Following the recent publication of the minutes of the FOMC meeting there are renewed expectations of another stimulus plan. In the meantime, many commodities traded in a mixed trend on Wednesday: crude oil price (WTI) increased again while Brent oil edged down; gold also slipped while silver prices rose on Wednesday – this was the third consecutive day in which silver rose; natural gas Henry Hub future (September delivery) increased while spot prices remained unchanged on Wednesday; The Euro increased again on Wednesday. Several exchange rates including the Aussie dollar also appreciated against USD.
Here is a summary of the daily changes in precious metals and energy commodities for August 22nd, 2012:
Forex and Bullion Markets:
Gold edged down by 0.15% to $1,640.5; Silver rose by 0.43% to reach $29.64. During the month, gold increased by 1.6%; silver, by 6.19%.
The Euro/USD also rose by 0.45% to 1.2529; further, the U.S Dollar also depreciated against several other currencies including Aussie dollar by 0.17%.
Energy Commodities:
WTI oil price rose again yesterday by 0.6% to $96.98 per barrel;
Brent oil slipped by 0.3% to $115.97 per barrel;
Following these changes, the difference between Brent and WTI declined to $18.99/bbl. During the month, WTI increased by 10.13% and Brent oil by 9.5%.
Finally, the Henry Hub future (September delivery) rose by 1.8% to $2.83/mmbtu; the Henry Hub spot remained unchanged at $2.8/mmbtu; the difference between the spot reached $0.03, Contango.
A Summary for August 22nd:
The table below includes: closing prices, daily percent changes, and daily changes:
For further reading: