United States

Investors weighed Middle East tensions which could disrupt supply and a major obstacle remains in the Russia-Ukraine talks. Brent crude futures rose 57 cents, or 0.94%, to $61.21 a barrel at?0112 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), however was up 54 cents, or 0.95%. The benchmark prices of both oil and gold fell by more than 2 percent on Friday, as investors considered a global glut of supply and the potential for a peace agreement in Ukraine ahead of weekend negotiations between U.S. president Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The main reason for the price increase is...

The Kremlin announced on Sunday that?Russian President Vladimir Putin and the U.S. The Kremlin said on?Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and?U.S. Yuri Ushakov, Kremlin's foreign policy aide, said that a phone call between Putin - and Trump lasted an hour and fifteen minutes - at Trump's request ahead of Trump meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Miami. Ushakov stated that "the main thing is that the presidents from Russia and the United States share the same view that the temporary ceasefire option proposed by the Ukrainians or the Europeans, under the pretext of preparation for a referendum (or...

Asian shares rose on Wednesday, capping off a year of rapid artificial intelligence-driven gains. Commodities such as gold and silver also extended their bullish trend to new highs, as 2025 approaches. Overnight, on Wall Street the S&P 500 closed at a record high as the long-elusive Santa Claus rally finally took hold. The U.S. economic data that showed the economy expanding at a faster rate than expected in the third quarter helped boost risk sentiment, but also weighed on bonds. Early Asian trading was dominated by gold and silver. Gold spot prices rose 0.8%, to $4,524 an ounce. This brings...

The oil prices remained stable on Tuesday, after rising by more than 2% the previous session. The U.S. announced that it may sell the Venezuelan crude they seized. Meanwhile, Ukraine's attacks against Russian vessels and piers increased fears of supply disruption. Brent crude futures fell by 6 cents or 0.1% to $62.01 a barrel at 0440 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), which is a blend of West Texas and Texas Intermediate crudes, fell 9 cents or 0.16% to $57.92. Brent's daily performance was the best in two months, and WTI rose to its highest level since November 14....

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...

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...

Oil prices increased on Monday, after the U.S. announced that it had intercepted a tanker of oil in international waters near the Venezuelan coast. This has caused new supply uncertainty. Brent crude futures rose by 46 cents or 0.8% to $60.93 a barrel at 0400 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained 46 cents or 0.8% to $56.98. The market is now recognizing that the Trump Administration is taking a tough stance on the Venezuelan oil industry, said June Goh. She is the senior oil analyst at Sparta Commodities. Goh said that the geopolitical news, along with the simmering...

The oil prices rose in the early hours of Monday morning after the U.S. intercepted an?oil-tanker from Venezuela over the weekend. Brent crude futures rose by 44 cents (or 0.73%) to $60.91 per barrel at 0141 GMT. West Texas Intermediate (WTI), crude oil, rose by 40 cents or 0.71% to $56.92. Officials told Sunday that the U.S. Coast Guard was also pursuing a tanker near Venezuela in international waters. If successful, this would be the second operation of the weekend, and the third within less than two weeks, if it is successful. Tony Sycamore, IG analyst, said that the rebound...

Vladimir Putin stated on Friday that Russia’s terms to end the war in Ukraine are unchanged from what he outlined in June 2024. This is a sign of no compromise, as the United States continues to push for a resolution. Putin outlined the Kremlin stance at the start of his annual press conference that lasts for four hours. He said he didn't see any readiness from the Ukrainian side for a peace agreement, but that there were "certain signs" of a willingness to engage in dialogue. Putin stated: "The only thing that I would like to say is we have...

Investors digested central bank decisions that highlighted divergent monetary policies around the world. Global shares rose Thursday, after?benign U.S. data on inflation. U.S. consumer prices rose less than expected during the year ending November. This initially hurt the dollar, but lifted equities on the hope of U.S. interest rate cuts in 2019. The pound rose after the Bank of England reduced interest rates, but indicated that further easing was unlikely. As expected, the European Central Bank left euro zone rates unchanged and took a more optimistic tone about the economy. Bank of Japan expected to raise rates on Friday. However,...

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday that they hoped the U.S. President Donald Trump administration didn't make a fatal mistake over Venezuela. They also said that Moscow was concerned about U.S. actions that threaten international navigation. Trump ordered on Tuesday a "blockade", of all oil tankers sanctioned by Washington, that enter and leave Venezuela. Washington was trying to increase pressure against Nicolas Maduro’s government. After the U.S. seize a sanctioned oil tanker off the coasts of Venezuela, last week. Loaded vessels with?millions barrels of crude oil chose to stay in Venezuelan waters than risk being seized. In a press release,...

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...

Silver rose above $80 per ounce on Monday for the first-time, fueled by a strong industrial and investment market, persistent shortages of supply, its recent designation as "a U.S. Critical Mineral" and a wave momentum-driven purchases. Prices fell 4.2% at 0830 GMT, after a record high of $83.62 was reached earlier in the day. Investors booked profits and a easing of geopolitical tensions reduced demand for safe havens. Spot silver is up more than 160% in the last year, outpacing gold’s rise of over 70%. How does silver trade work? Over the Counter London is the largest marketplace for physical...

As investors took profits and geopolitical tensions eased, precious metals fell on Monday. Silver traded lower after breaking $80 an ounce earlier that day, and gold was a little less than record highs. As of 0242 GMT spot gold was down by 0.4% to $4,512.74 an ounce after reaching a record-high of $4,549.71 last Friday. U.S. Gold Futures for February Delivery lost 0.4% per ounce to $4,536.40 Silver spot fell?1.3%, to $78.12 an ounce. It had earlier reached a session high of $83.62. Tim Waterer, KCM Trade's Chief Market Analyst, said that a combination of?profit-taking and apparently productive talks between...

China's iron ore state buyer uses increasingly aggressive tactics against mining giants like BHP in order to tighten their grip on the $132 Billion seaborne market, and to extract better terms from steel?mills. This is happening just as an enormous new supply source is about to strengthen China's hand. China Mineral Resources Group, (CMRG), in November asked their steel mills and traders to refrain from buying spot cargoes for a second BHP-product. This was months after the group blacklisted a product that had raised concerns with Australia's top supplier. Analysts and traders said that the standoff over a supply deal...

Wall Street closed a low-volume session after Christmas on Friday with little to no change. The three major U.S. indexes ended essentially flat but posted weekly gains. Ryan Detrick is the chief market strategist for Carson Group, based in Omaha. He said, "We're simply catching up today after a five-day rally." This is just day two of Santa Claus rally, so there's still time. We think that the market will be more optimistic going forward. Market participants were looking for signs of a seasonal phenomenon known as the "Santa Claus Rally," where the S&P 500 makes gains in the last...

Tadashi Imai, Chairman of the Japan Iron and Steel Federation, said that China's proposed export-licence requirements would not be effective in curbing export volumes or supporting a recovery in prices. China, the world's biggest steel producer, will implement a licensing system in 2026 for export regulation. This is because robust shipments of metal have fueled a protectionist backlash around the globe. Imai said at a press conference that the permits are aimed at controlling quality. China's steel exports have become a global concern. Japan is among the countries that criticize Chinese firms for receiving government subsidies which?encourage exports at low...

Gold prices fell on Wednesday after a record-breaking surge that saw them surpass the $4,500 an ounce barrier earlier in the session. Silver and platinum also saw some of their gains trimmed. At 01:57 pm, spot gold was down by 0.2% to $4,479.38 an ounce. ET (18:57 GMT), following a session high of $4,525.18. U.S. Gold Futures for February Delivery settled 0.1% lower at $4,502.8. Jim Wyckoff, Kitco Metals' senior analyst, said that the gold market was experiencing some chart consolidation as well as a mild profit-taking following record highs. Gold is a good investment in low interest rate environments....

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...

Export Finance Australia has sent a non-binding support letter to Latrobe Magnesium, Australia. The letter could be used to fund the construction of a magnesium plant in Victoria. The U.S. will provide support for the development of stage 2 of the commercial magnesia extraction facility as part of a deal with Australia that aims to counter China's dominance of the minerals industry. Magnesium, which is used to produce steel and titanium in China, is the world’s largest producer. Construction of the 'plant, which will process up to 10,000 tons of magnesium each year, is estimated to cost approximately A$250,000,000 ($166.70...

The third year has been tough for battery metals like lithium, nickel, and cobalt. All three markets are struggling to absorb the supply wave that followed the price boom of 2022. The electric vehicle revolution continues. The demand for batteries, and the metals needed to make them work, is still rising at an accelerated pace. It is only a matter time before the current glut of supply is absorbed by demand. This was at least the hope. Chinese companies are undergoing a technological revolution at the same time, as they work to create ever-more powerful batteries for ever-lower costs. Battery...

The third year has been tough for battery metals like lithium, nickel and copper as the three markets struggled to absorb the supply wave that followed the price boom of 2022. The electric vehicle revolution continues. The demand for metals and batteries that power them is growing at an accelerated rate. It is only a matter time before the current glut of supply is absorbed by demand. This was at least the hope. Chinese companies are, however, embarking on a "simultaneous" technological revolution, as they seek to develop batteries that are ever more powerful at a lower cost. Battery chemistry...

The U.S. government body that oversees the fund announced on Thursday that the Ukraine-U.S. Reconstruction Fund, created as part of a minerals 'deal' signed by the two countries in April, has approved its asset policies and is ready to review its first investment opportunities starting in 2026. In a press release, the Development Finance Corporation (DFC), said that the fund's 2nd meeting "reached the final consensus needed to bring the fund into full operational status". The DFC stated that potential deals could focus on energy and minerals development, as well as maritime infrastructure. Kyiv, under pressure from Donald Trump for...

South Korea's Industry Minister said on Wednesday that Korea Zinc’s plan to build a U.S. Smelter will help develop supply chains for essential minerals. Seoul may also discuss the possibility of receiving support from an U.S. Investment Fund. Korea Zinc announced on Monday a plan for a critical minerals refinery worth $7,4 billion in Tennessee. The project will be financed primarily by Washington. Kim Jung-kwan, Industry Minister, said at a 'press conference that he viewed the decision as a positive one for Korea Zinc despite its financial burden. Kim stated that "we concluded that those plans from Korea Zinc?will help...