IMF to Provide Ukraine with $500 Million After Review

Local people carry their things from damaged flats at the site of a rocket strike on a five-storey residential building on 23 June, in Kyiv, Ukraine, 24 June 2025. (EPA)
Local people carry their things from damaged flats at the site of a rocket strike on a five-storey residential building on 23 June, in Kyiv, Ukraine, 24 June 2025. (EPA)
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IMF to Provide Ukraine with $500 Million After Review

Local people carry their things from damaged flats at the site of a rocket strike on a five-storey residential building on 23 June, in Kyiv, Ukraine, 24 June 2025. (EPA)
Local people carry their things from damaged flats at the site of a rocket strike on a five-storey residential building on 23 June, in Kyiv, Ukraine, 24 June 2025. (EPA)

The International Monetary Fund said on Monday it has completed its eighth review of Ukraine's $15.5 billion four-year support program, paving the way for a disbursement of an additional $500 million to the war-torn country.

That will bring total disbursements to $10.6 billion, the IMF said in a statement, following its board's approval of the review of Ukraine's Extended Fund Facility.

It warned of ongoing and "exceptionally high" risks to the country's outlook.

"Russia’s war continues to take a devastating social and economic toll on Ukraine. Nevertheless, macroeconomic stability has been preserved through skillful policymaking as well as substantial external support," First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath said in a statement.

The IMF said Ukraine met all the performance criteria laid out in the review, and established four new benchmarks for steps to upgrade the country's financial market infrastructure, implement international valuation standards; and work to align securitization and bonds with international standards.

The board agreed to give Ukrainian authorities more time to meet some other structural benchmarks, including the appointment of the head of the State Customs Service, the IMF said.

Ukrainian authorities also requested a rephasing of access to IMF financing to better align with Ukraine's needs over the remainder of 2025, the IMF said, without providing details.

The IMF said it maintained its 2025 economic growth forecast of 2–3 percent for Ukraine, citing lower gas production and weaker agricultural exports. Kyiv would need a supplementary budget for 2025, given pressures from Russia's war, it said.

The country's debt chief Yuriy Butsa told Reuters earlier this month that the review would offer the next logical opportunity to restart broken-down talks over restructuring its GDP-linked warrants.



Dollar Recovers as Central Bank Decisions Loom, Markets Turn Risk-off

US dollar banknotes (Reuters)
US dollar banknotes (Reuters)
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Dollar Recovers as Central Bank Decisions Loom, Markets Turn Risk-off

US dollar banknotes (Reuters)
US dollar banknotes (Reuters)

The dollar climbed to a two-week high on Thursday as fresh volatility gripped stocks and precious metals, while traders counted down to rate decisions from the European Central Bank and the Bank of England.

The US dollar index, which measures the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was last up 0.1% at 97.762, extending gains into a second day.

"There’s a bit of risk aversion coming through," said Sim Moh Siong, currency strategist at OCBC in Singapore. "When there's risk aversion, the dollar tends to strengthen."

The dollar has regained some strength this week and stocks turned risk-off as financial markets assess US corporate earnings season, now halfway complete, Reuters said.

Gold and silver, which have become more volatile recently as a ‌result of leveraged ‌buying and speculative flows, were rocked by a fresh selloff on ‌Thursday, ⁠which saw silver ‌falling as much as 16.6% to a low of $73.41.

The Nasdaq Composite has fallen 2.9% during the past two days, its biggest slide since October, with volatility triggered by market bellwethers including Google parent Alphabet , which reported aggressive spending plans on Wednesday, and a rout in software stocks as they adapt to a new era of generative AI.

Against the yen, the US dollar was trading at 156.81 yen, holding steady after an auction of 30-year Japanese government bonds drew solid demand, while Japan's election campaign entered its final stretch ahead of Sunday's poll.

The euro ⁠was last down 0.2% at $1.1790 ahead of the ECB decision, where it is expected to keep rates on hold. Investors' attention will be ‌focused on the post-policy press conference to gauge the outlook for ‍rates over the coming months.

"The emphasis will likely ‍be on higher uncertainty," with only minor tweaks in communication, according to analysts from Bank of America, ‍who expect the ECB to hold rates later in the day. "Our conviction in a March cut is not rock solid, but we remain convinced of an easing bias from here."

The British pound was last down 0.2% at $1.3621 ahead of the BoE's policy decision, at which it is also expected to remain on hold.

As the Asian trading session began, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook said in a speech she is more concerned about stalled progress on inflation than a weakening labor market, a strong signal that she will ⁠not support another interest-rate cut until tariff-induced price pressures begin to recede.

Fed funds futures are pricing an implied 88% probability that the US central bank will hold rates at its next two-day meeting ending on March 18, though bets on a rate cut edged up to 12% from 9.4% a day earlier, according to the CME Group's FedWatch tool.

Against the offshore yuan, the US dollar was last flat at 6.9439 yuan following a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in which they discussed trade, security issues and US arms sales to Taiwan.

Antipodean currencies, which often mirror global risk appetite, saw their strength fade during the trading session as investor confidence dimmed.

The Australian dollar fell 0.4% to $0.6968, giving up earlier gains following the release of trade balance data which was a little ahead of market estimates. The New Zealand dollar was last down ‌0.3% at $0.5986.

Cryptocurrencies extended losses after a selloff, which saw digital assets fall to the lowest since November 2024, with bitcoin tumbling as much as 3.54% to $70,052.48, and ether off 1.3% at $2,098.44.


Gold, Silver Plunge on Firm Dollar, Broad Market Selloff

Silver bars weighing 500 grams are displayed at the Austrian Gold and Silver Refinery (Oegussa) in Vienna, Austria, on February 3, 2026. (Photo by GEORG HOCHMUTH / APA / AFP) / Austria OUT
Silver bars weighing 500 grams are displayed at the Austrian Gold and Silver Refinery (Oegussa) in Vienna, Austria, on February 3, 2026. (Photo by GEORG HOCHMUTH / APA / AFP) / Austria OUT
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Gold, Silver Plunge on Firm Dollar, Broad Market Selloff

Silver bars weighing 500 grams are displayed at the Austrian Gold and Silver Refinery (Oegussa) in Vienna, Austria, on February 3, 2026. (Photo by GEORG HOCHMUTH / APA / AFP) / Austria OUT
Silver bars weighing 500 grams are displayed at the Austrian Gold and Silver Refinery (Oegussa) in Vienna, Austria, on February 3, 2026. (Photo by GEORG HOCHMUTH / APA / AFP) / Austria OUT

Gold and silver prices fell sharply in a broader market selloff on Thursday, as an advance in the dollar to a near two-week high and signs of easing US-China trade tensions added further pressure on the precious metals. Spot gold declined 2.5% at $4,838.81 per ounce, as of 0535 GMT, retreating from a near one-week high hit earlier ‌in the session. US gold ‌futures for April delivery dropped 1.9% ‌to $4,855.60 ⁠per ounce.

"The ‌dollar received a new lease of life with the (Kevin) Warsh nomination (as Federal Reserve chief), and the currency has been able to keep making forward progress ... traders are more circumspect now on gold in light of recent extreme volatility," Tim Waterer, KCM chief trade analyst, said.

The dollar rose to a near two-week high on Thursday, making greenback-priced gold more expensive ⁠for other currency holders.

"Sentiment (has) turned soggy across most asset classes, including precious metals, cryptocurrencies and regional equities, ‌with losses feeding into one another ‍and creating a self-reinforcing feedback loop ‍amid thin market liquidity," said Christopher Wong, a strategist at OCBC.

Asia ‍stocks faltered, tracking their US peers as concerns about the exploding costs of AI investment hounded the tech sector. Spot silver plummeted 14.9% to $74.94 an ounce. Last week, the precious metal touched a record high of $121.64.

"The industrial demand has vanished at the higher levels. Most of the industrial buyers have stopped buying silver, and even solar panel producers ⁠in China are looking for alternatives," Shah added. On the geopolitical front, Iran and the US have agreed to hold talks in Oman on Friday, officials on both sides said. China is considering buying more US-farmed soybeans, US President Donald Trump said after what he called "very positive" talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Wednesday.

"If you remove geopolitical tensions and the de-dollarization trend for the time being ... the metals have little room to run," said Kunal Shah, head of research at Nirmal Bang Commodities in Mumbai. Spot platinum slumped 8.7% to $2,033.35 per ounce after hitting ‌an all-time high of $2,918.80 on January 26, while palladium shed 5.8% to $1,672.00.


Oil Falls Over $1 on Easing Supply Concerns after US, Iran Agree to Talks

The sun rises behind the Tishrin oil field in the eastern Hasakah countryside, northeastern Syria (AP)
The sun rises behind the Tishrin oil field in the eastern Hasakah countryside, northeastern Syria (AP)
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Oil Falls Over $1 on Easing Supply Concerns after US, Iran Agree to Talks

The sun rises behind the Tishrin oil field in the eastern Hasakah countryside, northeastern Syria (AP)
The sun rises behind the Tishrin oil field in the eastern Hasakah countryside, northeastern Syria (AP)

Oil prices fell more than $1 a barrel on Thursday after the US and Iran agreed to hold talks in Oman on Friday, easing concerns that a potential military conflict between them could disrupt supplies from the key Middle East producing region.

Brent crude futures fell $1.31, or 1.89%, to $68.15 per barrel at 0714 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude prices fell $1.24, or 1.90%, to trade at $63.90.

Oil prices surged about 3% on Wednesday ‌after a media ‌report suggested the planned talks between the US ‌and ⁠Iran on Friday could ‌collapse. However, later in the day, officials from both sides said talks would go ahead on Friday though the topics up for discussion have not been settled, Reuters said.

"The oil price has erased part of the geopolitical risk premium on the news of US-Iran talks in Oman on Friday," said Mukesh Sahdev, CEO of energy consultancy XAnalysts.

The two sides remain far apart on what the talks should include, according ⁠to officials from both sides. Iran is open to discussing its nuclear program, including uranium enrichment, with ‌Western countries, while the US also wants to ‍include Iran's ballistic missiles, its support ‍for armed proxy groups around the Middle East and its treatment of ‍its own people.

"It is likely that these talks will surface new differences, and the risk premium will rise again soon," Sahdev said.

Despite the upcoming talks, there are concerns US President Donald Trump will still carry out his threats to strike Iran, the fourth-largest producer among the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, potentially risking a wider confrontation in the oil-rich region.

Strength in the US dollar and volatility in precious metals also weighed on commodities and risk sentiment more broadly on Thursday, analysts said.

Meanwhile, data from the Energy Information Administration on Wednesday showed oil inventories declined last week in the US, the world's biggest crude ‌producer and consumer, after a winter storm gripped large swathes of the country.