Australia Unemployment Hits Five-Year High Despite Strong Jobs Growth 
Japanese Bank Stocks Surge as Bond Yields Fuel Rate Hike Bets 
Fed Unveils Stablecoin Rules Under GENIUS Act 
Wall Street Ends Flat as Oil, Treasury Yields and Fed Jitters Rattle Markets 
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Dollar Falls as Oil Eases, Yen Jumps on Intervention Signals 
Oil Prices Fall on U.S.-Iran Hormuz Deal Hopes 
Japanese Yen Rebounds as Trump Flags Currency Weakness 
Asian Stocks Fall as Surging Bond Yields Rattle Markets 
European Stocks Fall as Bond Yields and Geopolitical Risks Weigh 
RBI Uses $10 Billion Currency Swaps to Drain Excess Rupee Liquidity 
Canadian Dollar Faces Pressure as Fed-BoC Policy Gap Widens 
Dollar Holds Near Two-Month High as Yen Approaches 160 
Asian Stocks Fall as Bond Yields Surge Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit 
U.S. Dollar Hits Two-Month High as Oil, Treasury Yields Surge 
US Stock Futures Fall as Treasury Yields Surge Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit 
U.S. Treasury Yields Surge as 30-Year Hits 22-Year High 
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Oil prices hovered near two-week highs on Monday as global markets anticipated a possible U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate cut that could boost economic growth and strengthen energy demand. Brent crude futures edged up 4 cents to $63.79 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 7 cents to $60.15 a barrel during early Asian trading. Both benchmarks ended Friday at their highest levels since November 18, reflecting improving market sentiment.
Investor expectations are firmly tilted toward a quarter-point rate cut, with LSEG data showing an 84% probability ahead of the Federal Reserve’s two-day meeting. However, analysts warn that the decision may be one of the most divisive in recent years, making the central bank’s forward guidance especially critical for commodity markets.
Geopolitical tensions continue to add uncertainty to global oil supply. Progress in Ukraine peace negotiations remains slow, with major disagreements over security guarantees for Kyiv and the status of Russian-occupied regions. According to ANZ analysts, the outcomes of these discussions—and former President Donald Trump’s push to influence negotiations—could shift global oil supply by more than 2 million barrels per day, depending on how the conflict evolves.
Additional pressure is coming from Western policy discussions, as the Group of Seven nations and the European Union consider replacing the existing price cap on Russian oil with a full maritime services ban. Such a move could significantly restrict exports from Russia, the world’s second-largest oil producer.
At the same time, Washington has intensified its stance against Venezuela, targeting alleged drug-smuggling operations and issuing threats of military action against President Nicolás Maduro’s government. Meanwhile, Chinese independent refiners have increased purchases of sanctioned Iranian crude, using newly issued import quotas to draw from onshore storage and help ease an ongoing supply overhang.
These combined economic and geopolitical forces continue to shape a volatile but upward-leaning outlook for global oil markets.
