$GLD,$SLV,$USD,$USO,$OIL,$SOY,$CORN,$WEAT

Gold Steady
USD Firm
Crude Oil Up
Stocks Subdued

In Asia

Note: China closed all week for the Lunar New Year

The Cboe Volatility (VIX) Index, Wall Street’s so-called “fear gauge,” dropped to 15.60, its lowest level in 4 months, Monday.

Gold: Gold prices held firm Wednesday after US President Trump, in his State of the Union speech, vowed to build a border wall and gave little clarity over the ongoing trade discussions with China, but a firmer dollar capped bullion’s gains.

• Spot gold was steady at $1,314.30 oz, as of 0546 GMT.
• US gold futures were steady at $1,318.20 oz.

Market participants are keenly aware of the fact that global macro numbers are slowing. Gold as an investment is very much in the reckoning

Energy: Saudi Arabia and its Persian Gulf allies were proposing a formal partnership with a 10-nation group led by Russia to try to manage the global Crude Oil market, an alliance that could transform the cartel.

• NYMEX WTI Crude Oil futures were at $53.74 bbl at 0153 GMT, + 8c from their last settlement. .
• ICE Brent Crude Oil were at $62.05 bbl, +7c above prior session.

Equities: Asian shares were subdued Wednesday after US President Trump’s State of the Union speech failed to give markets fresh trading catalysts, while the Aussie (AUD) slumped after the central bank opened the door to a rate cut.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares sans Japan barely moved with China and several other markets in the region still closed for the Lunar New Year holiday.

Japan’s Nikkei gained 0.3%, while E-Mini futures for the S&P 500 edged higher. Australian shares advanced 0.5%, rising for a 3rd session running.

Currencies: USD held up well thanks in part to a retreat in GBP, which hit 2-week lows at $1.2923 in early trade after poor survey data and uncertainty about BREXIT talks pushed it below a Key support.

Against a basket of currencies, USD was firm at 96.104, above last week’s low of 95.162. It fell 0.1% on JPY to 109.84.

EUR slipped to $1.1397 after a survey showed Tuesday that Eurozone businesses expanded at their slowest pace since mid-2013 at the beginning of the year.

Commodities: Energy, Metals, and Agriculture Grains

Stay tuned…

  .DXY, commodities, Corn, Crude, dollar, dovish, EIA, EU

The following two tabs change content below.

• Bio
• Latest Posts

Paul Ebeling

Paul A. Ebeling, polymath, excels in diverse fields of knowledge. Pattern Recognition Analyst in Equities, Commodities and Foreign Exchange and author of “The Red Roadmaster’s Technical Report” on the US Major Market Indices™, a highly regarded, weekly financial market letter, he is also a philosopher, issuing insights on a wide range of subjects to a following of over 250,000 cohorts. An international audience of opinion makers, business leaders, and global organizations recognizes Ebeling as an expert.

Latest posts by Paul Ebeling (see all)

• Populists Changing EU, Elections Coming - February 16, 2019
• Monster ‘Pineapple Express’ Punishes California - February 16, 2019
• Retreat and Recharge - February 16, 2019