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Wall Street Journal, June 8,

These are the most popular?stories from the Wall Street Journal. These?stories have not been?verified' and we cannot?guarantee? their?accuracy. Israel and Iran traded missile strikes Monday, after the U.S. brokered a ceasefire in early April. This was their first direct attack since the truce went into effect. - Nvidia is ?teaming up with South Korea's SK Telecom and Naver ?to build gigawatt-scale artificial-intelligence cloud infrastructure in Asia. - Intesa Sanpaolo said ?it has launched a EUR30.66 billion ($35.33 ?billion) unsolicited cash-and-share ?takeover bid for Monte dei Paschi di Siena. Roche has announced that it has signed an exclusive licensing agreement and...

Crude Oil

Prices of oil fall amid rising hopes for a de-escalation of the US-Iran War

Oil prices dropped on Friday, as traders grew more confident that a renewed conflict between the U.S.A. and Iran is less likely. Brent crude futures fell $2.08 or 2.18% to $92.95 per barrel at 11:37 CST . Brent closed the previous session 2.84% down. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude was $89.93 per barrel, down $3.11 or 3.34% after a loss of 3.1% on Thursday. Phil Flynn is a senior analyst with Price Futures Group. He said that the market does not see an escalation of tensions between the parties. Even though we haven't reached a deal, the market seems to...

Crude Oil

MORNING BID AMERICAS - Summer clouds

What is important in the U.S. and international markets today by Mike Dolan Editor-at-Large of Finance and Markets On Wednesday, the?S&P 500 did not achieve its 10th consecutive daily gain and some clouds are forming in the markets. Broadcom, the sixth largest company in the world by market capitalization, has stumbled despite the frenzy surrounding the hot chip sector. Stocks of the chipmaker dropped by more than 13% overnight after a slight miscalculation in sales and revenue estimates. This?reaction is a sign of the high bar that companies have to meet in order to impress the markets during the AI...

Oil & Gas

First the Fed dot then the guidance, and finally a hike. Mike Dolan

Federal Reserve quarterly "dot-plot" rate forecasts could soon lose the last projected rate reduction, the so called easing dot. The plot itself may disappear altogether. Markets would then have to determine if Kevin Warsh was really the inflation-hawk he claimed to be. It might still be a surprise to some investors if he's right. Before his first policy meeting, the new Fed chairman is busy setting up his stall. He consults his staff and gets ready for his first policy session. The guidance he receives on policy direction is not going to be easy. The three-month-long war in Iran and...

Crude Oil

Oil drops as Lebanon and Israel implement ceasefire

The oil prices fell 'on Thursday' as the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire agreement boosted expectations for a wider deal to end the U.S./Israeli war against 'Iran'. Meanwhile, U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution to limit President Donald Trump's military powers. Brent futures fell 67 cents or 0.69% to $97.14 a barge by 0015 GMT. U.S. West Texas intermediate CLc1 crude dropped 62 cents or?0.65% to $95.4. After renewed Middle East hostilities, including Iranian attacks against Kuwait and U.S. military strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, both benchmarks gained about 2%. The Republican-led House in the U.S. approved a Resolution on Wednesday...

Fossil Fuels

Mike Dolan: Wild stock is moving beneath a surface that appears to be calm.

Wild swings in stock prices could indicate a market that is in its final stages of a speculative frenzy. Wall Street's fear gauge is dozing. It may take some good news to get it moving again. The AI boom is accelerating and attracting more and more tech and chip names from around the world. Even companies with a market cap of more than $200 billion have seen a 20% to 30% one-day increase. Dell's stock soared by 32% after its disastrous results on Friday. Hewlett Packard Enterprise soared 28% Tuesday after its own earnings report. Marvell Technology gained 25 percent...

Crude Oil

MORNING BID EUROPE - Marvelll is a suitable name for the newest AI darling

Tom Westbrook gives us a look at what the markets will be like tomorrow in Europe and globally. AI shares drove Asian equity markets to new records on Wednesday, despite fresh hostilities across the Middle East. Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia and AI kingmaker, has announced that Marvell Technology, a chipmaker with a superhero-sounding name is the next trillion dollar company. This announcement sent its stock price higher than 30%. Market cap of $254bn is far from $1trillion, but peers are closing the gap at a rapid pace. In the past year, SK Hynix and Micron had barely $100...

Crude Oil

Shock to the equity supply?

What is important in the U.S. and international markets today by Mike Dolan Editor-at-Large of Finance and Markets The 'global markets' appeared to be calm early on Tuesday. However, the latest AI twist and another set of confusing signals regarding the Iran conflict were hidden. Anthropic, an AI startup, stole the show Monday when it announced that it had confidentially 'filed' for an IPO. It seemed to beat rival OpenAI and catch the slipstream of SpaceX IPO which is expected in this upcoming month. Below, I'll get into this and more. Check out my most recent column about how the...

Crude Oil

Mike Dolan: ROI-AI frenzy also fuels inflation heat

Iran's energy boom may mask a larger inflation concern. AI prices are rising, and this boom will outlast any Gulf hiatus. Not least the major central banks are watching the crude price fluctuations around the Iran conflict to see how it will affect the cost of living. The AI investment frenzy has also been fueling a flurry of factory activity, a rise in construction, and a possible increase in prices. The massive business investment expenditure is expected to reach trillions of dollars in the future. Already, it is affecting company earnings, stock prices and projections, as well the aggregate GDP....

Crude Oil

MORNING BID EUROPE - Nvidia's chief to Asia: "We're still constrained by supply"

Gregor Stuart Hunter gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. Jensen Huang, Nvidia's CEO, says that the company is able to meet the demand for "very robust growth" due to the AI boom. It still needs more. He told a group of computer hardware and chipmakers at a conference in Taipei that supply issues remained a problem, just a day after Advanced Micro Devices unveiled its new chip, which will compete against Intel and Advanced Micro Devices. Nvidia's chips are used in data centres around the world, and as such they are often...

Crude Oil

MORNING BID AMERICAS - AI and 1984

What's important in the U.S. market and globally today by Mike Dolan, Editor at Large, Finance and Markets The same obsessions with the market continue in a new month. Iran and AI are still competing for the attention of investors, but AI is currently winning. The momentum from last week looks to be continuing into Monday. Below, I'll explain more. Listen to the latest episode of the Morning Bid Daily Podcast. Subscribe to the Morning Bid daily podcast and hear 'journalists' discuss the latest news in finance and markets seven days a weeks. AI AND 1984 The U.S. and Iran...

Crude Oil

MORNING BID EUROPE - Who needs oil when you can buy AI?

Wayne Cole gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. Investors seem to be deciding that no news is better than bad news in regards to the Gulf peace negotiations. The President had stated that he would be meeting on Friday last week to decide whether to sign off an extension of the ceasefire. Since then, there has been no news, apart from Trump comparing himself to Elvis. Hegseth, the Defence Secretary, did say that if an agreement was not reached on a deal suitable for Iran then the U.S. might restart its attacks....

Refined Products

Refined Products

What is the secret to economic success? Stephen Jen: A good baseball team

What do the four most important tech economies in the world - the U.S.A., Taiwan Japan and South Korea have in common? They are baseball fans. It may not be a mere coincidence. This raises questions about the prospects for two other baseball-loving countries: Venezuela and Cuba. In the U.S., baseball was created in the mid-19th century. It is a combination of rounders and cricket. Baseball is popular among those who have had a long-term relationship with America, just as British sports are in Commonwealth countries. Baseball became popular in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea after World War II, when...

Fossil Fuels

Oil prices remain unchanged despite uncertainty surrounding US-Iran peace agreement

The oil prices were little changed Friday, after a sharp drop in the previous session. Brent crude futures dropped 21 cents or 0.22% to $95.24 per barrel at 0003 GMT, after falling 2.84% the previous session. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude oil was $92.94 per barrel, down by 10 cents or 0.11% after a loss of 3.1% on Thursday. The two contracts are expected to record their first weekly gains in three weeks. WTI is up a whopping 6% after fighting flared in the Middle East, as U.S. - Iran war peace negotiations dragged on, while traffic in 'the Strait...

Refined Products

Oil drops as Israel and Lebanon agree to a ceasefire

Oil prices dropped?on Friday as a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon?boosted hopes of a wider agreement to end the U.S./Israeli war against Iran?that?could?lead to a?reopening?of the Strait of Hormuz. Brent 'futures' were down 87 cents or 0.89% at $96.92 per barrel as of 0458 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude fell 78 cents or 0.81% to $95.24, erasing gains made earlier in the week. Brent and WTI both rose by about 2% Wednesday following renewed Middle East hostilities, including Iranian attacks against Kuwait and U.S. Military?strikes close to the Strait of Hormuz. Israel and Lebanon announced late Wednesday that...

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Mineral Resources

Gold to fall by a week's worth on fears of rate hikes and tensions in the Middle East

Gold prices dropped on Friday and were set to?have a weekly loss? as tensions in Middle?East dampened hopes for a U.S. - Iran peace deal amid fears of rising inflation and rate hikes. As of 0718 GMT, spot gold was down by 0.3%, at $4,461.28 an ounce. It has dropped about 1.6% this week. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery fell by 0.4% to $4487.90. Israel has said that it will not withdraw its troops from Lebanon, despite the rejection of a ceasefire by Hezbollah's?militia. This undermines President Donald Trump’s efforts to stop fighting in Lebanon to reach a peace...

Mineral Resources

Gold to fall by a week's worth on fears of rate hikes and tensions in the Middle East

Gold prices dropped on Friday and were set to?for an overall loss? as tensions in Middle 'East tempered?hopes of a U.S. - Iran peace deal amid fears about rising inflation and rate hikes. As of 0548 GMT, spot gold was down by 0.6%, at $4,445.51 an ounce. The price of gold has dropped about 2% in the last week. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery fell by 0.7% to $4471.70. Israel has said that it will not withdraw its troops from Lebanon, despite the rejection of a ceasefire by Hezbollah's?militia. This undermines President Donald Trump’s efforts to stop fighting in...

Mineral Resources

Gold to fall by a week's worth on fears of rate hikes and tensions in the Middle East

Gold prices dropped on Friday and were set to suffer a weekly loss as tensions in the Middle East dampened expectations for a U.S. Iran peace deal, amid fears of rising inflation rates and interest rate hikes. As of 0402 GMT, spot gold was down by 0.7%, at $4,442.94 an ounce. It is down about 2% this week. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery?fell by 0.8% to $4469.10. Hezbollah, a militia backed by Iran, rejected a ceasefire in Lebanon. Israel also said it would not withdraw its troops from Lebanon. This undermined the efforts of U.S. president Donald Trump to...

Mineral Resources

Gold to fall by a week's worth on fears of rate hikes and tensions in the Middle East

Gold prices dropped on Friday and were set to suffer a weekly loss as tensions in the Middle East tempered hopes of a U.S. Iran peace deal, amid fears about rising inflation rates and interest rate hikes. As of 0225 GMT, spot gold was down by 0.5%, at $4,452.20 an ounce. It is down about 1.8% this week. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery fell?0.6% at $4,478.50. Hezbollah, a militia backed by Iran, rejected a ceasefire in Lebanon. Israel also said it would not withdraw its troops from Lebanon. This undermined the efforts of U.S. president Donald Trump to stop...

Mineral Resources

Gold prices rise as hopes for a Middle East ceasefire pressure bond and dollar yields

Gold prices rose more than 1% on Thursday, as oil prices fell due to optimism about a possible end to the Iran Conflict. This led to a fall in bond yields and a pressure on the dollar. As of 11:50 am EDT (1550GMT), spot gold was up by 1% to $4,474.07 an ounce. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery gained 0.8%, to $4$4,501.90. Independent metals trader Tai Wong says that reports of a ceasefire agreement between?Israel? and Lebanon? have pushed the dollar and bond yields up, allowing gold to hold above?the 200-day moving aver?, which is an important indicator. Israel...

Mineral Resources

Gold prices rise as hopes for a Middle East ceasefire pressure bond and dollar yields

Gold prices rose more than 1% on Thursday, as oil prices fell due to optimism about a possible end to the Iran Conflict. This led to a fall in bond yields and pressured the dollar. As of 9:05 am EDT (1305 GMT), spot gold was up by 1.7% to $4,505.35 an ounce. U.S. Gold futures for August delivered gained 1.5%, to $4,532.80. The dollar and bond yields have been pushed up by reports of a?deal for a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, according to independent metals trader Tai Wong. This has helped gold hold just above the 200-day moving averge....

Mineral Resources

Dollar and oil prices fall as optimism about peace in the Middle East pushes gold prices higher

Gold prices rose Thursday as hopes for a resolution to the Middle East conflict led to a drop in oil and dollar prices, which eased fears of inflation and rate hikes. As of 1156 GMT, spot gold rose 1.7% to $4,506.19 an ounce. U.S. gold for August delivery rose 1.5% to $4533.60. Dollar eased making greenback bullion prices more affordable for holders other currencies. The Trump administration announced on Wednesday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to implement a truce to end hostilities. This boosted?hopes of a broader agreement to end the U.S. - Israeli war against Iran. The Republican-led...

Mineral Resources

As markets weigh US-Iran optimism, gold rises as the dollar and oil weaken.

The gold price rose?on Thursday as a result of lower?oil prices and a 'weaker dollar. Investors reassessed renewed expectations regarding a U.S. - Israel war against Iran. As of 0408 GMT, spot gold rose 0.7% to $4,464.69 an ounce. U.S. gold for August delivery rose 0.6% to $4491.70. Dollar eased making greenback bullion prices more affordable for holders other currencies. Gold's gains are still heavily dependent on oil and the dollar. It only rises when they retreat, so it is highly dependent on the positive U.S. Iran headlines to sustain any momentum," said Tim Waterer, Chief Market Analyst at KCM...

Mineral Resources

As markets weigh US-Iran optimism, gold rises as dollar and oil weaken.

Gold prices rose on 'Thursday', supported by lower crude oil prices and a weakened?dollar as investors reassessed renewed expectations of a resolution to U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. As of 0218 GMT, spot gold rose 0.7% to $4,461.09 an ounce. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery gained 0.5%, to $4487.90. Dollar eased making greenback bullion prices more affordable for holders other currencies. Gold's gains remain largely at the mercy of the dollar and oil. It only rises when they pull back. This makes it dependent on positive U.S. - Iran headlines to sustain momentum, said Tim Waterer. The Trump administration announced...

Mineral Resources

Germany opens window for dialogue between Europe and Russia

At a Wednesday briefing, a German government official said that a window of 'dialogue' is opening slowly between Russia and Europe on Ukraine. However, it will likely be months before any talks can begin. The official who requested anonymity said that it was important to create a dialogue format that Europeans would perceive as legitimate. The official also said that it was unclear who would lead these talks. However, there were strong indications that the E3 Group (Germany, France, and Britain) will continue to play a significant role in this regard. The Russian advance has slowed down this year. Ukrainian...

Mineral Resources

The price of gold eases due to Middle East tensions, which lift oil prices and US economic data.

The price of gold fell on Wednesday as renewed hostilities erupted in the Middle East, pushing crude prices higher, and stalling U.S. Iran talks. Investors awaited upcoming U.S. Economic Data. Gold spot fell by 0.5%, to $4460.36 an ounce, at 0702 GMT. It had risen more than 1% the previous session. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery fell 0.7% to $4488.90. Gulf?hostilities erupted again, as the U.S. Military said that Iranian missile attacks against Bahrain, Kuwait, and?other targets in the region were either foiled or failed. U.S. Secretary of state Marco Rubio stated on 'Tuesday' that the negotiating team of...

Mineral Resources

The price of gold eases due to Middle East tensions, which lift oil prices and US economic data.

As renewed hostilities?in?the Middle East pushed?oil?prices higher, and stalled U.S.Iran talks, investors awaited upcoming U.S.economic data. After a rise of more than 1% the previous session, spot gold dropped 0.3%, to $4,471.38 an ounce, by 0511 GMT. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery fell 0.5% to $4499.30. The market is examining the possibility that Trump will not push for a resolution to the peace deal with Iran, said Kelvin Wong. "If we see further escalation that could dampen any recovery that gold may have had." Gulf 'hostilities' flared up again on Wednesday. The U.S. Military said that Iranian missile attacks...