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☆ Gold slips from 5-mth peak as investors look to U.S. economic data
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Gold bars and gold coins of different sizes lie in a safe on a table at the precious metal dealer Pro Aurum. Gold prices retreated from last session's five-month peak on Monday as the U.S. dollar and Treasury yields strengthened ahead of crucial economic data this week, with investors looking for any signs of a global fallout of the Middle East conflict. Spot gold was down 0.4% at $1,972.39 per ounce by 0334 GMT, and U.S. gold futures slid 0.5% to $1,983.50. COMEX gold speculators switched to net long position of 41,867 contracts in the week to Oct. 17, adding 56,655, data showed on Friday. Elsewhere, spot silver fell 0.5% to $23.23 an ounce, platinum slipped 0.6% to $889.48 and palladium was down 0.1% to $1,096.15.

Persons: Yeap Jun Rong Organizations: Aurum, U.S ., Treasury, U.S, Trust Locations: Israel

☆ India rupee to struggle on US yield concerns; odds of record low seen rising
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Nimesh Vora | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A customer hands Indian currency notes to an attendant at a fuel station in Mumbai, India, August 13, 2018. Non-deliverable forwards indicate the rupee will open at around 83.26-83.27 to the U.S. dollar compared with 83.2575 in the previous session and within a whisker of the 83.29 record low. The Reserve Bank of India has over the last several days intervened to prevent the rupee from falling to a lifetime low. "From what I have seen this week, odds of a new low (on rupee) are now higher." The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield rose to 4.9550% in Asia, the highest in sixteen years.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, John Williams, Jun Rong, Nimesh Vora, Sohini Goswami Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Treasury, U.S, Reserve Bank of, Federal Reserve, New York Fed, IG Asia, Brent, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, Rights MUMBAI, Reserve Bank of India, Asia, Singapore

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares tumbled in Asia on Thursday following a retreat on Wall Street after big U.S. companies delivered mixed profit reports and Treasury yields added pressure on stocks. Exports rose 4.3% while imports sank 16.3% in September and the trade balance swung to a surplus of 62.4 trillion yen ($410 billion). A big threat for the global economy is what oil prices will do to inflation. It rose 2.6% after reporting stronger profit than expected for the latest quarter as its revenue rose after it hiked prices. In other trading early Thursday, the dollar fell to 149.80 Japanese yen from 149.93 yen.

Persons: Australia's, Sensex, ” Yeap Jun Rong, IG, Brent, Morgan Stanley, Gold Organizations: Hamas, Nikkei, Bank of, New York Mercantile Exchange, Dow Jones Industrial, Nasdaq, Netflix, United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Procter, Gamble, Treasury Department, Federal Reserve Locations: BANGKOK, Asia, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Japan, Israel, Bank of Korea, Shanghai, Gaza, Tel Aviv, U.S

☆ Gold jumps on safe-haven demand after Gaza hospital strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Gold prices rose to a one-month high on Wednesday, after a deadly blast in Gaza fueled fears about the regional conflict escalating and kept the safe-haven asset a favored choice against war risks. Spot gold rose 0.8% to $1,938.19 per ounce by 0501 GMT, after scaling its highest since Sept. 20 earlier in the session. "Safe-haven flows amid geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have remained the dominant catalyst for gold prices," IG market strategist Yeap Jun Rong said. Gold prices have surged about $100 since the conflict began, despite recent robust U.S. economic data boosting bets of higher-for-longer interest rates, which tends to weigh on non-yielding gold. Investors now await Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's speech on Thursday for cues on interest rates.

Persons: Kelvin Wong, Yeap Jun Rong, Jerome Powell's, OCBC, Bullion Organizations: Asia Pacific, West Bank, Investors, Federal Locations: Gaza, OANDA, Gaza City

That shift in legal doctrine was profound, shaping how courts have applied antitrust law ever since. Khan’s ideas have challenged the closest thing to a sacred cow in antitrust law. The most ambitious of those never became law, but Khan’s role in the probe, which Cicilline described as “critical,” helped further raise her profile. Amazon and Meta have both pushed for Khan to recuse herself from matters involving the companies, questioning her objectivity. The US Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon.com Inc. in a long-anticipated antitrust case, accusing the e-commerce giant of monopolizing online marketplace services by degrading quality for shoppers and overcharging sellers.

Persons: Lina Khan, Khan, Stephanie Keith, ” Khan, “, Joe Biden, ”, William Kovacic, George W, Bush, Barry Lynn, Lynn, New America Foundation —, Obama, —, ” Lina Khan, Rong Xu, ” Lynn, it’s, ’ ”, Reagan, Robert Hockett, Khan’s, David Cicilline, Lina, ” Cicilline, Cicilline, Justin Tallis, Biden, Trump, Douglas Farrar, Gary Gensler, Tom Williams, Jonathan Kanter, Roe, Wade, Kevin Kiley, Meta, she’s, “ We’ve, they’re, Federal Trade Commission Lina Khan, Al Drago, Kathleen Bradish, Bradish, Christine Wilson, Wilson, Noah Phillips, Gabby Jones, NetChoice, Carl Szabo, “ It’s, ” Szabo, There’s, ” Kovacic Organizations: CNN, Federal Trade Commission, Amazon, FTC, Big, Microsoft, Meta, Bloomberg, Getty, Republican, White House, Williams College, New America Foundation, Washington Monthly, Yale Law, Washington Post, Cornell Law School, Big Tech, Rhode, Rhode Island Democratic, Apple, Facebook, Cambridge, Activision, SEC, Financial Services, General Government, Securities and Exchange Commission, Capitol, Justice Department, Epic Games, California Republican, Washington , D.C, American Antitrust Institute, GOP, US Federal Trade Commission, Amazon.com Inc Locations: Big Tech, Robbinsville , New Jersey, Washington, Larchmont , New York, Rhode Island, Washington ,, New York

SINGAPORE, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Oil prices inched up on Thursday, clawing back some of the previous session's big losses after an OPEC+ panel maintained oil output cuts to keep supply tight, though an uncertain demand outlook capped gains. Brent crude oil futures were 63 cents higher at $86.44 a barrel at 0335 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) rose 49 cents to $84.71. The latest data also showed a sharp decline in U.S. gasoline demand. Finished motor gasoline supplied, a proxy for demand, fell last week to about 8 million bpd, its lowest since the start of this year, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported on Wednesday. Oil prices will struggle to push higher given the more uncertain demand outlook, along with weaker U.S. economic data released on Wednesday and a significant build in gasoline inventories, he added.

Persons: clawing, Jun Rong, Katya Golubkova, Sonali Paul, Jamie Freed Organizations: Brent, U.S, West Texas, of, Petroleum, National Australia Bank, U.S . Energy Information Administration, IG, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, OPEC, Russia, Saudi Arabia, U.S, Tokyo, Singapore

☆ Gold set to break longest losing streak in 7 years as bond selloff cools
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Gold edged higher on Thursday, set to end its eight-session-long losing streak, last seen around the same time in 2016, as U.S. bond yields and the dollar retreated from recent highs ahead of a keenly awaited non-farm payrolls report this week. Spot gold rose 0.3% to $1,826.49 per ounce by 0314 GMT, attempting a rebound from its weakest levels since March touched on Tuesday. Benchmark U.S. 10-year bond yields fell from 16-year highs on Thursday and the U.S. dollar was 0.2% lower, allaying some pressure on non-yielding gold. SPDR Gold Trust , the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, said its holdings fell 0.5% to 869.31 metric tons on Wednesday, its lowest since August 2019. The subdued dollar also buoyed other greenback-priced precious metals, with spot silver up 1.1% to $21.19 per ounce, having slipped to its lowest since mid-March this week.

Persons: Yeap Jun Rong Organizations: U.S ., U.S, CPI, Labor, Wednesday, Benchmark, Trust Locations: ., U.S

Oil pump jacks are seen at the Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas deposit in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina, January 21, 2019. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 4 (Reuters) - Oil edged lower on Wednesday ahead of a panel meeting of OPEC+ ministers, as the market weighed expectations of supply tightness against fears that high interest rates could reduce fuel demand. Brent crude oil futures dipped 6 cents to $90.86 a barrel by 0345 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) , fell 5 cents to $89.18 per barrel. "A resilient labour market is deemed to be providing more room for the Federal Reserve (Fed) to keep rates high for longer," said Yeap Jun Rong, market analyst at IG. Eight analysts polled by Reuters estimated on average that crude inventories fell by about 500,000 barrels in the week to Sept. 29.

Persons: Agustin Marcarian, Jun Rong, Brian Martin, Daniel Hynes, Alexander Novak, Laura Sanicola, Muyu Xu, Gerry Doyle, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Brent, U.S, West Texas, Federal Reserve, IG, of, Petroleum, ANZ, Reuters, Industry, American Petroleum Institute, Thomson Locations: Vaca, Patagonian, Neuquen, Argentina, OPEC, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Asia, Turkey, United States, .

☆ Gold fragile on lofty U.S. dollar and yields, palladium at 5-year low
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Gold prices headed back towards seven-month lows on Wednesday as an ascending dollar and bond yields after strong U.S. jobs data kept markets expectant of further monetary policy tightening, while palladium slipped to its lowest level since late 2018. Spot gold eased 0.1% to $1,820.70 per ounce by 0332 GMT, while U.S. gold futures dropped 0.3% to $1,836.20. The unexpected rise in August U.S. job openings highlights the durability of labor demand, NAB Resources said, adding that gold continues to decline on the higher-for-longer Federal Reserve rates outlook, strengthening U.S. bond yields and dollar. Benchmark U.S. 10-year bond yields were at 16-year highs, diminishing demand for non-interest-paying bullion. SPDR Gold Trust , the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, said its holdings fell 0.2% on Tuesday.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Yeap Jun Rong Organizations: U.S ., NAB Resources, U.S, Treasury, Benchmark, Trust, Palladium Locations: Moscow, Russia

☆ Evergrande stock crashes again as fears of collapse grow
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Shares of Evergrande Group crashed again on Wednesday as fears grew of a potential liquidation of the company, the poster child of China’s property crisis. Evergrande’s woes deepened this week, after it warned that its offshore debt restructuring plan may be in trouble because of a regulatory probe into its main subsidiary in mainland China. That was thanks to a rise in revenue because of a “short boom” in China’s property market earlier this year, the company said then. Evergrande has been trying to implement a government-supervised restructuring of its debts, which stood at $328 billion at the end of June. Evergrande was forced to cancel meetings with creditors scheduled for this week, in part because recent sales have been weaker than it expected.

Persons: Evergrande, ”, Jun Rong Yeap, Frederic Neumann, ” — Marc Stewart Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Evergrande Group, Hong, Hong Kong, IG Group, HSBC, CNN Locations: Hong Kong, China, Evergrande, United States, Asia, Beijing

☆ Gold hits over 1-month low on higher-for-longer U.S. rates theme
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Gold prices dropped to a more than one-month low on Wednesday, beaten down by an assurgent U.S. dollar as markets made adjustments to a rising interest rate scenario. There is a 40% chance that the Federal Reserve will need to raise rates "meaningfully" to beat inflation, Minneapolis Fed Bank President Neel Kashkari said on Tuesday. Higher interest rates raise the opportunity cost of holding bullion, which is priced in dollars and does not yield any interest. SPDR Gold Trust , the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, said its holdings touched a more than four-year low. Spot silver dropped 0.8% to a 12-day low of $22.69 per ounce, while platinum was up 0.1% to $904.87.

Persons: Neel Kashkari, Yeap Jun Rong Organizations: Federal, Minneapolis Fed, Labor Department, Trust, Palladium Locations: U.S

☆ South Korea Hosts Japan, China as US Allies Try to Reassure Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

A senior South Korean government official said China has been proactive in seeking trilateral cooperation and arranging meetings since relations soured between Seoul and Beijing in 2017 over the deployment of a U.S. THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea. Japan and South Korea have an interest in avoiding conflicts and maintaining a stable security relationship with China, and Beijing's assistance in slowing down, if not halting, North Korea's extensive nuclear development program, he added. Tuesday's meeting involve South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Chung Byung-won, Japanese Senior Deputy Foreign Minister Takehiro Funakoshi, and Nong Rong, China's assistant minister of foreign affairs. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a briefing on Monday that China, Japan and South Korea are close neighbours and important cooperative partners, and strengthening trilateral cooperation serves their common interests. The trilateral summits have traditionally involved China's prime minister, but South Korea is also pushing for a separate visit by President Xi Jinping.

Persons: Josh Smith, Hyonhee Shin, Yoon Suk Yeol, Fumio Kishida, Joe Biden, Tong Zhao, Zhao, Chung Byung, Takehiro Funakoshi, Nong Rong, Wang Wenbin, Xi Jinping, Hyonhee, Liz Lee, Gerry Doyle Organizations: South Korean, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace Locations: Hyonhee Shin SEOUL, South Korea, China, Japan, Washington, Seoul, Tokyo, Korea, Beijing, U.S, United States

Those talks were suspended amid legal, diplomatic, and trade disputes between Seoul and Tokyo over issues dating to Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of Korea. A senior South Korean government official said China has been proactive in seeking trilateral cooperation and arranging meetings since relations soured between Seoul and Beijing in 2017 over the deployment of a U.S. THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea. Tuesday's meeting involve South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Chung Byung-won, Japanese Senior Deputy Foreign Minister Takehiro Funakoshi, and Nong Rong, China's assistant minister of foreign affairs. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a briefing on Monday that China, Japan and South Korea are close neighbours and important cooperative partners, and strengthening trilateral cooperation serves their common interests. The trilateral summits have traditionally involved China's prime minister, but South Korea is also pushing for a separate visit by President Xi Jinping.

Persons: Park Jin, Japan Takehiro Funakoshi, Foreign Affairs of China Nong Rong, Jung Byung, Yoon Suk Yeol, Fumio Kishida, Joe Biden, Tong Zhao, Zhao, Chung Byung, Takehiro Funakoshi, Nong Rong, Wang Wenbin, Xi Jinping, Josh Smith, Hyonhee, Liz Lee, Gerry Doyle Organizations: South Korean Foreign, Foreign Affairs, Japan, Foreign Affairs of, Political Affairs, South Korean, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Thomson Locations: Foreign Affairs of China Nong, SEOUL, South Korea, China, Japan, Washington, Seoul, Tokyo, Korea, Beijing, U.S, United States

☆ Gold stalls as Fed caution keeps investors at bay
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Bars of gold are seen at the Krastsvetmet company, one of the world's largest producers of precious metals in Moscow, Russia on January 31, 2023. Gold prices were subdued on Wednesday as investors remained cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy decision, where the U.S. central bank is expected to stay put on interest rates, but prospects loom for further hikes later this year. Spot gold was down 0.1% at $1,929.86 per ounce by 0517 GMT, holding below its highest level since Sept. 5 reached on Tuesday. The Fed's rate-setting policy committee will release a new policy statement and interest rate decision at 1800 GMT, with Fed Chair Jerome Powell scheduled to hold a press conference at 1830 GMT. A more hawkish Fed on the back of stronger-than-expected August U.S. CPI and PPI data released last week should see downside risk to gold prices, NAB Commodities Research said in a note.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Jun Rong, Janet Yellen, Wang Tao Organizations: Treasury, Fed, IG, CPI, PPI, NAB Commodities Research Locations: Moscow, Russia, ., U.S

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly lower in cautious trading Tuesday ahead of the Federal Reserve’s upcoming decision on interest rates. “Market sentiment remained in its usual wait-and-see ahead of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting this week,” said Yeap Jun Rong, market analyst at IG. Political Cartoons View All 1167 ImagesStocks have been see-sawing since early August on uncertainty about whether the Fed will finally end its hikes to interest rates. Attention will mainly focus on forecasts Fed officials will publish about where they expect interest rates, the economy and the job market to head in upcoming years. But just as much attention will be on what Fed officials say about next year, when investors expect the Fed to begin cutting interest rates.

Persons: Australia's, Seng, ”, Yeap Jun Rong, it’s, Doug Ramsey, It’s, Ramsey, Clorox, Ford, That’s, Brent Organizations: TOKYO, Federal, Nikkei, IG, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Traders, CME Group, Fed, Ford, General Motors, United Auto Workers, Exxon Mobil, Marathon Petroleum, New York Mercantile Exchange, U.S Locations: Hong, Shanghai, Japan's

☆ South Korea to hold talks with Japan, China on Sept 26
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SEOUL, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Senior officials of China, Japan and South Korea will hold talks in Seoul on Sept. 26, the South Korean foreign ministry said on Tuesday, working to stage the first summit of their leaders in four years. The meeting will be led by Jung Byung-won, South Korea's deputy foreign minister for political affairs, Japan's Funakoshi Takehiro and China's Nong Rong. Although the countries had agreed to hold an annual summit since 2008, their leaders last met in December 2019. Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Edmund Klamann and Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jung Byung, Japan's Funakoshi Takehiro, Hyonhee Shin, Edmund Klamann, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: South Korean, South, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, China, Japan, South Korea, Seoul

U.S. gold futures gained 0.3% to $1,938.90. The yuan hit two-week highs against the U.S. dollar after data showed China factory output and retail sales in August beat forecasts, making greenback-priced bullion more attractive for Chinese buyers. "The outlook for rates to be kept high for longer has been keeping non-yielding gold prices under pressure," said Yeap Jun Rong, a market strategist at IG. We, therefore, do not view monetary policy as supportive of gold until well into 2024," HSBC said in a note. "Institutional investors have yet to commit to gold, as net long positions on the CME and ETF holdings indicate."

Persons: Yuan, Bullion, Jun Rong, Swati Verma, Sherry Jacob, Phillips Organizations: U.S, Reuters Graphics, IG, HSBC, CME, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Gold rises after China data boosts yuan against dollar
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Bars of gold are seen at the Krastsvetmet company, one of the world's largest producers of precious metals in Moscow, Russia on January 31, 2023. Gold prices gained on Friday as the dollar eased against the yuan after promising China economic data boosted recovery hopes in the world's top bullion consumer, although the possibility of further U.S. interest rate hikes kept investors on edge. Spot gold was up 0.3% at $1,915.09 per ounce by 0320 GMT. The yuan hit two-week highs against the dollar after data showed China factory output and retail sales in August beat forecasts in boost to recovery prospects. "The outlook for rates to be kept high for longer has been keeping non-yielding gold prices under pressure," said Yeap Jun Rong, a market strategist at IG.

Persons: Bullion, Jun Rong Organizations: Federal Reserve, IG, European Central Bank Locations: Moscow, Russia, China, U.S

☆ Gold slides to 1-week low on elevated US dollar, yields
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Gold and silver bars of various sizes lie in a safe on a table at the precious metals dealer Pro Aurum. Gold prices extended losses to hit their lowest level in a week on Wednesday as U.S. Treasury yields and the dollar strengthened on expectations that interest rates are likely to remain high. The U.S. dollar hovered near six-month highs hit on Tuesday, while 10-year bond yields were at over one-week highs as markets weighed cues on interest rates. Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said the latest round of economic data was giving the U.S. central bank space to see if it needs to raise interest rates again. Higher U.S. interest rates and Treasury bond yields raise the opportunity cost of holding gold, which does not earn any interest.

Persons: Christopher Waller, Jun Rong Organizations: Aurum, Treasury, U.S, Federal, CPI, Higher, Trust Locations: .

☆ Country Garden stocks surge after bondholders agree to extend debt payment
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The deal was significant, as it was the first debt extension the firm has secured since its liquidity crisis became public last month. According to the agreement with creditors, which was reported by multiple state-owned media outlets on Saturday, Country Garden will now be able to stretch its payment of the outstanding principal of $540 million into 2026. This particular bond had the largest outstanding balance that the company needed to pay out among its onshore debt in the coming year, they added. Country Garden, which was China’s largest residential developer by sales last year, is battling a cash crunch. It has about 31 billion yuan ($4.3 billion) in bonds set to mature through the end of 2024, according to Moody’s.

Persons: hasn’t, ’, Yeap Jun Rong Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Investors, CNN, China Overseas, Southern Media Group, Huatai Securities, IG Locations: China, Hong Kong

☆ Chinese banks to cut existing mortgage rates as property crisis deepens
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The reduction in existing mortgage rates will come amid several other property, economic and market support measures Beijing has announced over the past few weeks, as concerns mount about the health of the world's second-largest economy. Chinese lenders were widely expected to cut interest rates on existing mortgages after the PBOC earlier this month said that it would guide commercial banks to do so. The central bank's proposal to cut rates, which came after a wave of early repayments of mortgage debt, aims to reduce the interest rate costs for homebuyers and to boost consumption in a slowing economy. Adjusting existing mortgage rates is conducive to easing pressure on banks from mortgage prepayment, Lin Li, vice president of Agricultural Bank of China Ltd (601288.SS), the country's No.3 lender by assets, said earlier on Tuesday. Cutting deposit rates could help banks to maintain a proper level of NIM, one of the sources said.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Zhu Qibing, Lin Li, Fu Wanjun, NIM, Xiangming Hou, Rong Ma, Tang, Ryan Woo, Selena Li, Sumeet Chatterjee, Alex Richardson, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Agricultural Bank of, REUTERS, Bank, BEIJING, People's Bank of China, Reuters, HK, BOC International China, Citigroup, Agricultural Bank of China Ltd, Agricultural Bank, China's, Thomson Locations: Agricultural Bank of China, Beijing, China, Hong Kong

☆ Gold holds ground as markets gauge U.S. rate outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Gold bars and gold coins of different sizes lie in a safe on a table at the precious metal dealer Pro Aurum. Gold prices firmed on Monday despite U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's hawkish stance on interest rates as markets sought direction from economic data this week for confirmation on the rate trajectory. Spot gold was up 0.1% at $1,916.19 per ounce by 0354 GMT, U.S. gold futures gained 0.2% to $1,943.90. "However, much still awaits on a sustained recovery in gold prices for now, given that concerns of re-accelerating inflation on U.S. economic resilience are translating into mounting bets of a November rate hike." A series of economic data this week, with the U.S. non-farm payroll report on Friday will likely to provide a sharper focus on the economy's strength.

Persons: Jerome Powell's, Powell, Jun Rong, Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank Loretta Mester Organizations: Aurum, U.S, Federal, IG, Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank, U.S . Locations: Jackson Hole , Wyoming

☆ Oil set for 2nd weekly fall on firm dollar as supply worries ebb
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Muyu Xu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Brent crude rose 30 cents, or 0.4%, to $83.66 a barrel by 0434 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up 31 cents, also 0.4%, at $79.36 a barrel. Crude prices are set to fall between 1.5%-2.5% for the week, a second consecutive week of decline. A strong dollar makes oil more expensive for holders of other currencies, denting demand. Further weighing on market sentiment, U.S. officials are drafting a proposal that would ease sanctions on Venezuela's oil sector, allowing more companies and countries to import its crude oil. Analysts estimated that the top oil exporter will likely roll over a voluntary oil cut of 1 million barrels per day for a third consecutive month into October, amid uncertainty about supplies and as the kingdom targets drawing down global inventories further.

Persons: Chen Aizhu, Jerome Powell, Brent, Jun Rong, Powell's, Laura Sanicola, Muyu Xu, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: China National Petroleum Corporation, Dalian Petrochemical Corp, REUTERS, Companies United, Federal, U.S, West Texas, IG, Haitong Futures, Analysts, Thomson Locations: China, Dalian, Liaoning province, Companies United States, America, Turkey, Kurdistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia

REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Oil prices ticked up in Asian trade on Wednesday, as markets weighed weak demand indicators from top importer China and the prospect of further U.S. rate hikes against potential supply tightness. "Concerns over higher interest rates and sluggish demand in China are expected to outweigh tightening supply from OPEC+ in the short term." China, the world's second-largest economy, is considered crucial to shoring up oil demand over the rest of the year. That was a slightly smaller draw than a drop of 2.9 million barrels analysts expected in a Reuters poll. "Following the massive draw of 6.2 million barrels a week earlier, overall supplies conditions still lean on the tighter end," said Jun Rong Yeap, a market strategist at IG in Singapore.

Persons: Lucy Nicholson, Brent, Jackson, Hiroyuki Kikukawa, Rong Yeap, Yuka Obayashi, Andrew Hayley, Sonali Paul, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, China, West Texas, Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Bank of Japan, U.S . Federal, NS, Nissan Securities, Organization of, Petroleum, American Petroleum Institute, IG, Energy Information Administration, Thomson Locations: Bakersfield , California, Rights BEIJING, Jackson Hole , Wyoming, China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, OPEC, United States, Singapore, U.S, Tokyo, Beijing

☆ Gold wavers near recent lows as traders bet on more U.S. rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A worker handles an Argor-Heraeus SA one kilogram gold bar at Solar Capital Gold Zrt. Spot gold held its ground at $1,903.70 per ounce by 0317 GMT, while U.S. gold futures were flat at $1,935.40. We have the U.S. retail sales data yesterday pushing back against recession concerns and potentially keeping safe-haven flows at bay," Jun Rong added. U.S. retail sales increased more than expected in July, underscoring economy's resilience despite Fed's aggressive interest rate hikes to tame inflation. Later in the day, investors will scan minutes from Fed's July policy meeting to gauge its upcoming rate strategy.

Persons: Jun Rong, Neel Kashkari Organizations: Heraeus SA, Solar, Treasury, Federal Reserve, U.S ., IG, Minneapolis Locations: Budapest, Hungary, U.S

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