Latest news with #USinvolvement
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Gold prices slip as Trump sets two-week deadline over Iran-Israel conflict involvement
Gold prices slumped in early European trading on Friday morning, after US president Donald Trump set a two-week deadline to decide on whether the US would get directly involved in the Iran-Israel conflict. In a briefing on Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt read a message from Trump: "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks." This provided some relief to investors who were concerned about the potential for more immediate US involvement in the conflict. Foreign ministers from UK, France and Germany are due to hold talks with Iranian officials in Geneva later on Friday to discuss Iran's nuclear programme. Read more: FTSE 100 LIVE: Markets upbeat as UK and EU begin talks on Iran and Trump sets two week deadline European stocks opened higher on Friday morning, on the back of Trump's two-week pause. Meanwhile, gold prices fell, signalling that investors had become less risk averse, as the precious metal is considered to act as a safe haven asset amid political and economic uncertainty. Gold futures (GC=F) were down 1.3% at $3,363.10 an ounce at the time of writing, while the spot gold price fell 0.7% to $3,348.84 per ounce. Neil Wilson, UK investor strategist at Saxo Markets, said: "Some temporary relief but not enough for anyone to hang their hats on properly as the situation remains way too unpredictable. "Base case has started to shift in the direction of direct US involvement, which opens up a pandora's box of mess, but markets seem to be clinging to expectation that it all remains contained like it has in the past. The meeting today is material and could shift the needle — stay sharp." Oil prices rose on Friday morning, trading at six-month highs, as investors assessed the latest developments around the Iran-Israel conflict. Brent crude futures (BZ=F) advanced 0.4% to $77 a barrel, at the time of writing, while West Texas Intermediate futures (CL=F) climbed 0.7% to trade at $75.66 a barrel. Stocks: Create your watchlist and portfolio Oil prices have surged over the past week, driven higher by concerns that the escalating conflict could lead to a disruption of global supply. There is particular focus on the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Iran, with around a fifth of global supplies passing through this channel. Derren Nathan, head of equity research at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "For now, Iranian oil exports look to be unaffected with a report by Kpler suggesting tanker loadings had reached 2.2 million barrels per day so far this week, a five-week high. "Price support looks firm on the demand side after US crude inventories plummeted by 10.1 million barrels compared to a forecasted fall of just 0.6 million." The pound edged higher 0.1% against the dollar (GBPUSD=X) on Friday, trading at $1.3472 at the time of writing, helped by weakness in the greenback. The US dollar index ( which tracks the greenback against a basket of six currencies, fell 0.3% to 98.66. The muted currency moves came as investors weighed the latest UK economic data releases. Data published on Friday showed that UK government borrowing rose to £17.7bn in May, which was up from £17bn a year earlier. Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell (AJB.L), said: "May's borrowing came in at the highest ever for the month outside of the pandemic and will only add to speculation that the chancellor will have to announce more spending cuts or further tax increases at the next budget if she wants to meet her fiscal rules and pay for her spending plans." Read more: Why bitcoin and gold are rallying as bond yields hit 30-year highs Separate data, also released on Friday, showed that UK retail sales slumped 2.7% in May, which was much lower than the average forecast of a 0.5% fall in a Reuters poll. "How much people are prepared to spend in the shops is a good indication of how confident consumers are feeling, or not, about their personal finances," said Hewson. 'It's interesting that on the day the latest the latest GfK survey suggests people were feeling a little less nervous in May after April's bill hikes, retail figures show sales in the same period were significantly down." In other currency moves, the pound was little changed against the euro (GBPEUR=X), trading at €1.1704 at the time of writing. More broadly, the UK's FTSE 100 (^FTSE) rose 0.5% to 8,838 points at the time of writing. For more details, on broader market movements check our live coverage here. Read more: Looming petrol price increase could hit fragile consumer confidence Bank of England holds interest rates at 4.25% amid inflation fears Eurozone inflation falls below ECB target to 1.9%
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Gold prices slip as Trump sets two-week deadline over Iran-Israel conflict involvement
Gold prices slumped in early European trading on Friday morning, after US president Donald Trump set a two-week deadline to decide on whether the US would get directly involved in the Iran-Israel conflict. In a briefing on Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt read a message from Trump: "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks." This provided some relief to investors who were concerned about the potential for more immediate US involvement in the conflict. Foreign ministers from UK, France and Germany are due to hold talks with Iranian officials in Geneva later on Friday to discuss Iran's nuclear programme. Read more: FTSE 100 LIVE: Markets upbeat as UK and EU begin talks on Iran and Trump sets two week deadline European stocks opened higher on Friday morning, on the back of Trump's two-week pause. Meanwhile, gold prices fell, signalling that investors had become less risk averse, as the precious metal is considered to act as a safe haven asset amid political and economic uncertainty. Gold futures (GC=F) were down 1.3% at $3,363.10 an ounce at the time of writing, while the spot gold price fell 0.7% to $3,348.84 per ounce. Neil Wilson, UK investor strategist at Saxo Markets, said: "Some temporary relief but not enough for anyone to hang their hats on properly as the situation remains way too unpredictable. "Base case has started to shift in the direction of direct US involvement, which opens up a pandora's box of mess, but markets seem to be clinging to expectation that it all remains contained like it has in the past. The meeting today is material and could shift the needle — stay sharp." Oil prices rose on Friday morning, trading at six-month highs, as investors assessed the latest developments around the Iran-Israel conflict. Brent crude futures (BZ=F) advanced 0.4% to $77 a barrel, at the time of writing, while West Texas Intermediate futures (CL=F) climbed 0.7% to trade at $75.66 a barrel. Stocks: Create your watchlist and portfolio Oil prices have surged over the past week, driven higher by concerns that the escalating conflict could lead to a disruption of global supply. There is particular focus on the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Iran, with around a fifth of global supplies passing through this channel. Derren Nathan, head of equity research at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "For now, Iranian oil exports look to be unaffected with a report by Kpler suggesting tanker loadings had reached 2.2 million barrels per day so far this week, a five-week high. "Price support looks firm on the demand side after US crude inventories plummeted by 10.1 million barrels compared to a forecasted fall of just 0.6 million." The pound edged higher 0.1% against the dollar (GBPUSD=X) on Friday, trading at $1.3472 at the time of writing, helped by weakness in the greenback. The US dollar index ( which tracks the greenback against a basket of six currencies, fell 0.3% to 98.66. The muted currency moves came as investors weighed the latest UK economic data releases. Data published on Friday showed that UK government borrowing rose to £17.7bn in May, which was up from £17bn a year earlier. Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell (AJB.L), said: "May's borrowing came in at the highest ever for the month outside of the pandemic and will only add to speculation that the chancellor will have to announce more spending cuts or further tax increases at the next budget if she wants to meet her fiscal rules and pay for her spending plans." Read more: Why bitcoin and gold are rallying as bond yields hit 30-year highs Separate data, also released on Friday, showed that UK retail sales slumped 2.7% in May, which was much lower than the average forecast of a 0.5% fall in a Reuters poll. "How much people are prepared to spend in the shops is a good indication of how confident consumers are feeling, or not, about their personal finances," said Hewson. 'It's interesting that on the day the latest the latest GfK survey suggests people were feeling a little less nervous in May after April's bill hikes, retail figures show sales in the same period were significantly down." In other currency moves, the pound was little changed against the euro (GBPEUR=X), trading at €1.1704 at the time of writing. More broadly, the UK's FTSE 100 (^FTSE) rose 0.5% to 8,838 points at the time of writing. For more details, on broader market movements check our live coverage here. Read more: Looming petrol price increase could hit fragile consumer confidence Bank of England holds interest rates at 4.25% amid inflation fears Eurozone inflation falls below ECB target to 1.9%Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Melden Sie sich an, um Ihr Portfolio aufzurufen. Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten
Zawya
9 hours ago
- Business
- Zawya
Stocks struggle, oil up for 3rd week as Trump weighs US action on Iran
SYDNEY - Share markets in Asia struggled for direction on Friday as fears of a potential U.S. attack on Iran hung over markets, while oil prices were poised to rise for a third straight week on the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. Overnight, Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran, and Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel as a week-old air war intensified with no sign yet of an exit strategy from either side. The White House said President Donald Trump will decide in the next two weeks whether the U.S. will get involved in the Israel-Iran war. The U.S. President is facing uproar from some of his MAGA base over a possible strike on Iran. Brent fell 2% on Friday to $77.22 per barrel, but is still headed for a strong weekly gain of 4%, following a 12% surge the previous week. "The 'two-week deadline' is a tactic Trump has used in other key decisions, including those involving Russia and Ukraine, and tariffs," said Tony Sycamore, analyst at IG. "Often, these deadlines expire without concrete action, (similar to TACO), and there is certainly a risk of this happening again, given the complexities of the situation." Still, a cautious mood prevailed in markets with Nasdaq futures and S&P 500 futures both 0.3% lower in Asia. U.S. markets were closed for the Juneteenth holiday, offering little direction for Asia. The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged up 0.1% but was set for a weekly drop of 1%. Japan's Nikkei slipped 0.2%. China's blue chips rose 0.3%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.5%, after the central bank held the benchmark lending rates steady as widely expected. In the currency markets, the dollar was on the back foot again, slipping 0.2% to 145.17 yen after data showed Japan's core inflation hit a two-year high in May, which kept pressure on the Bank of Japan to resume interest rate hikes. Investors, however, see little prospects of a rate hike from the BOJ until December this year, which is a little over 50% priced in. The U.S. bond market, which was also closed on Thursday, started trading in Asian hours on a subdued note. Ten-year Treasury bond yield was flat at 4.389%, while two-year yields slipped 2 basis points to 3.925%. Overnight, the Swiss National Bank cut rates to zero and did not rule out going negative, while the Bank of England held policy steady but saw the need for further easing and Norway's central bank surprised everyone and cut rates for the first time since 2020. Gold prices eased 0.2% to $3,363 an ounce, but were set for a weekly loss of 2%. (Reporting by Stella Qiu Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Stocks struggle, oil up for 3rd week as Trump weighs US action on Iran
By Stella Qiu SYDNEY (Reuters) -Share markets in Asia struggled for direction on Friday as fears of a potential U.S. attack on Iran hung over markets, while oil prices were poised to rise for a third straight week on the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. Overnight, Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran, and Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel as a week-old air war intensified with no sign yet of an exit strategy from either side. The White House said President Donald Trump will decide in the next two weeks whether the U.S. will get involved in the Israel-Iran war. The U.S. President is facing uproar from some of his MAGA base over a possible strike on Iran. Brent fell 2% on Friday to $77.22 per barrel, but is still headed for a strong weekly gain of 4%, following a 12% surge the previous week. "The 'two-week deadline' is a tactic Trump has used in other key decisions, including those involving Russia and Ukraine, and tariffs," said Tony Sycamore, analyst at IG. "Often, these deadlines expire without concrete action, (similar to TACO), and there is certainly a risk of this happening again, given the complexities of the situation." Still, a cautious mood prevailed in markets with Nasdaq futures and S&P 500 futures both 0.3% lower in Asia. U.S. markets were closed for the Juneteenth holiday, offering little direction for Asia. The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged up 0.1% but was set for a weekly drop of 1%. Japan's Nikkei slipped 0.2%. China's blue chips rose 0.3%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.5%, after the central bank held the benchmark lending rates steady as widely expected. In the currency markets, the dollar was on the back foot again, slipping 0.2% to 145.17 yen after data showed Japan's core inflation hit a two-year high in May, which kept pressure on the Bank of Japan to resume interest rate hikes. Investors, however, see little prospects of a rate hike from the BOJ until December this year, which is a little over 50% priced in. The U.S. bond market, which was also closed on Thursday, started trading in Asian hours on a subdued note. Ten-year Treasury bond yield was flat at 4.389%, while two-year yields slipped 2 basis points to 3.925%. Overnight, the Swiss National Bank cut rates to zero and did not rule out going negative, while the Bank of England held policy steady but saw the need for further easing and Norway's central bank surprised everyone and cut rates for the first time since 2020. Gold prices eased 0.2% to $3,363 an ounce, but were set for a weekly loss of 2%.
Reuters
11 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Stocks struggle, oil up for 3rd week as Trump weighs US action on Iran
SYDNEY, June 20 (Reuters) - Share markets in Asia struggled for direction on Friday as fears of a potential U.S. attack on Iran hung over markets, while oil prices were poised to rise for a third straight week on the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. Overnight, Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran, and Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel as a week-old air war intensified with no sign yet of an exit strategy from either side. The White House said President Donald Trump will decide in the next two weeks whether the U.S. will get involved in the Israel-Iran war. The U.S. President is facing uproar from some of his MAGA base over a possible strike on Iran. Brent fell 2% on Friday to $77.22 per barrel, but is still headed for a strong weekly gain of 4%, following a 12% surge the previous week. "The 'two-week deadline' is a tactic Trump has used in other key decisions, including those involving Russia and Ukraine, and tariffs," said Tony Sycamore, analyst at IG. "Often, these deadlines expire without concrete action, (similar to TACO), and there is certainly a risk of this happening again, given the complexities of the situation." Still, a cautious mood prevailed in markets with Nasdaq futures and S&P 500 futures both 0.3% lower in Asia. U.S. markets were closed for the Juneteenth holiday, offering little direction for Asia. The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS), opens new tab edged up 0.1% but was set for a weekly drop of 1%. Japan's Nikkei (.N225), opens new tab slipped 0.2%. China's blue chips (.CSI300), opens new tab rose 0.3%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng (.HSI), opens new tab gained 0.5%, after the central bank held the benchmark lending rates steady as widely expected. In the currency markets, the dollar was on the back foot again, slipping 0.2% to 145.17 yen after data showed Japan's core inflation hit a two-year high in May, which kept pressure on the Bank of Japan to resume interest rate hikes. Investors, however, see little prospects of a rate hike from the BOJ until December this year, which is a little over 50% priced in. The U.S. bond market, which was also closed on Thursday, started trading in Asian hours on a subdued note. Ten-year Treasury bond yield was flat at 4.389%, while two-year yields slipped 2 basis points to 3.925%. Overnight, the Swiss National Bank cut rates to zero and did not rule out going negative, while the Bank of England held policy steady but saw the need for further easing and Norway's central bank surprised everyone and cut rates for the first time since 2020. Gold prices eased 0.2% to $3,363 an ounce, but were set for a weekly loss of 2%.
