Saudi Arabia, Russia Stress Commitment to OPEC+ Decision on Oil Output Cuts

Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman meets with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak in Riyadh. SPA
Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman meets with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak in Riyadh. SPA
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Saudi Arabia, Russia Stress Commitment to OPEC+ Decision on Oil Output Cuts

Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman meets with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak in Riyadh. SPA
Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman meets with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak in Riyadh. SPA

Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman met in Riyadh on Thursday with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak who is visiting the Kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

They discussed global oil markets and the efforts of OPEC+ to promote market stability, SPA said.

They also stressed their countries’ commitment to the decision made by OPEC+ last October to reduce oil production by 2 million b/d until the end of 2023, and continuing Saudi-Russian cooperation within the OPEC+ framework to enhance global oil market stability.

The Saudi Energy Minister and the Russian Deputy PM discussed the preparations for the next meeting of the Joint Saudi-Russian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation, SPA said.

They also discussed ways of developing and strengthening Saudi-Russian relations in serving the interests of both countries within the scope of the committee’s work, the news agency added.



Gold Edges Up on Softer Dollar; Focus on US Inflation Data

Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
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Gold Edges Up on Softer Dollar; Focus on US Inflation Data

Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo

Gold prices inched up on Wednesday as the US dollar eased, while investors' focus shifted to key inflation data from the world's biggest economy for cues on the likely scale of a Federal Reserve rate cut next month.
Spot gold rose 0.3% to $2,639.30 per ounce, as of 0523 GMT. Bullion hit an over one-week low on Tuesday.
US gold futures rose 0.7% to $2,639.40.
The dollar index was down 0.1%, boosting gold's appeal for holders of other currencies. The greenback fell to a near one-week low on Tuesday.
"Gold has been fluctuating alongside dollar volatility. However, in the Asian session, the price movement has been marginal," said Kyle Rodda, financial market analyst at Capital.com.
"In the long run, I think Trump's trade war may be positive for gold because of higher debt loads and a touch of dedollarization," Rodda said.
Investors digested a handful of economic data on Tuesday indicating the economy remained on solid footing.
Traders will now closely monitor core PCE figures, initial jobless claims and GDP (first revision), set for release later in the day.
Markets currently see a 63% chance of a 25-basis-point rate cut by the Fed in December, as per the CME group's FedWatch tool.
Trump's appointments and policies that pressure the Fed, increase deficits, escalate tariffs, or raise concerns about US financial sustainability could collectively support gold prices, said Daan Struyven, co-head of global commodities research at Goldman Sachs.
Elsewhere, China's net gold imports via Hong Kong in October fell from September and were down 43% from the previous year, data showed.
On the geopolitical front, US-France brokered ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed group Hezbollah took effect at 0200 GMT on Wednesday.
Spot silver edged 0.2% higher to $30.47 per ounce, platinum fell 0.1% to $926.74 and palladium added 0.3% to $980.55