Market News

Gold prices edged lower earlyThursday, moving away from near two-month highs hit in the previous session as safe haven demand triggered by rising tensions in the Korean peninsula eased.

Asian stocks steadied and U.S. Treasury bond prices fell slightly on Thursday as the risk aversion triggered by the latest flare up of tensions between the United States and North Korea began to settle.

Oil futures rose in early Asian trading on Thursday, adding to gains from the previous session after official figures showed U.S. crude inventories fell more than expected.

A bit more calm was restored to the markets during the latter part of the New York trading session as traders were careful not to get too carried away with North Korea jitters.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand on Thursday said it still expected inflation to rise gradually as capacity pressures increase, underwhelming some expectations that it would strike a more dovish tone given recent soft economic data.

The Swiss franc rallied hard against the euro and the U.S. dollar on Wednesday, as increased tensions between the United States and North Korea led investors to look for assets deemed as less risky.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s warning to North Korea and Pyongyang’s threat of possible armed retaliation drove investors out of stocks and other risky assets on Wednesday and into textbook safe-havens like gold and Treasuries.

U.S. shale producers need a WTI oil price around $50 per barrel to break even, according to an analysis of financial statements for the second quarter.

U.S. Treasury yields fell on Wednesday, with those on the benchmark 10-year note hitting a six-week low, as heightened tensions between the United States and North Korea stoked demand for U.S. government debt and other safe-haven assets.

U.S. worker productivity rose more than expected in the second quarter amid an increase in hours, but the trend remained weak, suggesting that robust economic growth could remain elusive.

Gold prices rose on Wednesday after North Korea said it is considering an attack on the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam, with President Donald Trump warning Pyongyang that any threat to the United States would be met with “fire and fury.”

The Swiss franc on Wednesday held near the day’s highs after posting its biggest single-day rise against the euro since the central bank removed its cap on the currency in January 2015.

Things calmed down a bit during the morning London session but the safe-haven Swissy and yen were able to extend their gains.

The U.S. will be releasing its July CPI report this Friday, so get ready for that top-tier event by reading up on today’s Event Preview.

Concerns over escalating tensions between the U.S. and North Korea kept a lid on risk appetite and sent traders into the arms of lower-yielding assets.

Asian shares and U.S. stock futures slipped on Wednesday and investors piled into havens such as U.S. Treasuries, gold and the yen as tensions on the Korean peninsula escalated.

The yen gained against the dollar and other peers on Wednesday on the latest bout of geopolitical tensions stemming from the Korean Peninsula.

Gold prices rose early Wednesday amid rising tensions between the United States and North Korea.

The U.S. dollar found more reasons to advance against its rivals thanks to stronger than expected medium-tier reports.

The dollar shook off early weakness to rise to more than a one-week high on Tuesday, after data showing U.S. job openings surging to a record high in June reinforced Friday’s robust payrolls data.