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On August 23, Rezaei, Secretary of Irans Supreme National Security Council, warned Gulf states against joining the US-imposed economic sanctions against Iran, stating that Tehran would retaliate against these countries interests. "If Irans neighbors join the US economic war, the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz will be completely depleted of oil, and we will also target other oil export routes in the Persian Gulf," he said. Rezaei also claimed that Trump launched the economic war against Iran at the urging of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. He said Trump was initially skeptical of the idea, but Netanyahu persuaded him to test it for two to three months before assessing whether to continue for another six months. "What the enemy hopes for is division and discord," he reiterated, emphasizing Irans unity.According to Al Jazeera, sources familiar with the matter said that Pakistan’s first Chief of Defence Forces, Asim Munir, is expected to return to Tehran in the coming days.A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck southern Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, early on the 23rd. No abnormalities have been detected at several nuclear facilities near the epicenter. NHK, citing power company sources, reported that no abnormalities have been detected at the Fukushima Daiichi, Tokai, and Tokai Daini nuclear power plants, all located near the epicenter, and radiation monitoring readings around the plants have not shown significant changes.On August 23, it was reported that price competition for large-scale AI models has intensified recently, with several US AI companies lowering prices for their models. OpenAI, the US-based Open AI Research Center, announced on the 21st that it would reduce the base price of its cutting-edge GPT-5.6 Sol model for developers by over 20%, effective immediately. This discounted price will be valid for three months. At the end of last month, OpenAI also lowered the prices of other models, with mid-range models reduced by 20% and low-cost models by 80%. Furthermore, Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, recently released Gemini 3.7 Flash and simultaneously lowered its price, making it approximately half the price of the previous version. Some US media analysts believe that the increasingly fierce price competition for large-scale AI models, particularly the open-source and pricing strategies of some Chinese AI companies, has put pressure on US companies.The statement indicates that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney held a video conference with provincial and territorial leaders to discuss suspending trade negotiations with the United States. Carney outlined next steps to protect Canadian interests, including retaliatory tariffs that will take effect on Tuesday after Labour Day.

Copper Beats Gold This Week With Fears of A Rate Rise

Haiden Holmes

Feb 17, 2023 11:44

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Gold prices declined on Friday as stronger-than-expected U.S. inflation statistics and hawkish statements from Federal Reserve officials stoked fears of more interest rate rises, while copper prices outpaced commodity markets this week due to confidence towards China.


The U.S. producer price index inflation increased more than anticipated in January, according to statistics released on Thursday. This follows a report on the consumer price index that indicated inflation in the world's largest economy remained sticky.


James Bullard, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, stated that the central bank might resume raising interest rates at a more rapid pace and raised the possibility of a 50 basis point increase in March.


Meanwhile, Loretta Mester, president of the Cleveland Fed, stated that interest rates would likely rise over 5% as the Fed fights inflation, and that the central bank should have increased rates by more than 25 basis points at its February meeting.


The dollar and Treasury rates soared in response to their remarks, as investors flocked to the greenback in anticipation of higher and safer returns. This caused a substantial outflow from gold markets.


Spot gold decreased 0.2% to $1,833.67 per ounce, whilst gold futures declined 0.5% to $1,843.75 per ounce. Prices of the yellow metal were projected to fall between 1% to 1.7% this week, marking the third consecutive week of declines.


The likelihood of rising U.S. interest rates is unfavorable for non-yielding assets such as gold, as it increases their opportunity cost. Increasing interest rates also cause investors to select the dollar as a safe-haven asset due to its higher yields.


Other precious metals declined on Friday. Platinum prices dropped 0.6% to $920.30 per ounce, a three-month low, while silver futures sank 1.2% to $21.448 per ounce, a two-and-a-half month low.


Copper prices declined on Friday but were expected to end the week in the black due to optimism on China and probable supply disruptions.


Copper futures slipped 0.2% to $4.1137 a pound and were expected to rise 2.4% this week, their highest weekly performance since the beginning of January.


Copper was also poised to end a streak of three consecutive weekly losses as China, the world's top copper importer, signaled further stimulus measures to bolster economic development. Earlier this year, China loosened the majority of anti-COVID policies, which bolstered hopes for the nation's economic recovery.


A deteriorating conflict between the government of Panama and international copper miners threatens to halt the country's copper exports, so limiting supply and driving up prices.

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