By closing the first trading session of the week yesterday, Monday, at $3,123 per ounce, the yellow metal recorded gains in the first quarter of this year of 19.3%, marking its best quarterly performance since 1986, the year of the Chernobyl disaster. This included gains of more than 9% in March alone, amounting to $267. Rising geopolitical tensions in the...
The Reserve Bank of Australia's Board of Directors decided at its meeting this morning, Tuesday, April 1, to maintain monetary policy and the current interest rate at 4.10%, as expected. The Bank's statement on interest rates stated that inflation has declined significantly since its peak in 2022, and that recent information indicates that core inflation is declining in line with...
Data released just moments ago from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis showed that U.S. personal income rose by $194.7 billion in February, up 0.8% from 0.9% in January. The Federal Reserve's preferred inflation measure, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE), rose 0.3%, but remained unchanged at 2.5% on an annual basis, as expected. The closely watched index, which excludes food...
The yellow metal recovered to $3,050 per ounce in mid-trading on Thursday, March 27, benefiting from rising tensions over tariffs after the US president imposed new tariffs on autos and threatened to impose higher tariffs on the European Union. Gold traded at $3,052 per ounce before the US market opened, up about 1.09%, while silver traded at $34 per ounce,...
The Consumer Price Index (CPI), a measure of inflation in the UK, rose to 2.8% year-on-year in February, according to data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this morning, compared to 3% in January, exceeding expectations of 3%. On a monthly basis, the CPI rose by 0.4% in February, compared to a rise of approximately 0.6% in February....
The German Ifo confidence index rose to 86.7 in March, its highest level since July of last year, compared to 85.3 in February. Expectations had been for a rise to 86.8, as German companies expressed satisfaction with their current business situation and their expectations rose significantly, with expectations for an economic recovery increasing. In detail, the current situation index rose...
Data released in the European session on Monday, the opening session of the week, showed divergence in most of the services and manufacturing PMIs in the eurozone and the UK in the preliminary reading for March. The services PMI fell to a four-month low of 50.4 in March, compared to 50.6 in November. Meanwhile, the manufacturing PMI rose to a...
Data released by Statistics Canada just a few moments ago showed retail sales falling 0.6% in January to $69.4 billion, after rising by about 2.6% in December's revised reading. Expectations were for a 0.4% decline, driven by a decline in motor vehicle and parts sales. Core retail sales, excluding gas stations and motor vehicle and parts sales, rose 0.2% in...
. The Bank of England voted 8-1 to keep interest rates unchanged at 4.5%, as expected, at its meeting just moments ago. One member favored a 25 basis point cut. The Bank's interest rate report stated that significant progress has been made in reducing inflation over the past two years, despite it rising to 3% in January from 2.5% in...
The US Federal Reserve decided at its meeting, which concluded yesterday, Wednesday, to keep interest rates unchanged at 4.5%, as expected. It also decided to slow the decline in its holdings of securities by reducing the maximum monthly redemption of Treasury securities from $25 billion to $5 billion. The bank's members lowered their economic growth forecasts and raised their inflation...