United States

Early trading Tuesday saw European stocks fall as traders remained cautious ahead of important U.S. employment data. The dollar also remained near its lowest level in the past two months. Investors waited for the U.S. Employment Reports for October and November due later in session. Data collection was delayed during the U.S. Government Shutdown. After the Fed's comments when it reduced rates last week were interpreted as being less hawkish that anticipated, this could affect expectations for the U.S. Federal Reserve monetary policy in the coming year. This would strengthen expectations for further rate cuts by 2026. The stock markets...

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 on Tuesday as the prospects of a Russia-Ukraine deal seemed to be improving, raising expectations of an easing of sanctions. Brent crude futures slid?35 cents or 0.6% to $60.21 a barge by 0350 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude traded at $56.52 a barge, down 30 cents or 0.5%. "Crude Oil fell as the market weighed signs of optimism about a peace agreement being reached between 'Russia and Ukraine,'" ANZ analysts stated in a recent note. This raised fears that the recent U.S. sanction?on Russian Oil Companies would eventually be lifted, adding more to an already...

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....

Three people familiar with the matter said that the U.S. Treasury 'has rejected the offer of a group led U.S. -based Xtellus Partners to purchase the foreign assets owned by Russian oil.company Lukoil. Xtellus was competing with U.S. oil giants Exxon Mobil, Chevron and Abu Dhabi Group International Holding Company. Hungary's MOL, and U.S. Private Equity firm Carlyle are also still in the race. The U.S. Treasury declined comment. Lukoil was willing to sell its assets after the U.S. sanctioned it in October, along with the Kremlin controlled rival Rosneft to try to?push Russia towards a peaceful deal with Ukraine....

European shares rose on Monday, as Wall Street futures indicated a recovery after last week's selling. However, investor caution capped gains ahead of a busy week that will include important central bank decisions and economic reports. The benchmark STOXX Index of 600 large companies in Europe gained 0.6%. S&P 500 futures rose 0.4% after U.S. shares had fallen on Friday due to concerns over a bubble in?Artificial Intelligence stocks and lingering inflation. Asia shares have been less buoyant due to renewed concerns in China's real estate market. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan fell 1.2%. This was led by...

Investors reined-in risk-taking as they began a week that would be peppered with important central bank decisions and data release. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific index outside Japan fell 1%. This was largely due to a fall of up to 2.7% on South Korean shares. South Korea is one of the best-performing markets in the world this year. Chris Weston said, "We are now in the last week of trading before many close their books for 2025 and call it an end of year," said Chris Weston. He is head of research at Pepperstone Group based in Melbourne. "Some may have already...

Asian stocks fell in early trading Monday, as investors reined-in risk-taking ahead of a week that will be dotted with data releases and central bank decisions. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan fell?0.6%. This was led by a fall of up to 2.7% on South Korean shares. South Korea is one of the best-performing markets in the world this year. Chris Weston said, "We are in the final trading week for 2025. Many will close their books at this point and call it an end to the year." Chris Weston is head of research at Pepperstone Group Ltd. "Some...

The major stock indexes fell sharply on Friday. Investors were cautious about artificial intelligence bets and the dollar, as well as U.S. Treasury Yields, edged up after recent losses. Oracle, a cloud computing company, warned earlier this week of massive spending and poor forecasts. Broadcom, a chipmaker, warned late on Thursday about margins. Technology fell the most of all major S&P sectors, 2.5%. Broadcom shares fell 10.9% while Oracle dropped 4.6%, and AI leader Nvidia declined 2.1%. Investors are optimistic about future U.S. rate cuts after the U.S. Federal Reserve reduced interest rates by 25 basis point on Wednesday. The...

Admiral George J. McDonnell, who was in charge of U.S. forces in Latin America for two years, retired on Friday. This comes amid increasing tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela. Three U.S. government officials and two sources familiar with the situation said that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had pushed?Admiral?Alvin Holsey out. Hegseth was said to have grown frustrated by Southern Command's efforts to expand U.S. military planning and operations in the region. A senior official confirmed that Hegseth's dismissal of Holsey was discussed roughly two weeks prior to the unexpected announcement of Holsey's departure. Holsey's resignation was announced by Holsey...

European stocks were up on Friday. They are on track to make a third consecutive weekly gain, as the Fed's recent interest rate cut boosted sentiment. However, Wall Street futures indicated some lingering caution following the previous session's sell-off in tech-stocks. Investors were wary of artificial intelligence bets after Oracle, a cloud computing company, announced massive spending and poor forecasts. Broadcom's warning on margins added to investors' concerns. The move on Thursday had a limited effect on the wider risk appetite, as both S&P 500 & Dow hit new highs. On Friday, Wall Street futures fell during Asian trading while...

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...

Holcim announced on Tuesday that it had paid $550 million to acquire a majority stake in Cementos Pacasmayo in Peru, in order to expand the Swiss cement manufacturer's presence in South America. Holcim will take a 50.01 % stake in Cementos Pacasmayo in the deal, which values the Peruvian firm at $1.5 billion, including debt or $1.1 billion in equity value. According to the Peruvian law on takeovers, Holcim is required to offer more shares of the 'company and will likely increase its stake in the company, Holcim said. Cementos Pacasmayo expects sales of $630 millions for 2025, with a...

Copper fell more than 3% Friday after reaching a record-high earlier in the session. Fears of the AI bubble burst prompted a sell-off across a wide range of riskier assets. Benchmark three-month Copper?on the London Metal Exchange? fell by as much as 3.5%, to $11,451.50. It was trading at $11,537.50, down 2.8% as of 1700 GMT. Metal used in construction, manufacturing and power generation earlier hit a record of $11,952, just a few cents away from the psychologically important $12,000 mark. After two weeks of gains, copper is expected to end the week at a 0.7% loss after fading optimism...

The price of silver hit a new record on Friday, as gold prices rose more than 1% and hovered at a 7-week high. This was spurred by a weaker dollar and the Federal Reserve's interest rate reduction this week. By 1028 am, spot gold had risen 0.6% to $4.308,43 an ounce. ET (1528 GMT), and was on course for a weekly gain of 2.7% after previously rising by 1%. U.S. Gold Futures increased 1.5% to $4.376.60. Silver spot rose by 0.8%, to $63,03 per ounce. This is after it reached a new record high of $64.64/oz. The metal has gained...

Gold prices rose by?1% on Friday to a seven week high, helped by a weak dollar, expectations of interest rate reductions and a safe haven demand due to geopolitical turmoil. Silver also hit a new record high. Spot gold climbed 1% by 1248 GMT to $4,327.31 an ounce, its highest since October 21. It was also set for a weekly gain of 3.1%. U.S. Gold Futures rose 1.2% to $4363.20. Dollar hovered at a 2-month low and was on course for a third consecutive weekly decline, making gold more affordable for foreign buyers. Zain Vawda is an analyst at MarketPulse,...

Gold prices rose by?1% on Friday to a seven week high, helped by a weak dollar, expectations of interest rate reductions and safe haven demand due to geopolitical turmoil. Silver also hit a new record high. Gold spot rose by 1.2% at 1136 GMT to $4,332.25 an ounce, its highest since October 21. It was also set for a weekly gain of 3.2%. U.S. Gold Futures rose 1.3% to $4 368.60. Dollar hovered at a 2-month low and was on course for a third consecutive weekly decline, making gold more affordable for foreign buyers. Zain Vawda is an analyst at...

Gold prices rose to a seven week high on Friday. This was boosted by a weak dollar, expectations of interest rate reductions, and a safe haven demand due to geopolitical turmoil. Gold spot rose 0.7% at 0945 GMT to $4,311.73 an ounce, its highest since October 21. This marks a 2.7% gain for the week. U.S. Gold Futures rose 0.7% to $4343.50. Dollar hovered at a two-month high and was on course for a third consecutive weekly drop. This made bullion more accessible to overseas buyers. Zain Vawda is an analyst at MarketPulse by OANDA. He said that "the sharp...

The copper price reached a new record on Friday, and was on track for a third weekly gain. This was boosted by the promise of a fiscal boost from top consumer China next year. The Federal Reserve's lower interest rates and expansion of the balance sheet. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract closed the daytime trading session higher by 1.95%, at 94.080 yuan per metric tonne ($13,335.03). The contract reached a new record of 94,570 Yuan, exceeding the previous one set on Monday. Benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange rose 0.13% to $11,887 per ton as...

The gold price held at a 7-week high?Friday. This was due to the expectation of further interest rate reductions next year after the U.S. Federal Reserve rejected hawkish bets. Silver prices were just below their record high from Thursday. Gold spot rose by 0.1% at $4,286.35 an ounce as of 0708 GMT. It was still on course for a weekly gain of 2.1% after reaching its highest level since October 21 last Thursday. U.S. gold futures rose 0.1% to $4317.50. Dollar was set to drop for the third consecutive week, making gold cheaper for foreign buyers. Soni Kumari, an ANZ...

Shanghai copper prices reached a new record on Friday, and are on course for a third straight 'weekly' gain. This is due to the promise by China of a fiscal boost next year as well as the U.S. Federal Reserve reducing interest rates and expanding its balance sheet. By 0204 GMT, the most traded copper contract at the Shanghai Futures Exchange had risen 1.34%, to 93570 yuan (US$13,261.43) a metric ton. It reached an all-time high of 94.080 yuan earlier in the day. This was a record that had been set on Monday. Benchmark three-month Copper on the London Metal...

Two sources with knowledge of the matter said that Zhuzhou Smelter Group - one of China's biggest zinc smelters - broke a contract to supply Teck Resources’?Red Dog Mine in Alaska due to high tariffs caused by Washington and Beijing's trade war. Teck, a Vancouver-based company, supplies zinc concentrates from Red Dog, the world's biggest zinc mine, to clients around the globe, including Asia. At the height of their trade war, two of the world's largest economies have imposed tariffs in triple digits on each other's imported goods. After multiple rounds of talks, and a'meeting' between U.S. president Donald Trump...

The dollar fell on 'Thursday, as the U.S. Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a quarter point. Silver also surged and reached a new record high. As of 11:49 am, spot gold rose 1.2% to $4,275.39 an ounce. ET (16:49 GMT), it reached its highest level since the 21st of October. U.S. Gold futures for delivery in February gained 1.9%, reaching $4,303.90 an ounce. Spot silver rose 3.2% to $63.77 an ounce, nearing the session's record high of $63.93. Edward Meir, Marex analyst, said that silver is pulling up gold and also platinum and palladium. "There's a lot going on...

Gold edged lower on Thursday, as traders weighed ?the U.S. Federal Reserve's divided vote on a quarter-percentage-point ?interest ?rate cut, while silver climbed to yet another record high. As of 1248 GMT, spot gold dropped 0.3% to $4216.49 an ounce. U.S. Gold Futures for February Delivery gained 0.5%, to $4244.40 an ounce. Ross Norman, an independent analyst, said that the fundamentals of gold remained unchanged. The Fed cut rates by a quarter percentage point in a rare, divided vote on Wednesday. However, officials signaled a pause before further easing. They are assessing the future direction of the job market as...