Reserve signals contradictory on timing and magnitude of U.S. rate cuts has accelerated hedge flows into swaptions, and derivatives linked to overnight rates. Kevin Hassett has aligned himself with Donald Trump, the frontrunner for Jerome Powell to be the next Fed chair, in urging a rate reduction. The comments made this week by San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank president Mary Daly, and Fed Governor Christopher Waller have also raised expectations for a rate cut. CME FedWatch shows that traders now price in a 85% chance for a rate reduction next month, compared to just 30% one week ago. Gold that does not yield tends to do well in an environment of low interest rates. The U.S. market will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday and operate with a reduced schedule on Friday. Silver spot rose by 0.2%, to $53.24 an ounce. Platinum gained 0.7%, to $1.599.10 and palladium rose by 0.2%, to $1.425.79. (Reporting and editing by Alexander Smith, Ed Osmond and Noel John from Bengaluru)
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OPEC+ is expected to maintain oil production policy for Q1 according to sources
Two delegates and a source with knowledge of OPEC+ meetings said that OPEC+ will likely leave oil production levels unchanged during its Sunday meeting and agree on a method to measure members' maximum capacity to produce. Two delegates stated that the eight OPEC+ nations who have gradually increased output in 2025 will keep their policy of halting hikes in the 1st quarter of 2026. OPEC+, a grouping of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, led by Russia and pumping about half the oil in the world, has been discussing production capacity figures for years, against which the members' targets are set. Sources who spoke under condition of anonymity said that the full OPEC+ will likely agree to the capacity mechanism at a separate gathering on Sunday. OPEC announced in May that this capacity assessment will be used as a reference for the 2027 baseline output. OPEC, Saudi Arabia and Russian authorities didn't immediately respond to a comment request. The two delegates stated that four online meetings are planned for Sunday, starting at 1300 GMT with OPEC Ministers alone. The Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee will then meet, followed by all OPEC+ Ministers. Finally, the eight members of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee will convene. OPEC+ met in September to discuss the issue of capacity on a technical basis. Baseline discussions in the past have been fraught with tension as they determine how much each member will cut production. Angola left the group in 2024 due to a disagreement over its production target. OPEC+ cut supplies for many years, until the eight members started to increase production in April to regain market share. The cutbacks peaked in march, when they reached 5.85 million barrels a day. This is almost 6% of the world's total production. Saudi Arabia, Russia and the UAE have all raised their output targets from April to December by around 2.9 millions bpd. They also agreed on a first-quarter break at their last meeting. The sources also said that OPEC+ ministers will not be making any changes to the group's production targets for 2026. These include a cut of 2 million bpd, which is shared by all members until the end next year. (Reporting and editing by Alexander Smith)
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EU watchdog accuses Commission lack of transparency with 'urgent proposals'
The EU Ombudswoman, who represents the EU citizens in Strasbourg, accused the European Commission of being rash to introduce measures on sustainable reporting, agriculture and illegal migration without adhering to its own rules for transparent and evidence-based legislation. The EU Institutions' watchdog said that the Commission failed to justify its urgency, citing the findings of an investigation prompted by complaints from climate and human right activists. Teresa Anjinho, Ombudswoman, said that the deficiencies constituted maladministration. "There are certain principles of good legislation that cannot be compromised, even if it is urgent." The European Commission stated that it would carefully examine the recommendations but also maintained that it had produced solid evidence about the problems and the required response and that it included input from consultations in its decision-making. Eight organisations complained in April that the Commission proposed weakening sustainability rules following private meetings with lobbyists from the industry, without consulting the public or assessing the impact of the suggested changes. They said that any agreement reached should be based on evidence and aligned with EU climate goals. Their statement stated that "if this cannot be ensured, the Commission should retract its proposal." (Reporting by Alessandro Parodi and Bart Meijer; editing by Philippa Fletcher, Alexandra Hudson)
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China launches new platinum futures contracts, which will increase the price of platinum
The spot platinum price rose on Thursday, as the opening of futures trading at the Guangzhou Stock Exchange in China helped to increase the overall liquidity. These contracts represent the first domestic price-hedging mechanisms for platinum and palladium, which are used in automakers and other industries including jewellery and investment goods. On their first trading day, Guangzhou's June platinum futures jumped 6% while palladium rose 1.5%. After hitting a one-month high of $1,641, spot platinum prices in London rose 1.0% to $1,604 per troy inch by 1226 GMT. Palladium spot prices were unchanged at $1,423. China is the largest consumer of metals in the platinum group, and relies heavily on imports. Analysts say that China, which accounts for almost 30% of global palladium consumption and 20% of platinum, has no domestic price guidance. It is left to follow international market movements. Weibin Deng is the Asia Pacific head at World Platinum Investment Council. He said that this launch will transform China's market for platinum group metals. He added that "for the first time domestic industrial users and fabricators now have a direct and regulated tool for hedge against global palladium and platinum price volatility." The global prices of two platinum group metals soared this year due to tighter supply and renewed interest from investors following the record-breaking performance for gold and Silver. The price of palladium and platinum has risen by 76% and 56% respectively in 2025. Reporting by Ella Cao and Polina Devtt, London; editing by Louis Heavens
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EU watchdog accuses Commission lack of transparency with 'urgent proposals'
The EU Ombudswoman, who represents the EU citizens in Strasbourg, accused the European Commission of being rash to introduce measures on sustainable reporting, agriculture and illegal migration without adhering to its own rules for transparent and evidence-based legislation. The EU Institutions' watchdog said that the Commission failed to justify its urgency, citing the findings of an investigation prompted by complaints from climate and human right activists. Teresa Anjinho, Ombudswoman, said that the deficiencies amounted "to maladministration". "Certain rules of good legislation cannot be compromised, even if it is urgent." The European Commission didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. Eight organisations complained in April that the Commission proposed weakening sustainability rules following private meetings with lobbyists from the industry, without consulting the public or assessing the impact of the suggested changes. They said that any agreement reached should be based on evidence and aligned with EU climate goals. Their statement stated that "if this cannot be ensured, the Commission should retract its proposal." Reporting by Alessandro Parodi, Bart Meijer and Philippa Fletcher; editing by PhilippaFletcher.
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Gold falls from near 2-week-high as traders consider US rate cuts
Gold prices fell on Thursday after hitting a two-week high in the previous session. Investors also assessed the probability of a U.S. rate cut in December. As of 1216 GMT, spot gold was down by 0.2% to $4,156.89 an ounce. U.S. Gold Futures for December Delivery fell 0.2% to $4154.40 an ounce. Carsten Menke, analyst at Julius Baer, said: "We expect that the consolidation process that began with the October setback will continue because the dust from that setback is still not completely settled." Bullion is down 5% from its record high of $4381.21 reached on October 20. However, it has traded above the important 4,000 per ounce price level. Menke said, "The factors that we see favoring the gold market remain largely unchanged. These include slowing U.S. economic growth, which has led to lower interest rates, a weaker U.S. Dollar, and sustained demand for safe havens, as well as continued central bank purchases." Federal Reserve signals contradictory on timing and magnitude of U.S. rate cuts has accelerated hedge flows into swaptions, and derivatives linked to overnight rates. Kevin Hassett has aligned himself with Donald Trump, the frontrunner for Jerome Powell to be the next Fed chair, in advocating rate cuts. The comments made this week by San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank president Mary Daly, and Fed Governor Christopher Waller have also raised expectations for a rate cut. CME FedWatch shows that traders now price in an 85% probability of a rate reduction next month, compared to just 30% one week ago. Gold that does not yield tends to do well in an environment of low interest rates. The U.S. market will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday and operate with a reduced schedule on Friday. Other than that, silver spot rose by 0.1%, to $53.39 an ounce. Platinum gained 0.9%, to $1,602.10, while palladium remained at $1,422.65. (Reporting and editing by Alexander Smith, Ed Osmond, and Noel John from Bengaluru)
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Norsk Hydro believes that CBAM loopholes will remain open until 2028.
Norsk Hydro's CEO said that it is not realistic to expect any amendments aimed at closing the loopholes which allow companies to avoid the new carbon border tax on aluminium imposed by the European Union before 2028. From January, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will impose a carbon-based tax on aluminum and certain other commodities such as steel that enter the European Economic Area to compensate for emissions directly generated during production. The aim is to protect European producers from cheaper competitors in countries with less aggressive climate laws, and to prevent European companies shifting their investments abroad. CEO: LOOPHOLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR FINISHED AND SCRAP PRODUCTS Eivind Kallevik said that CBAM will help to level carbon costs and put the Norwegian company, Hydro, in a better position. Hydro uses renewable energy for energy intensive aluminium smelting. He said that two loopholes in the EU's industrial policy could undermine it. Kallevik stated that the scrap loophole must be closed. Without that, there's a risk of circumvention as well as an unfair playing field for European recyclers compared to competitors from outside the... EEA." He said that CBAM does not also cover downstream products containing a lot of aluminium, and as it stands, these could still enter the EEA free of charge. He said that the scope of the project should be expanded to include downstream products to avoid carbon leakage. Carbon leakage is when a company shifts its production to a different country in order to avoid strict climate regulations. The implementation of amendments will take time After taking feedback from the industry, the European Commission will publish CBAM amendments in December. These changes should close loopholes. Kallevik stated that "Unfortunately,... these processes are slow and we expect the earliest inclusion of these components to be 2028." Kallevik said that the supply of low carbon aluminium will not grow at a rate commensurate with demand even though leading industrial companies are using it to reduce their emissions. Kallevik stated that "aluminium production below four tons per ton aluminium will only grow marginally by 2030, while production over this threshold will increase by several millions of tons." (Reporting and editing by Tom Daly)
Israeli forces kill two Palestinians who appear to be surrendering in West Bank
Two Palestinian men were shot by Israeli security forces on Thursday, who appeared to surrender and be unarmed in a raid conducted in Israel-occupied West Bank.
The men can be seen in the video exiting the building in Jenin in the northern West Bank, removing their shirts, and lying down on the ground as if they were surrendering. The men were then directed back into the building by the forces before they opened fire.
After hearing shots, a journalist near the scene saw Israeli forces standing next to what appeared to a dead body.
In a press release, the Palestinian Health Ministry said that two men had been killed by the shooting. They were identified as Montasir Asasa and Yusuf Abdullah.
Israel Police and the Israeli Military issued a joint press release announcing they had launched an investigation following the firing of forces on suspects exiting a building.
The statement didn't give any reasons for the shooting, nor did it say that two men were lying on the floor before being directed inside the building to be shot.
Jenin Governor Kamal Abu al-Rub accused Israeli forces, in a phone conversation, of carrying out "cold-blooded" executions of two young men, who, he claimed, were unarmed and surrendered.
He said that those who fired should be held accountable, but he expressed doubts about the Israeli authorities' ability to conduct an honest investigation.
In a joint statement, the Israeli police and military said that Israeli forces were conducting an operation in Jenin to apprehend people wanted for "terrorist activities", including throwing explosives at security forces and shooting them.
The statement stated that the two men who had been shot were wanted people who were associated with a "terrorist network in the Jenin area". The statement did not say what the men were accused or provide any proof of their alleged connection with a terrorist network.
According to military and police sources, security forces surrounded the building in which the men were found before launching a "surrender process" lasting several hours.
The statement stated that "fire was directed at the suspects after their exit," adding that "the shooting is under review by the commanding officers on the ground and will be sent to the relevant professional body."
Itamar Bin-Gvir, Israel's National Security Minister of the far-right party, issued a later statement in which he gave his "full support" to both the military and police unit involved in the shooting.
He wrote: "The fighters acted as they were expected to - terrorists must die!"
The Jenin raid is the latest in a campaign that Israel has been waging for months across cities of northern West Bank. Israeli forces launched an operation in the nearby city Tubas on Wednesday.
Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that agreed to a Gaza ceasefire last month, has condemned the killings of men in Jenin and called on the international community intervene in order to stop Israel's "escalating executions in the field."
The group has not claimed the two men. Reporting by Mohamad Tookman, Ali Sawafta, Steven Scheer, Alexander Cornwell, and Steven Scheer, in Jerusalem. Editing by Rosalba o'Brien.
(source: Reuters)