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☆ Gold slips below $2,000 level as dollar halts slide
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Brijesh Patel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Spot gold was down 0.1% at $1,996.33 per ounce, as of 0335 GMT. However, "the move lower in the U.S. dollar looks overextended ... And with an effective 4-day weekend looming in the U.S., gold currently lacks the legs to commit fully above $2,000." A weaker dollar makes gold less expensive for other currency holders. Data on Tuesday showed U.S. existing home sales dropped to the lowest level in more than 13 years in October. Swiss gold exports in October rose to their highest level since May as deliveries to India surged to meet demand during the country's festive season, customs data showed.

Persons: Alexander Manzyuk, Matt Simpson, CME's, Brijesh Patel, Sherry Jacob, Phillips Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Federal Reserve, Index, U.S, Thomson Locations: Novosibirsk, Siberian, Russia, U.S, Swiss, India, Bengaluru

☆ Dollar hovers near 2-1/2-month lows, easing pressure on yen
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Japanese yen and U.S. dollar on display in Yichang, Hubei province, Nov 13, 2023. The dollar index held around 2-1/2-month lows after minutes of the Federal Reserve's last meeting did little to dislodge market expectations that its monetary tightening cycle was over. Treasury yields slipped again overnight to hover around 4.40%, easing further pressure on the yen. The Japanese yen advanced around 0.1% versus the greenback to 148.28, clinging to recent gains after ticking up slightly from as low as 147.155 overnight. While speculation that the Bank of Japan could exit from negative interest rates early next year should help stabilize the yen, the Japanese currency still faces strong headwinds.

Persons: Matt Simpson, CME's, Sterling, Simpson, Tony Sycamore Organizations: U.S, Index, Treasury, Bank of Japan, IG Locations: Yichang, Hubei province, U.S

Money market traders are betting September's hike was the last, with almost 90 basis points of rate cuts priced by the end of 2024. European shares underperforming their U.S. counterparts was a common expectation amongst the survey's European respondents as the robust American economy looks more likely to achieve a 'soft landing' than Europe. European shares are much cheaper than those in the U.S., possibly reflecting the worse economic outlook. The STOXX Europe 600 trades at over 12 times 12-month forward earnings, a 35.6% discount to the S&P 500 (.SPX). "Still, as the broader economic slowdown takes hold of the continent's markets, we expect to see a rather challenging second half of 2024."

Persons: Chris Beauchamp, Thomas Monteiro, Germany's DAX, Fiona Cincotta, Cincotta, Investing.com's Monteiro, Monteiro, Samuel Indyk, Danilo Masoni, Pranoy Krishna, Rahul Trivedi, Sarupya Ganguly, Jason Neely Organizations: IG, European Central Bank, ECB, Investing.com, FTSE, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: Europe, Germany, riskier, U.S, Bengaluru

Spot gold dipped 1.1% to $1,936.09 per ounce by 2:38 p.m. ET (1938 GMT) and was down 2.8% in its worst week in six. Benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield and the dollar index (.DXY) headed for weekly gains, making non-yielding gold less attractive for investors. Platinum shed 2% to $842.34, on track for its worst week since mid-2021. Reporting by Ashitha Shivaprasad and Anushree Mukherjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid and Shilpi MajumdarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Powell, Fawad, Bullion, Jim Wyckoff, Ashitha Shivaprasad, Anushree Mukherjee, Tasim Zahid, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: Federal, Index, Reuters Graphics U.S, Federal Reserve, Treasury, Kitco Metals, Thomson Locations: East, India, Bengaluru

☆ Dollar rises for third day before Fed Chair Powell speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Samuel Indyk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"The data side has been very quiet so the main drivers have been the hawkish comments from Fed speakers," said ING FX strategist Francesco Pesole. Focus now turns to remarks from Fed Chair Powell later on Wednesday. DARKENING GROWTH OUTLOOKThe euro fell 0.3% to $1.0670, further weighed by a darkening growth outlook in the euro zone. "The mixed outlook for consumer and investment spending leaves the euro zone very close to recession," said Wells Fargo economist Nick Bennenbroek. "Regardless of whether the euro zone falls into recession, we see enough growth headwinds to suggest that the European Central Bank's monetary tightening is done."

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Jerome Powell, Francesco Pesole, They've, Powell, Matt Simpson, Wells, Nick Bennenbroek, ING's Pesole, Luci Ellis, Samuel Indyk, Rae Wee, Lincoln, Christina Fincher, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Reserve, U.S, ING, Central, Reserve Bank of Australia, Thomson

☆ Dollar licks its wounds ahead of Fed Chair Powell's remarks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The British pound , which earlier in the week hit a seven-week top against the dollar, was last some distance away at $1.2286. Focus now turns to a speech by Fed Chair Powell later on Wednesday. The euro fell 0.07% to $1.0691, further weighed by a darkening growth outlook in the euro zone. "The mixed outlook for consumer and investment spending leaves the euro zone very close to recession," said Wells Fargo economist Nick Bennenbroek. "Regardless of whether the euro zone falls into recession, we see enough growth headwinds to suggest that the European Central Bank's monetary tightening is done."

Persons: Jerome Powell, Matt Simpson, We're, Powell, Simpson, Wells, Nick Bennenbroek, Luci Ellis Organizations: Federal Reserve, U.S, U.S ., Central, Australian, Reserve Bank of Australia, New Zealand

Pump jacks operate in front of a drilling rig in an oil field in Midland, Texas U.S. August 22, 2018. Brent crude futures closed below $84 a barrel for the first time since Hamas Islamists' Oct. 7 attack on Israel. A recovery in oil exports from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries also added to the pressure on oil prices, UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said. On the demand side, China's crude oil imports in October showed robust growth but its total exports of goods and services contracted at a quicker pace than expected. "There are concerns in the oil markets about both rising supply and sliding demand," said Mizuho analyst Robert Yawger.

Persons: Nick Oxford, Powell, Craig Erlam, Giovanni Staunovo, Staunovo, Brent, Fiona Cincotta, Neel Kashkari, Jerome Powell, Robert Yawger, It's, Shariq Khan, Trixie Yap, Yuka Obayashi, David Gregorio, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Midland , Texas U.S, REUTERS, bbl, BENGALURU, Brent, U.S, West Texas, Traders, Organization of Petroleum, UBS, U.S . Energy Information Administration, ., Minneapolis Federal, Investors, Thomson Locations: Midland , Texas, Israel, U.S, Bengaluru, Singapore, Tokyo

☆ Dollar bounces after sharp selloff, weak data hurts euro
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Karen Brettell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. one dollar banknotes are seen in front of displayed stock graph in this illustration taken, February 8, 2021. "If you look at the percentage of currencies that have been down versus the dollar over the last 26 weeks, it was approaching 100%, and data also showed very long dollar positioning ... Traders are now pricing in only a slim chance of a further interest rate increase by the Fed and see three 25-basis-point rate cuts by next November. The euro fell 0.20% to $1.0695 after data showed a larger-than-expected fall in German industrial production in September. The yen softened to 151.74 per dollar last week, edging closer to October 2022 lows that spurred several rounds of dollar-selling intervention.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Marc Chandler, Jerome Powell, Chester Ntonifor, Chandler, Powell, Christopher Waller, Michelle Bowman, Neel Kashkari, Austan Goolsbee, Fiona Cincotta, Karen Brettell, Alun John, Ankur Banerjee, Paul Simao, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, U.S ., Australian, greenback, Fed, Bannockburn Global, BCA Research, Traders, . Minneapolis, Chicago Fed, PMI, Index, Reserve Bank of Australia, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, U.S, Bannockburn, New York, London, Singapore

☆ Dollar bounces after sharp selloff, euro dented by weak data
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Karen Brettell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. one dollar banknotes are seen in front of displayed stock graph in this illustration taken, February 8, 2021. The dollar index which tracks the U.S. unit against six main peers, was up 0.37% at 105.64. If that continues, he added, attention will turn to how long to keep interest rates at current levels. The euro fell 0.37% to $1.0677 after data showed a larger-than-expected fall in German industrial production in September. The yen softened to 151.74 per dollar last week, edging closer to October 2022 lows that spurred several rounds of dollar-selling intervention.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Jerome Powell, Marc Chandler, Chester Ntonifor, Chandler, Powell, Neel Kashkari, Austan Goolsbee, Fiona Cincotta, Carol Kong, Karen Brettell, Alun John, Ankur Banerjee, Paul Simao Organizations: REUTERS, U.S ., Australian, Fed, Bannockburn Global, BCA Research, Traders, Minneapolis, . Chicago Fed, PMI, Index, Reserve Bank of Australia, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Thomson Locations: U.S, Bannockburn, New York, Tokyo, London, Singapore

Tuesday data showing a larger-than-expected fall in German industrial production in September contributed to the euro's weakness, said Fiona Cincotta, senior financial market analyst at City Index. The euro, like most other currencies, gained sharply on the dollar last week as a series of data points - most notably U.S. data from Friday showing job growth slowed in October - sent the U.S. unit lower. The dollar fell 1.4% last week, its steepest decline since mid-July, a sharp reversal after a recent run higher. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari said on Monday the U.S. central bank likely has more work ahead to control inflation. The yen softened to 151.74 per dollar last week, edging closer to October 2022 lows that spurred several rounds of dollar-selling intervention.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Fiona Cincotta, Chester Ntonifor, Neel Kashkari, Jerome Powell, Carol Kong, Kong, Ankur Banerjee, Alun John, Sam Holmes, Miral Fahmy, Edmund Klamann, Kim Coghill, Emelia Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, PMI, Federal, Treasury, BCA Research, Fed, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, U.S, Bank, Australian, Commonwealth Bank of, Aussie, Thomson Locations: Rights SINGAPORE, LONDON, U.S, Australia, Tokyo, Singapore, London

☆ Gold set for first weekly drop in four, U.S. jobs data in focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Gold was headed for its first weekly loss in nearly a month on Friday as the safe-haven rally cooled, while traders largely kept to the sidelines ahead of the U.S. non-farm payrolls data due later in the day. "Gold prices have slipped back due to a reduction in the geopolitical risk premium as the markets get used to the idea of a long slog between Israel and Hamas," said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets. "Money is coming out of gold and the U.S. dollar and moving back into risky assets." Investors focus now shifts to U.S. non-farm payrolls data, due at 1230 GMT, which is expected to show that employers added 180,000 jobs last month. The jobs report needs to deliver some surprisingly weak figures to weigh further on Treasury yields and push gold prices above the $2,000-per-ounce mark, City Index senior analyst Matt Simpson said.

Persons: Gold, Michael Hewson, Stocks, Matt Simpson Organizations: U.S ., Hamas, CMC Markets, Federal Reserve, Index Locations: Moscow, Russia, Israel

☆ Oil heads for weekly loss as geopolitical risk premium wanes
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Ahmad Ghaddar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Both benchmarks gained more than $2 a barrel on Thursday, but were on track to lose about 4% on the week. The report could bolster the view that the U.S. Federal Reserve need not raise interest rates further. The Fed held interest rates steady on Wednesday, while the Bank of England held rates at a 15-year peak. The stable policies kept oil prices supported as some risk appetite returned to markets. "The oil market will be watching for an escalation of tensions, particularly on the Lebanese border, as Hezbollah attacks increase," City Index Fiona Cincotta said.

Persons: Jussi Rosendahl, Brent, Fiona Cincotta, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Israel, Jeslyn Lerh, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, West Texas, National Bureau, Statistics, U.S . Labor Department, U.S . Federal, Fed, Bank of, Palestinian, Thomson Locations: Porvoo, Finland, China, Bank of England, Gaza, Lebanese, Saudi Arabia, Singapore

☆ Instant View: BOJ modifies bond yield control, re-defines long-term rate cap
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

But it's also likely the BOJ have their finger on the intervention button to cap any runaway rally on USD/JPY." Nevertheless, this is working in a way to increase the volatility of the global rates market. This means it will still have a certain distance until the BOJ exit from the negative rate policy." "A yield cap isn't a yield cap if you change it every time the market gets close." The Bank of Japan could lift the negative policy rate to zero over the coming year.

Persons: Kim Kyung, KYLE RODDA, MATT SIMPSON, JPY, it's, NOMURA, They've, TONY SYCAMORE, normalisation, TAKAYUKI MIYAJIMA, ROB CARNELL, they're, JEFF NG, TOM NASH, OMORI, SHOTARO KUGO, me, IZURU KATO, MARCEL THIELIANT, today's, FREDERIC NEUMANN, CHRISTOPHER WONG, BOJ's, Sherry Jacob, Phillips Organizations: National Printing Bureau, Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Bank of, Nikkei, SAXO, SONY, ING, UBS, CHIEF, DAIWA, OF, HSBC, Global, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Bank of Japan, MELBOURNE, BRISBANE, SINGAPORE, TOKYO, U.S, SYDNEY, ASIA, PACIFIC, CHIEF JAPAN, stagflation, OF ASIA, YCC, HONG KONG

☆ Gold holds above $2,000 mark on safe-haven demand; Fed meet in focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | 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 held steady near the key $2,000 level on Monday, buoyed by safe-haven demand from an escalating Middle East conflict, as investors awaited the outcome from the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy meeting this week. While the Fed is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged, the focus will be on Chair Jerome Powell's commentary. "That should keep a floor under gold prices, which look quite comfortable above $2,000 at the start of the week." Although gold is seen as a hedge against inflation, higher interest rates dull non-yielding bullion's appeal.

Persons: Khan Younis, Jerome Powell's, Matt Simpson Organizations: Aurum, U.S, Palestinian, Index, Commerce Department, Reuters Locations: U.S . Federal, Gaza, Al, Quds, Khan, Israel, U.S

☆ Gold firms as U.S. bond yields slip, Middle East stays in focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Gold bars and gold coins in different sizes are lying in a safe on a table at the precious metal dealer Pro Aurum. "Gold had a great run, having rallied over 10% in ten days towards that key resistance level at $2,000. But with the Middle East conflict looking like it might not escalate immediately, gold may struggle to break $2,000. The dollar index eased while benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury yields inched lower as investors bought into a recent sell-off. Spot silver was steady at $22.91 per ounce, platinum steadied at $884.63 and palladium advanced 0.5% to $1,124.80.

Persons: we've, Matt Simpson, Jerome Organizations: Aurum, Treasury, Russia, Hamas, City Index's, U.S Locations: Israel, U.S, Gaza, Palestinian

☆ Dollar bounces, euro heavy on US/euro zone growth outlook divergence
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] U.S. Dollar and Euro banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. Against the dollar, the euro was last 0.05% higher at $1.0595, having declined 0.75% on Tuesday. The euro is the most heavily weighted currency in the dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of six peers. "By contrast, the U.S. Federal Reserve could continue to raise interest rates just because the economic data looks strong." Pressure is mounting on the Bank of Japan to change its bond yield control as global interest rates rise.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Tina Teng, Matt Simpson, Bitcoin, John Glover, Rae Wee, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Wednesday, European Central Bank, CMC Markets, U.S . Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan, New Zealand, Reserve Bank of Australia's, Thomson Locations: Rights SINGAPORE, Australia, Wednesday .

☆ Dollar bounces, euro heavy on U.S./euro zone growth outlook divergence
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The dollar was on the front foot on Wednesday, drawing support from yet another resilient U.S. economic data reading, while the euro struggled to make headway on the back of a darkening growth outlook in the bloc. Against the dollar, the euro was last 0.05% higher at $1.0595, having declined 0.75% on Tuesday. The euro is the most heavily weighted currency in the dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of six peers. "By contrast, the U.S. Federal Reserve could continue to raise interest rates just because the economic data looks strong." Pressure is mounting on the Bank of Japan to change its bond yield control as global interest rates rise.

Persons: Tina Teng, Matt Simpson, Bitcoin, John Glover Organizations: Wednesday, European Central Bank, CMC Markets, U.S . Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan, New Zealand, Reserve Bank of Australia's Locations: Bogota, Australia, Wednesday .

☆ Dollar dips ahead of key U.S. data, bitcoin soars
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The dollar softened against a basket of currencies on Tuesday, mirroring a dip in Treasuries yields as investors awaited key U.S. economic data before the Federal Reserve's monetary policy meeting next week. The dollar index last sat around 105.57, having lost over 0.5% in the previous session as U.S. Treasury yields tumbled. Bitcoin returned the market spotlight with the virtual currency soaring on speculation that the United States could soon approve a bitcoin exchange-traded fund. The PMI data could set the market expectations ahead of the GDP report, said Matt Simpson, senior market analyst at City Index. Traders see the 150 threshold as a possible line-in-the-sand for Japanese authorities to intervene in the currency market.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Bitcoin, Matt Simpson, Kyle Rodda, bitcoin Organizations: Federal, Treasury, PMI, Fed, European Central Bank, Traders, Capital.com Locations: United States

☆ Dollar dips ahead of key US data, bitcoin soars
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Brigid Riley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Oct 24 (Reuters) - The dollar softened against a basket of currencies on Tuesday, mirroring a dip in Treasuries yields as investors awaited key U.S. economic data before the Federal Reserve's monetary policy meeting next week. The dollar index last sat around 105.57, having lost over 0.5% in the previous session as U.S. Treasury yields tumbled. Bitcoin returned the market spotlight with the virtual currency soaring on speculation that the United States could soon approve a bitcoin exchange-traded fund. The PMI data could set the market expectations ahead of the GDP report, said Matt Simpson, senior market analyst at City Index. Traders see the 150 threshold as a possible line-in-the-sand for Japanese authorities to intervene in the currency market.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Jerome Powell, Bitcoin, Matt Simpson, Kyle Rodda, bitcoin, Brigid Riley, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Federal, Treasury, PMI, Fed, European Central Bank, Traders, Capital.com, Thomson Locations: United States

☆ London stock exchange sees first trading halt in 4 years; blue chips spared
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The London Stock Exchange Group offices are seen in the City of London, Britain, December 29, 2017. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The London Stock Exchange (LSE) (LSEG.L) was forced to halt trading in smaller stocks on Thursday after an incident disrupted activity, although blue chip shares suffered no interruptions. London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) said FTSE 100 (.FTSE), FTSE 250 (.FTMC) and International Order Book securities - those shares listed in London by overseas companies - were operating normally. The FTSE 100 closed down 1.2% on the day. In 2019, the London Stock Exchange suffered an almost two-hour outage that hit FTSE 100 and midcap stocks, which LSEG said was caused by a “technical software issue”.

Persons: Toby Melville, LSEG, Fiona Cincotta, Thomson, Akanksha, Huw Jones, Harry Robertson, Alun John, Joice Alves, Amanda Cooper, Danilo Masoni, Kirsten Donovan, Susan Fenton Organizations: London Stock Exchange Group, City of, REUTERS, London Stock Exchange, LSE, FTSE, Traders, Reuters, City, Thomson Reuters, Thomson Locations: City, City of London, Britain, London, LSEG, Bengaluru, Milan

ON TRACK FOR GOVT GDP TARGETThe recovery momentum suggests the government's full year 2023 growth target of around 5.0% is likely to be achieved. The key issue is what growth target the government will set and how much fiscal easing will take place." The statistics bureau said China would be able to hit the 2023 growth target if the fourth quarter growth tops 4.4%. Moody's Analytics has also raised its 2023 growth projection to 5% from 4.9%. The faltering property sector has hit some of the biggest developers in the country.

Persons: Matt Simpson, Zhiwei Zhang, Tingshu Wang, Frederic Neumann, Louise Loo, Ellen Zhang, Joe Cash, Kevin Yao, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Gross, National Bureau, Statistics, Reuters, Index, New, REUTERS, Nomura, JPMorgan, Analysts, Country Garden Holdings, HK, Global Research, HSBC, Oxford Economics, Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Brisbane, U.S, Beijing, China, New Zealand, Asia

☆ China's Q3 GDP growth, Sept activity show economic recovery gaining momentum
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

On a quarter-by-quarter basis, GDP grew 1.3% in the third quarter, accelerating from a revised 0.5% in the second quarter and above the forecast for growth of 1.0%. "It seems that all of that stimulus is finally beginning to take effect, with a broad beat from growth, retail sales, industrial production and unemployment," said Matt Simpson, senior market analyst at City Index in Brisbane. The economy faltered in the second quarter after a brief post-COVID recovery, dragged by a property downturn and huge debt due to a decades-long infrastructure binge. The recovery momentum suggests the government's full year 2023 growth target of around 5.0% is likely to be achieved. Growth of retail sales, a gauge of consumption, also beat expectations, rising 5.5% last month, and accelerating from a 4.6% increase in August.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Matt Simpson, Zhiwei Zhang, Ellen Zhang, Joe Cash, Kevin Yao, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: REUTERS, Gross, National Bureau, Statistics, Index, Analysts, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, BEIJING, Brisbane

SummaryCompanies Safe-haven buying pushes up goldFocus on Fed Chair Jerome Powell's speech on ThursdayOct 18 (Reuters) - Gold rose to a more than two-month peak on Wednesday as the escalating conflict in the Middle East sent investors flocking towards the safe-haven metal. Spot gold increased 1% to $1,950.67 per ounce by 2:48 p.m. "Gold could breach $2,000 in the near-term if there is an escalation of geopolitical conflict. "Gold will pull back if the Middle East situation simmers down, but right now the market place is expecting a further escalation," said Jim Wyckoff, senior analyst at Kitco Metals. Spot silver rose 0.2% to $22.87, platinum fell 1.4% to $884.89 and palladium fell 1% to $1,132.61.

Persons: Jerome Powell's, Ryan McIntyre, Jim Wyckoff, Fawad, Ole Hansen, Ashitha, Daksh Grover, Sharon Singleton, Shilpi Majumdar, Shailesh Organizations: East, Sprott Asset Management, Graphics, Kitco Metals, City, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Federal, Saxo Bank, Thomson Locations: Gaza City, Bengaluru

Oil prices rose last week as investors priced in the chance of escalation in the world's top oil-producing region, while U.S. Treasuries and gold prices rose as traders bought safe-haven assets. Traders are waiting to see if the conflict draws in other countries, which would drive up oil prices further and deal a fresh blow to the global economy. Oil prices eased but were still above $90 a barrel after surging last week. Before Hamas' attack, market sentiment had been driven by the global economy and the idea that the U.S. Federal Reserve was planning to keep rates higher for longer. European government bond yields rose after European Central Bank officials reiterated concerns about inflation.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Fiona Cincotta, Antony Blinken, Cincotta, Israel's shekel, Kyle Rodda, Rodda, Elizabeth Howcroft, Kevin Buckland, David Evans, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, Staff, Israel's, U.S, Traders, Nasdaq, U.S . Federal Reserve, Treasury, European Central Bank, Capital.com, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Israel, Gaza, Iran, East, Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, London, Tokyo

☆ Gold skids, but holds above $1,900 as Israel-Hamas war rages
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | 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 fell 0.7% to $1,919.21 per ounce by 0423 GMT and U.S. gold futures dropped 0.5% to $1,932.70. Given the surge in prices, gold will likely remain in focus for traders seeking to buy dips, which makes $1,920 and $1,900 of area of interest. But if tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate, shorting gold may not end too well for bears over the near-term. Data on Friday showed that COMEX gold speculators increased net short position by 11,784 contracts to 14,788 in week ended Oct. 10.

Persons: Hungary Gold, Matt Simpson, Wang Tao, Joe Biden, Jerome Powell's Organizations: Heraeus SA, Solar, Hamas, Investors, Federal Locations: Budapest, Hungary, Israel

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