Category: Gold and Commodities

Gold and Silver Investing 101

Whether you’re planning for retirement or want to maximize your portfolio’s performance, diversification is key to maximizing your investments. Precious metals such as gold and silver remain desirable for their corrosion resistance, rarity, and decorative value. But is investing in precious metals the right choice for you in a post-COVID world? This guide explains the most…


Oil Prices Erase 2022 Gains as China’s Protests Spark Demand Worries

Oil prices fell to near their lowest levels this year on Monday as street protests against strict COVID-19 curbs in China, the world’s biggest crude importer, stoked concern about the outlook for fuel demand. Brent crude dropped $2.66, or 3.1 percent, to trade at $80.97 a barrel at 1000 GMT, after diving more than 3…


China’s Anti-Lockdown Protests Shake Stocks and Oil

SYDNEY/LONDON—Stocks and commodities prices suffered a broad sell-off on Monday as rare protests in major Chinese cities against the country’s strict zero-COVID-19 curbs hit growth expectations in the world’s second-largest economy. Clashes between police and protesters across several major cities over the weekend halted a tentative stocks rally that gathered pace last week as hope-starved…


Oil Prices Rise, but Chinese Demand Worries Linger

LONDON—Oil prices rose on Friday in thin market liquidity, closing a week marked by worries about Chinese demand and haggling over a Western price cap on Russian oil. Brent crude futures were up $1.29, or 1.5 percent, to trade at $86.63 a barrel at 1024 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up…


Global Shares Mixed as Investors Eye China Virus Crisis

TOKYO—Global shares were mixed Friday as worries deepened about the regional economy and Japan reported higher-than-expected inflation. France’s CAC 40 was little changed, inching down less than 0.1 percent to 6,704.00. Germany’s DAX slipped 0.1 percent to 14,524.48. Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 0.1 percent to 7,473.46. The future for the S&P 500 gained 0.2 percent…


Oil Drops as Price Cap Proposal Eases Supply Concerns

LONDON—Oil prices fell on Thursday, hovering around two-month lows as the level of a proposed G7 cap on the price of Russian oil raised doubts about how much it would limit supply. A bigger than expected build in U.S. gasoline inventories and widening COVID-19 controls in China also added downward pressure on crude prices. Brent…


Dollar Nears 3-month Low, Shares Climb After Fed Tests the Brakes

LONDON—World shares touched a two-month high and the dollar swooped towards a three-month low on Thursday, after Federal Reserve meeting minutes pointed to a slower pace of U.S. interest rate rises from next month. With Wall Street shut for Thanksgiving, it was up to Europe to continue the rebound in market confidence that has been…


Biden Admin Quietly Greenlights Plan to Build Huge Gulf Oil Terminal

The Biden administration has quietly approved plans to build a new crude oil terminal in the Gulf of Mexico off Texas, seemingly in contradiction to the president’s climate agenda. The Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration approved the application (pdf) for Enterprise’s Sea Port Oil Terminal, one of four proposed offshore oil export terminals, on Monday. According to the application, the port…


US Crude Oil Inventories Down, SPR Still at Historic Lows, But Other Petroleum Inventories Up: EIA

With Thanksgiving approaching, the Nov. 23 weekly report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that commercial crude oil inventories in the United States fell by 3.7 million barrels–yet inventories of motor gasoline, distillate fuel, and other petroleum products increased, for an overall rise of 3.3 million in total commercial petroleum inventories. The EIA’s latest…


Closing Prices for Crude Oil, Gold and Other Commodities (Nov. 23)

Benchmark U.S. crude oil for January delivery rose $3.01 to $77.94 a barrel Wednesday. Brent crude for January delivery fell $2.95 to $85.41 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for December delivery fell 7 cents to $2.47 a gallon. December heating oil fell 11 cents to $3.36 a gallon. December natural gas rose 53 cents to $7.31…