Brent futures down nearly $2.
Brent crude prices pared gains from the previous session and fell nearly $2 on Friday after the White House delayed a decision on U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, but they were still poised for a third straight week in the black.
Brent crude futures fell $1.89, or 2.4%, to $76.96 a barrel by 0255 GMT. On a weekly basis, it was up 3.8%.
The U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for July – which did not settle on Thursday as it was a U.S. holiday and expires on Friday – was up 53 cents, or 0.7%, to $75.67. The more liquid WTI for August rose 0.2%, or 17 cents to $73.67.
Prices jumped almost 3% on Thursday as Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran, and Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel after hitting an Israeli hospital overnight. The week-old war between Israel and Iran showed no signs of either side backing down.
Brent futures trimmed previous session gains following the White House’s comments that President Donald Trump will decide whether the U.S. will get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict in the next two weeks.
Bitcoin price today: flat at $104k.
Bitcoin fell slightly on Friday, with broader crypto markets making little headway even as broader risk appetite improved after U.S. President Donald Trump postponed a decision on whether to attack Iran.
The world’s largest cryptocurrency was headed for a second straight week of mild losses, as it meandered within a tight trading range established since making record highs in early-June.
Bitcoin fell 0.3% to $104,580.4 by 01:58 ET (05:58 GMT).
Crypto trading volumes were also muted on account of a U.S. market holiday on Thursday, while the sector was still reeling from hawkish comments from the Federal Reserve made earlier this week.
Bitcoin heads for weekly loss; Trump to decide on Iran in ‘two weeks ‘Bitcoin was trading down about 0.8% this week, and remained squarely within a $103,000 to $108,000 trading range seen through most of June.
U.K. retail sales slumped in May.
U.K. retail sales slumped in May, overturning the prior month’s hefty gains, with food store sales in particular declining sharply on a monthly basis.
Retail sales slipped by 2.7% last month on a monthly basis, dropping from a healthy revised gain of 1.3% in April, according to data released by the Office of National Statistics data earlier Friday.
Economists had predicted that retail sales, which mostly reflect goods and are not adjusted for inflation, would drop by 0.5% on a monthly basis.
Retail sales fell by 1.3% on an annual basis, having increased by an impressive 5.0% in April as sunny weather helped British consumers return to the high streets, particularly in food stores.
Data released earlier this week showed that U.S. retail sales also fell heavily in May, falling 0.9% last month, the largest decrease since January, after a downwardly revised 0.1% dip in April.
The second straight monthly decline unwound the bulk of the tariff-driven surge in March.
President Donald Trump’s aggressive and often shifting tariff position has heightened economic uncertainty, making it difficult for businesses to plan ahead.
U.K. consumer sentiment improved in June to its highest level since December, but remained firmly in negative territory, survey data from the British Retail Consortium showed on Thursday.
Important Note: The information found on Ausprime platform is intended only to be informative, is not advice nor a recommendation, nor research, or a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for a transaction in any financial instrument and thus should not be treated as such. The information provided does not include any specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. The past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance and/or results. Past Performance or Forward-looking scenarios are not a guarantee of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking or past performance statement
