Copper Market Update

May copper HGK5, +0.16%  added a penny to $2.78 a pound. April platinum PLJ5, -1.22%  fell $12.40, or 1%, to $1,131.20 an ounce. 

June palladium PAM5, +0.40%  rose 1 cent to $742.45 an ounce, after losing around 4.9% last week.

Iran talks keep crude-oil futures under pressure in Asia

Talks over a possible relaxation of sanctions against Iran that may increase global oil supplies kept crude-oil futures near a week’s low Monday, while a supply disruption due to Saudi airstrikes on Yemen looked increasingly unlikely.

light, sweet crude futures for delivery in May CLK5, -1.45%   traded at $48.09 a barrel, down 86 cents, or 1.8%, in the Globex electronic session. May Brent crude LCOK5, -0.69%  on London’s ICE Futures exchange was down 56 cents, or 1%, to $55.86 a barrel.

Gold loses ground again as data anticipation builds

Gold bid farewell to a nice win streak to end last week and on Monday, losses looked set to build as equities drew buyers, pushing the precious metal lower.

Gold for April delivery GCJ5, -0.95%  shed $11.30, or 1%, to $1,188.30 an ounce. May silver SIK5, -1.63%  lost 29 cents, or 1.7%, to $16.78 an ounce.

Silver Market Update

May silver SIK5, -0.99%  settled down 7.1 cents, or 0.4%, at $17.069 an ounce, leaving it with a weekly gain of 1.1%.

May copper HGK5, -1.65%  dropped 4.35 cents, or 1.6%, to $2.7675 a pound — up roughly 0.2% for the week. April platinum PLJ5, -1.19%  fell $10.40, or 0.9%, to $1,143.60 an ounce — 0.2% higher from the week-ago settlement. 

June palladium PAM5, -4.62%  gave up $32.35, or 4.2%, to $741 an ounce, losing around 4.9% for the week.

Gas Market Update

April natural gas NGJ15, -2.81%  fell 8.2 cents, or 3.1%, to $2.59 per million British thermal units, with the contract down 7% for the week. The April contract expired at the close of Nymex trading.

Gasoline Market Update

April gasoline RBJ5, -4.55%  settled at $1.798 a gallon, down 8.4 cents, or 4.5%. It was about flat for the week. April heating oil HOJ5, -3.07%  fell 6 cents, or 3.4%, to $1.7275 a gallon—down about 0.4% on the week.

Oil surrenders some Yemen-related gains, still up 5% on week

Oil futures settled lower on Friday for the first time in six sessions but still gained about 5% for the week, with strength fueled in part by an escalating conflict in Yemen.

West Texas Intermediate crude for delivery in May CLK5, -5.83%  settled at $48.87 a barrel, down $2.56, or 5% on the New York Mercantile Exchange, with the front-month contract ending about 4.9% higher for the week following a 4.5% jump on Thursday.

May Brent crude on London’s ICE Futures exchange LCOK5, -5.19%  fell $2.78, or 4.7%, to $56.41 a barrel, leaving it with a weekly gain of around 2%.

Gold logs first fall in 8 sessions

Gold futures settled with a loss on Friday, putting an end to a seven-session stretch of gains that had lifted prices to their highest level in more than three weeks.

Gold for April delivery GCJ5, -0.54%  shed $5, or 0.4%, to settle at $1,199.80 an ounce Friday on Comex. During their seven-session climb, gold futures tallied a total gain of 4.9%. For the week, prices gained 1.3%.

Oil prices ease as market downplays supply threat from Yemen

Oil prices fell over a percentage point on Friday as traders estimated that the threat of a disruption to world crude supplies from Saudi Arabia-led air strikes in Yemen was low.

Goldman Sachs said in an overnight note that the strikes in Yemen would have little effect on oil supplies as the country was only a small crude exporter and tankers could avoid passing its waters to reach their ports of destination.

Internationally traded Brent crude futures were trading at $58.44 a barrel at 0211 GMT, down 75 cents from their last settlement. U.S. crude was down 88 cents at $50.55 a barrel.

Gas Market Update

April natural gas NGJ15, -0.64%  turned lower to trade at $2.666 per million British thermal units, down 5.7 cents, or 2.1%. The EIA reported Thursday an increase of 12 billion cubic feet in last week’s natural-gas supplies. Analysts polled by Platts forecast a rise of 12 to 16 billion cubic feet.

Silver Market Update

May silver SIK5, -0.53%  added 14 cents, or 0.8%, to end at $17.14 an ounce.

April gasoline RBJ5, -1.39%  traded at $1.862 a gallon, up 2.6 cents, or 1.4%, while April heating oil added 4.1 cents, or 2.4%, to $1.769 a gallon.

Copper Market Update

 

May copper HGK5, -1.09%  rose 1.9 cents, or 0.1%, to $2.811 a pound. 

April platinum PLJ5, -0.26%  tacked on $7.50, or 0.7%, to $1,154 an ounce.

June palladium PAM5, -0.72%  rose $7.95, or 1%, to $773.35 an ounce.

Oil races past $50 amid Saudi airstrikes in Yemen

Oil futures jumped past $50 a barrel on Thursday, headed for their fifth straight daily gain as Saudi Arabian airstrikes in Yemen raised fresh concerns over potential disruptions to crude supplies.

May crude CLK5, -2.00%  climbed 98 cents, or 2%, to $50.19 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It hit an intraday high of $52.48 a barrel, according to FactSet data.

May Brent crude LCOK5, -1.61%  on London’s ICE Futures exchange rose $1.70, or 3%, to $58.18 a barrel.

Gold marks highest settlement since early March

Gold futures rallied past $1,200 an ounce on Thursday to settle at their highest level since early March as investors backed away from riskier assets amid a selloff for global equities and increased tension in the Middle East.

Gold for April delivery GCJ5, -0.26%  climbed $7.80, or 0.7%, to settle at $1,204.80 an ounce on Comex. Prices have now climbed for seven sessions in a row, tallying a total gain of 4.9% during their streak of gains.

Platinum Market Update

April platinum PLJ5, +0.30%  gained $5 to end at $1,146.50 an ounce.

June palladium PAM5, +0.31%  rose $1.70 to $765.40 an ounce.

May copper HGK5, +0.50%  fell 1 cent to $2.79 a pound.

Gas Market Update

April natural gas NGJ15, +0.44%  continued lower, settling at $2.723 per million British thermal units, down 6.3 cents, or 2.3%, after climbing 1.9% a day earlier.

Gasoline Market Update

April gasoline RBJ5, +1.21%  settled up 3.7 cents, or 2%, at $1.837 a gallon.

April heating oil HOJ5, +1.61%  added 2.2 cents, or 1.3%, to $1.728 a gallon.

May silver SIK5, +0.09%  rose 2 cents, or 0.1%, to settle at $17 an ounce.

Oil ends at more than 2-week high on Middle East turmoil

Oil futures settled above $49 a barrel on Wednesday, at their highest level in more than two weeks, with turmoil in Yemen raising concerns over crude supplies in the Middle East.

crude for delivery in May CLK5, +3.54%  settled at $49.21 a barrel, up $1.70, or 3.6%. Prices had been trading around $48.23 shortly before the supply data, pared gains after it, then spiked higher just over an hour before the scheduled close of trading on Nymex. The settlement was the highest for a front-month contract since March 9.

May Brent crude LCOK5, +2.64%  on London’s ICE Futures exchange rallied $1.37, or 2.5%, to $56.48 a barrel.

Gold nears $1,200 in 6-day winning streak

Gold futures rebounded from early weakness and posted a sixth straight winning session on Wednesday after an unexpected drop in February durable-goods orders.

Gold for April delivery GCJ5, +0.16%  rose $5.60, or 0.5%, to close at $1,197 an ounce on Comex after tapping an intraday high of $1,199.30. The close was the highest since March 4.

Platinum Market Update

April platinum PLJ5, -0.24%  settled up $3.30, or 0.3%, at $1,144.50 an ounce, while June palladium PAM5, +0.23%  fell $8.40, or 1.1%, to $770.70 an ounce.

May copper HGK5, +0.02%  tacked on 2.85 cents, or 1%, to $2.7895 a pound.