Gold and Oil achieve standard gains amid the storm of customs duties

An economic report said: Gold and oil prices have recorded record levels driven by geopolitical concerns, while witnessing severe fluctuations as a result of the escalation of trade tensions and a new imposition by the United States of America.
According to the report, stock indicators in America and Europe increased with the support of temporary exemptions, amid accelerating political and economic moves.
On the other hand, the currency markets and American treasury bonds witnessed remarkable fluctuations, in light of the escalation of inflationary expectations and wasting financial disturbances.

Basic commodities

Oil prices rose, as Brent crude exceeded $ 65, and West Texas Intermediate crude approached $ 62.

This comes with the anticipation of the markets for the developments of the American trade war and the possibility of easing sanctions on Iranian crude.
Gold remained near its standard levels at $ 3,211 an ounce, after its climax recorded over 3245 dollars, amid US customs duties.

The copper increased by 0.4% to 9187 dollars per ton on the London Metal Stock Exchange after customs exemptions that strengthened morale in the market. Nickel also increased by 1.5%, while aluminum declined.

Overal economy

US President Donald Trump has announced plans to impose customs duties on imported drugs soon, stressing that the United States does not produce its medicines locally.
Trump reiterated his accusation of the European Union of exploiting the United States, stressing the need for the Europeans to negotiate, which are currently trying to do.
The UK’s retail sales increased by 0.9% in March 2025, outperforing 0.5% expectations.
The unusual warm weather, along with the occasion of Mother’s Day, contributed to stimulating spending on garden supplies, home maintenance equipment, foodstuffs, and health products. As food sales grew by 1.6%, while non -food commodity sales increased by 0.6%.
American consumers’ expectations for inflation increased over the next year to 3.6% in March 2025, compared to 3.1% in February.
Expectations of food prices, health care, and rents increased, while expectations related to fuel prices, university education, and real estate prices have declined.
The inflation expectations stabilized over three years at 3%, while the five -year expectations fell to 2.9%.
China’s exports recorded a growth of 12.4% year on an annual basis to $ 313.9 billion in March 2025, bypassing the 4.4% expectations, and raised from 2.3% during the period from January to February.
This is the fastest growth rate since last October, and it is likely that it will be the result of increasing shipments before entering into new American customs duties. The exports of the first quarter of the year amounted to 853.7 billion dollars, an annual increase of 5.8%.

Global stocks

The United States: American stocks rose on Monday after a volatile week, and investors welcomed temporary exemptions from customs duties.
The Standard & Poor’s 500 and Dow Jones index rose by about 0.8%, while Nasdak rose by 0.6%.
The early rise began due to a temporary stop of the new customs duties on technical products, although President Trump later made it clear that these products are still subject to the current 20%fentanel fees.
The shares of Apple and Dell increased by 2.2% and 4%, respectively. Car manufacturing companies also witnessed noticeable gains after Trump’s hint that the 25%customs duties can be reduced, giving manufacturers more time to transfer production to the United States.

The shares of Ford, GM, Stilance and Rivian rose between 3%and 6%, while Tesla achieved a slight increase, and Toyota and Honda added more than 1%. Goldman Sachs increased by 1.9% with the support of strong quarterly profits.
Europe: European stocks jumped on Monday after President Trump’s decision temporarily suspending customs duties on computers and consumer electronics.
The Stoxx 50 increased by 2.4% to 4,901 points, while Stoxus 600 rose by 2.6% to 499.5 points.
Freezing includes the basic tariff of 10% on all countries, while the 20% fees on Chinese goods remain in place.
Trump confirmed that the fees on phones, computers, and electronics are still valid, with an upcoming announcement of the details of semiconductor fees. The banks and insurance companies have led the gains, as the shares of BNB Baybas, Uni Cryett, Standard, and Munich Rai increased by 4% and 6.5%. The shares of the MLH Mott Hennessy increased by 1% before the announcement of revenues.
Hong Kong: The Hang Singh Index increased by 503 points, or 2.4%, to close at 21,417 points on Monday, the highest closing level in two months, and the second climb session in a row.
The widespread purchases, especially in the technology sector, have strengthened the morale after the Trump administration granted customs customs exceptions, most of which are Chinese imports.
Beijing’s procedures to support local markets, including imposing a maximum on net daily sales worth 50 million yuan by hedge funds and large individual investors, contributed to raising morale.
The Chinese trade surplus jumped in March, driven by high exports and imports. The BIC ACS shares rose 2.7% with support from positive profit expectations.

Currency markets

The US dollar started with volatile trading, as the dollar index fell below 100 after the US administration announced customs exemptions on smartphones and electronics. However, Trump later explained that these commodities are still being subject to 20%fentian fees.

The euro was slightly weak after its failure to maintain temporary gains near the level of 1.14, in light of the visit of European Commercial Commissioner Sevkovic to Washington with the aim of reaching a “zero -zero” agreement on industrial goods.

The British pound rose close to the level of 1.32 against the dollar, before facing technical resistance, amid the anticipation of the markets for British jobs and wages.
The Japanese yen recorded several fluctuations, and rose against the dollar after the dollar / yen fell from a fast test of the level of 144. The Governor of the Bank of Japan, Kazu Uida, pointed to the increasing state of uncertainty in the American and Japanese economies as a result of American customs duties policies, which may pose severe pressure on both economies.
The Swiss franc declined, and the pair of the Swiss dollar/ the franc rose by 0.8260 compared to 0.8120, without a clear cause. The deposits increased by the Swiss Central Bank for the week ending April 11, as local bank deposits reached 438.374 billion francs, and the total 446.94 billion.
The New Zealand dollar rose to $ 0.584, its highest level since last December, driven by the weakness of the US dollar and improving the appetite for risk. The Australian dollar also rose to $ 0.63 with the support of Trump’s customs exemptions on basic technology products.

Treasury bonds

The US Treasury bonds witnessed a great recovery after a five -day sale, with revenue drop near their lowest daily levels, especially in the middle slides.

The bonds surpassed the exchange contracts, which reflects a state of stability in the markets. US Treasury Secretary Scott Besent stated that concerns about the sale of treasury assets by foreign parties are baseless, stressing that the ministry is ready to intervene to control any possible imbalances.