• Feb 19, 2025

Singapore’s Abaxx Exchange Plans Gold Futures as Metal Surges

(Bloomberg) -- Singapore’s Abaxx Exchange plans to introduce gold futures in the coming months, with prices setting fresh records this year as traders grapple with disruptions in key bullion hubs and increased haven demand.Most Read from BloombergTrump to Halt NY Congestion Pricing by Terminating ApprovalSorry, Kids: Disney’s New York Headquarters Is for Grown-UpsAirbnb Billionaire Offers Pre-Fab Homes for LA Fire VictimsChild Migrant Watchdog Gutted in DOGE CutsChicago Council Delays $830 Milli

  • Feb 19, 2025

Analysis-'Stagflation' fears haunt US markets despite Trump's pro-growth agenda

Stubborn inflation and President Donald Trump's hard-line trade policies have rekindled fears of stagflation, a worrying mix of sluggish growth and relentless inflation that haunted the U.S. in the 1970s, even as markets remain upbeat on his pro-growth agenda. The potential return of stagflation, which would pressure a range of assets, has been flagged periodically over the past 50 years but not materialized as a real threat to investor portfolios. While economists and portfolio managers are not ready to say that this time is different, the dreaded scenario has crept back as a key risk for investors in recent weeks, as the prospect of trade wars and punitive tariffs cast a shadow over U.S. growth.

  • Feb 19, 2025

Musk’s DOGE to Lead Trump’s Purge of Federal Regulations

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump signed an executive order undertaking a massive regulatory review in a bid to fulfill his campaign pledge of eliminating rules he says stifle businesses and innovation.Most Read from BloombergTrump to Halt NY Congestion Pricing by Terminating ApprovalSorry, Kids: Disney’s New York Headquarters Is for Grown-UpsAirbnb Billionaire Offers Pre-Fab Homes for LA Fire VictimsChild Migrant Watchdog Gutted in DOGE CutsChicago Council Delays $830 Million Bond Vote Amid

  • Feb 19, 2025

In a major shift, Japex to prioritise oil and gas investment through 2030

Japan Petroleum Exploration (Japex) is prioritising investment in oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) through 2030 - revising an earlier plan to aggressively expand its renewables businesses, its president said. "For now, the investment focus will remain on oil and gas exploration and production... as securing a fair return from renewable energy sources such as offshore wind is challenging due to rising costs," President Michiro Yamashita told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. Other global peers have also scaled back renewables investments due to lower returns.

  • Feb 19, 2025

Oil little changed after US crude inventory build

Oil prices were little changed on Thursday after rising to a near one-week high in the previous session, as an industry report showing a buildup in U.S. crude stockpiles pressured the market. U.S. crude stocks rose by 3.34 million barrels last week, market sources said, citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Wednesday. Oil prices edged lower on Thursday because of the stock build in the U.S., said Saxo Bank analyst Ole Hansen.

  • Feb 19, 2025

Australia's Wesfarmers sees tariff inflation risk as profit beats forecast

Australia's biggest non-food retailer Wesfarmers said it may raise prices as a soft local dollar drives up supply costs and warned on Thursday that tariffs ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump may spur inflation. The owner of Australia's biggest hardware chain, Bunnings, and budget department store chain Kmart also said the country's first interest rate cut in five years, announced this week, would help households but alone could not end high living costs nor offset wide-ranging geopolitical headwinds. "You just need to look at some of the challenges in the housing sector that are fairly well understood and reported," Wesfarmers CEO Rob Scott told journalists.