Gold rallies on Middle East tensions
09 Jan 2020With tensions rife in the Middle East, gold is adding to its gains from last month. Gold, a safe haven asset which typically rises when geopolitical and macroeconomic risks are heightened, has risen by over 7% since the start of December 2019.
Oil markets surge after US air strike on Iran’s Soleimani
09 Jan 2020Brent prices have been hovering around $70/barrel following the US air strike which killed Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ overseas forces. Tensions remain high in the region as the Iraqi parliament has since voted to expel US military from their soil. Geopolitical tensions are lending buoyancy to oil prices.
OPEC cuts fuel oil rally
09 Dec 2019The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its partners have reached a preliminary deal to cut oil supply by a further 500,000 barrels per day, bringing total cuts (relative to Oct 2018 levels) to 1.7mn barrels per day. Brent prices rallied by more than 5% last week as markets began pricing in the supply cuts over the course of the week.
US threatens trade tariffs on France
09 Dec 2019US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has threatened to slap tariffs of up to 100% on French goods (roughly US$2.4bn of French imports) in retaliation for a new digital services tax on US technology companies.
Cause for trade optimism?
02 Dec 2019China has announced plans to develop new measures to protect against the theft of intellectual property (IP) – one of the main demands of US trade negotiators. This has helped spur optimism that the US and China may be closer to a deal than previously anticipated. No meaningful breakthrough has yet been achieved between the two countries.
Oil markets await OPEC action
02 Dec 2019Oil markets will look out for key announcements after the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meetings this week. Markets expect policy announcements with regards to an extension or further deepening of oil supply cuts by the OPEC.
Polls give Conservatives lead ahead of UK elections
02 Dec 2019In the UK, pound sterling rose slightly versus the US dollar last week as an important poll – YouGov suggested that a Conservative Party win was the likely outcome for the upcoming Dec 12 elections. The YouGov poll predicted that the Conservative Part would win 359 seats, giving it the largest working majority in decades. Boris Johnson also promised that he would deliver a new Brexit deal to parliament before Christmas.
Germany narrowly avoids recession
25 Nov 2019The German economy narrowly missed recession and grew 0.1% in the third quarter of the year after contracting by 0.2% in the second quarter. Germany’s export driven manufacturers found some relief as exports grew 1% during the quarter. US-China trade wars have hurt Eurozone’s economy with the manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index for November contracting at 46.6.
Gold relatively flat on trade wars confusion
25 Nov 2019Gold price retreated at the start of the month when optimism built in markets around a phase one trade deal between US and China. Since then however, the two countries have not moved towards an agreement with clarity and conviction. Gold price has moved relatively sideways in the last two weeks and remains reactive to developments on the trade front.
US stocks lose momentum
25 Nov 2019The S&P 500 Index was unable to make last week its sixth consecutive week of gains as negative developments on the US-China trade front thwarted the bull run for US equities. Optimism around a phase one deal between the two countries before the end of the year has dwindled since last week as both sides have hinted towards meaningful disagreements between them.