The price of gold has approached $2,450 Gold prices rose in Asian trading on Monday, playing back some of the decline seen during most of July. The price increase is due to expectations of a reduction in interest rates from the Federal Reserve System at the upcoming meeting. US inflation data released on Friday showed a slight slowdown, which strengthens the Fed's confidence in the possibility of lowering rates. The weakness of the dollar caused by these data also contributed to the rise in gold prices, making it more attractive to investors using other currencies. Spot gold rose 0.4% to $2.395.31 per ounce, while futures for gold with a December maturity rose 0.5% to $2.449.2 per ounce. Traders are almost completely confident of a 25 basis point rate cut in September, which favours gold, as it reduces the opportunity costs of investing in it. Other precious metals rose along with gold: platinum futures rose 0.8% to $953.35 per ounce, and silver futures rose 0.8% to $28,242 per ounce. Copper also showed gains on Monday after heavy losses over the past month. The growth was triggered by expectations of new signals from China, the main importer of copper. More news on our website: https://bit.ly/4a81506
Brent fell to $78.40 per barrel On Tuesday morning, oil prices continued to decline moderately after a sharp drop the day before. The current price of Brent oil is $78.36 per barrel, North American WTI oil is trading near $75.08. In yesterday's session, both brands ended in the red for the third week in a row. Analysts note that oil prices have declined due to concerns about demand in China, the world's largest oil importer. Markets were shaken by a series of negative economic news from China: manufacturing activity in the country probably declined for the third month in a row in July. The market's attention is also focused on the upcoming meeting of the Chinese Politburo, where decisions can be made on further support for economic policy. However, expectations from this event are low, as the Third Plenum, a key political meeting in mid-July, mostly confirmed current economic goals and failed to improve market sentiment. In addition, oil fell by 2% after Israel announced that its response to Hezbollah's missile strike on the occupied Golan Heights would be thought out in such a way as to avoid dragging the Middle East into a full-scale conflict. It also became known that weekly oil supplies from Russia fell to the lowest level since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Tomorrow, you should pay attention to the publication of the report of the US Department of Energy. It is expected that it will show a reduction in oil reserves in the country by 3.9 million barrels. And if the reduction is greater than expected, it may support oil prices. On Monday, the US Department of Energy announced the purchase of 4.56 million barrels of oil for the strategic reserve. More news on our website: https://bit.ly/4a81506
World demand for gold decreased by 6% In the second quarter of 2024, global demand for gold (excluding OTC transactions) decreased by 6% compared to the same period last year, reaching 929 tons, according to the World Gold Council (WGC). The drop in demand for jewelry was the main reason for the decline: demand fell by 19% to 391 tons, and demand from the jewelry industry decreased by 17% to 411 tons. However, the decline in the jewelry market was partially offset by an increase in demand in other sectors. In particular, the technology sector showed an impressive 11% increase in gold consumption, to 81 tons, due to the use of gold in electronics, especially in chips for the rapidly developing field of artificial intelligence. Central banks, seeking to protect and diversify their reserves, increased gold purchases by 6%, to 183 tons. The supply of gold on the market increased by 4%, to 1,258 tons. Production turned out to be a record for the second quarter — 929 tons. The oversupply of 329 tons was absorbed by the OTC market, which played a significant role in maintaining gold prices. Together with the demand from central banks, the OTC market has become a key driver of gold price growth. More news on our website: https://bit.ly/4a81506
Oil prices are rising on concerns about the conflict between Israel and Hamas Oil prices rose during Asian trading on Thursday, continuing the sharp rise of the previous session. The escalation of tensions in the Middle East following the assassination of the Hamas leader in Iran has increased fears of a possible large-scale war in the region. The oil market is reacting to an increase in risk premiums related to fears of revenge by Hamas for the assassination of the organization's leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday. Although Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack, many believe Jerusalem is behind the attack. The rising tensions have raised fears that a full-scale war in the Middle East could disrupt oil supplies from the region, which in turn could affect global markets. Traders' attention is also focused on today's OPEC+ meeting, where information about oil production plans may be disclosed. According to media reports, no changes in the cartel's production volumes are expected, despite the recent decline in oil prices to almost two-month lows. Nevertheless, leading producers such as Saudi Arabia and Russia are likely to remain cautious about further production cuts. The current price of Brent oil is $81.60 per barrel. North American WTI oil is trading near $78.60. Oil quotes also received support after the publication of data on a significant decrease in oil reserves in the United States for the fifth week in a row, due to high demand for fuel during the summer period of active travel. More news on our website: https://bit.ly/4a81506
Bitcoin and Ether collapsed amid global economic concerns On Monday, there was a sharp drop in the value of bitcoin amid a large-scale sale of high-risk assets. According to CoinDesk, by noon Moscow time, the Bitcoin exchange rate had decreased by 10.8%, reaching $52,827. Over the past week, the cryptocurrency has lost more than a fifth of its value, although it has still shown an increase of almost 26% since the beginning of the year. Ethereum is also experiencing a significant drop, dropping 15.3% to $2,330, which is the biggest decline since 2021. The Japanese stock market posted a record 12.4% drop, the highest since 1987. Futures for the US Nasdaq Composite index are also down 4.2%. The reason for the massive sell-off of risky assets was growing concerns about a possible recession in the United States after the publication of disappointing economic data last week. Goldman Sachs analysts have increased the probability of an economic downturn in the United States in the coming year from 15% to 25%. Markets also expect that the Federal Reserve may hold an unscheduled meeting this week and cut the key rate by 0.25 percentage points with a 60% probability. More news on our website: https://bit.ly/4a81506
Gold is moving away from highs amid the growth of the stock market The price of gold fell from near record levels during Asian trading on Tuesday. The recovery of stock markets led to a decrease in demand for reliable assets, although instability in the markets still supported relatively high prices for the precious metal. Yesterday, gold soared to a historic high due to the collapse of stock markets caused by fears of a recession in the United States and expectations of lower interest rates. December gold futures fell 0.3% to $2402.57 per ounce. At the beginning of the week, the spot price reached $2,460 per ounce. On Tuesday, gold weakened slightly amid the strengthening of the dollar and the growth of the stock market. Nevertheless, gold has maintained much of its recent growth as the prospect of lower interest rates continues to support interest in it. The rise in gold prices has led to an increase in prices for other precious metals, but in recent sessions they have suffered significant losses, since their attractiveness as a "safe" asset is inferior to gold. Silver futures fell 0.7% to $27.020 per ounce, and platinum futures fell to $918.85 per ounce. Copper prices fell 0.6% to $8,806.50 per tonne, and one-month futures fell almost 1% to $3,9660 per pound. More news on our website: https://bit.ly/4a81506
Brent rose above $77 per barrel Oil prices continued to rise on Wednesday, following a slight increase in the previous session. On the London ICE Futures exchange, October futures for Brent crude oil rose in price to the level of $77.25 per barrel. September WTI crude futures rose to $73.71 per barrel. Traders continue to monitor the situation in the Middle East, anticipating a possible Iranian attack on Israel after the recent assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. «If the situation in the Middle East worsens and this affects oil supplies from the region, prices will quickly go up,» said Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch. Traders are also concerned about the prospects for oil demand due to signals of slowing economic growth in China and the United States. Statistics released on Wednesday showed a slowdown in Chinese growth in July amid a larger-than-expected increase in imports. Also today, the U.S. Department of Energy will present a weekly report on energy reserves. According to the American Petroleum Institute, published yesterday, oil reserves in the United States increased by 180 thousand barrels. More news on our website: https://bit.ly/4a81506
European stocks are losing ground amid uncertainty European stocks resumed their decline after two days of gains, under pressure from mixed earnings reports and uncertainty about the economic development of the United States. The iShares STOXX Europe 600 index fell 0.9%, rolling back from last Wednesday, which was the best day for the index since November. Real estate and technology stocks were under the most pressure, while telecommunications stocks rose slightly. Siemens AG lost ground after forecasting revenue and profit growth below expectations, Zurich Insurance Group AG declined due to increased losses in the property insurance division. Among the leaders of the day were Enter PLC, which raised its forecast for the full year, and Allianz SE, which posted higher profit figures. The beginning of August was unstable for European stocks due to concerns about the recession in the United States. Despite this, the overall picture of profit reporting looks relatively optimistic: earnings per share growth for the MSCI Europe index is 2.4%, higher than the forecast of 0.4%. Despite the fact that experts do not expect sharp drops in the market, they advise investors to be careful due to geopolitical instability. Technical analysis indicates the possibility of short-term growth in European stocks, but trading will remain volatile until economic data signals a "soft landing" of the US economy. More news on our website: https://bit.ly/4a81506
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The American labour market: optimism and anxiety The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, suggesting that concerns about a worsening labour market situation were exaggerated. According to the Ministry of Labour, the number of initial applications for benefits decreased by 17 thousand to 233 thousand, which was the largest drop in the last 11 months. Experts had expected a more modest decline. Despite the positive dynamics, the indicator remains above the average level of the current year. The average number of applications over the past four weeks has increased to 240.75 thousand, reaching an almost one-year high. The increase in the number of applications, which began in June, is partly due to temporary shutdowns of automobile plants and the effects of Hurricane Beryl in Texas. Overall, the number of layoffs remains low, confirming data on a record low level of layoffs in June. However, the pace of growth in the labour market is slowing due to less aggressive hiring caused by the Fed's interest rate hike. More news on our website: https://bit.ly/4a81506
