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Update: Gold Falls as the Dollar Rises to a Two-Month High as the U.S. and Iran Trade Strikes
(Updates prices.)Gold traded lower midafternoon on Wednesday as the dollar rose to a two-month high after oil prices rose following fresh hostilities between the United States and Iran, renewing worries energy inflation will force central banks to raise interest rates.Gold for July delivery was last seen down US$53.8 to US$4,466.10 per ounce.The drop comes as oil prices rose for a third day on fresh hostilities between Iran and the United States. The Wall Street Journal reported Iran launched attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain and the United States attacked Iran's military ground control stations on Qeshm Island and struck at an empty oil tanker attempting to run its blockade of Iranian ports and load oil at Iran's Kharg Island."Gold trades lower as the market continues to take its cues from oil, with the latest rise in crude prices weighing on bullion through its inflationary impact. Higher energy costs have underpinned bond yields and the dollar while reducing expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts," Saxo Bank noted.The dollar rose to the highest since April 7, with the ICE dollar index last seen up 0.31 points to 99.48. Treasury yields also rose, with the U.S. two-year note last seen up 4.0 basis points to 4.094%, while the 10-year note was paying 4.496%, up 5.0 points.
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Sectors
Sector Update: Financial Stocks Decline Wednesday Afternoon
Financial stocks were lower in Wednesday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index decreasing 0.8% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) shedding 0.9%.The Philadelphia Housing Index was down 0.9%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) was up 0.7%.Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was falling 2.4% to $65,724, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries was rising 5 basis points to 4.497%.In economic news, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development lowered its global economic growth projection for 2026, cautioning that the fallout from the Middle East conflict may linger for some time even after its resolution.In corporate news, Amazon-backed (AMZN) Anthropic has chosen Goldman Sachs (GS) and Morgan Stanley (MS) to lead its initial public offering, Bloomberg reported. JPMorgan Chase (JPM) is also working on the deal, the report said. Goldman shares were down 1.8%, Morgan Stanley shed 1.9%, and JPMorgan decreased 0.1%.Hartford Insurance (HIG) has agreed to sell its Hartford Funds unit to Wellington Management in a deal with a net present value of $1.9 billion, the companies said Wednesday. Hartford shares were down 0.7%.Deutsche Bank (DB) may set aside more money for loan losses than analysts expected in Q2, although provisions are expected to be lower than in the previous quarter, Bloomberg reported, citing CFO Raja Akram. Deutsche shares fell 3.3%.
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Sectors
Sector Update: Energy Stocks Gain Wednesday Afternoon
Energy stocks gained Wednesday afternoon with the NYSE Energy Sector Index rising 1.2% and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) adding 1.8%.The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index advanced 0.1%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index climbed 0.2%.Crude oil futures rose as Iran struck Gulf nations Kuwait and Bahrain with missiles amid faltering diplomacy with Washington, the Wall Street Journal reported. Kuwait came under a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones on Wednesday that shut its international airport, killed one person, and injured dozens more, the report said.West Texas Intermediate crude oil climbed 2.6% to $96.19 a barrel, and global benchmark Brent rose 2.2% to $98.08 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures increased 2.2% to $3.24 per 1 million BTU.US crude oil stocks, including those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, fell 16 million barrels in the week ended Friday following a decrease of 12.4 million in the previous week. Excluding inventories in the SPR, commercial crude oil stocks declined 8 million barrels after a drop of 3.3 million in the previous week, larger than the 3.1 million fall expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.In corporate news, Xcel Energy's (XEL) Colorado utility unit reached a non-unanimous settlement agreement in its electric rate case before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, and the company reaffirmed its 2026 EPS guidance of $4.04 to $4.16. The stock rose 0.6%.Obsidian Energy (OBE) agreed to acquire Belly River light oil assets in the Wilson Creek area of Willesden Green from Highwood Asset Management for an unadjusted purchase price of 105 million Canadian dollars ($75.8 million). Obsidian shares fell 0.2%.Opal Fuels (OPAL) and GFL Environmental (GFL) said construction is advancing on two renewable natural gas facilities at the Stones Throw Landfill in Alabama and the Grady Road Landfill in Georgia. Opal shares fell 1.1%.
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