Gold cools, oil surges amid escalating tensions in West Asia
Gold eased on Wednesday, taking a breather after rallying in the last session on an escalation in the conflict in West Asia, but oil prices rose again.
Spot gold prices were down 0.5% at $2,650.89 per ounce by 11:46 GMT, after a jump of more than 1% on Tuesday after Iran launched missile strikes across Israel.
After hitting $76 earlier, the price for a barrel of Brent crude was sitting at $74.49, up 1.3% from the day before.
While Israel is not a major producer of oil, Iran is, and a worry is that a broadening war could affect other neighboring countries that are also integral to the flow of crude.
U.S. stocks were drifting Wednesday, and Treasury yields are rising following an encouraging update on the U.S. job market’s strength. The S&P 500 was basically flat in midday trading, a day after sliding from its record on worries about a possible widening of the fighting in West Asia.
Published - October 02, 2024 11:21 pm IST