DBT Bureau
Pune, 17 Jan 2026
Geojit Investments said in its latest commodities report that bullion prices paused near record highs as easing geopolitical concerns and a softer tone from the U.S. administration reduced safe-haven demand, while oil prices steadied on supply risks and industrial metals reflected weakening demand trends.
- The international spot prices of both gold and silver paused just below its record peak, as a seemingly softer stance from U.S. President Donald Trump toward the Federal Reserve chair and Iran dent safe have appeal in bullion.
- U.S. CPI data showed inflation holding relatively steady at 2.7% annually. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump welcomed the figures and renewed his call for Fed Chair Jerome Powell to implement “meaningful” interest rate cuts.
- U.S. job growth slowed in December 2025, with payrolls rising by just 50,000, falling short of expectations and November’s figure. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate eased to 4.4%, signaling a cooling labor market that could reinforce concerns over economic momentum and weigh on investor risk appetite.
- Crude oil prices edged up after previous session’s fall as market participants weighed concerns about supply risks, though the chances of a U.S. strike on Iran have receded.
- Meanwhile, the U.S. President announced that any country conducting business with Iran will face a 25% tariff on trade with the United States. Iran, a major oil exporter, ships a significant portion of its crude oil to China.
- China’s unwrought copper imports in 2025 fell to the lowest level since 2020, as high prices weighed on demand. The top consumer imported 5.32 million metric tonnes of unwrought copper in 2025, down 6.4% from 2024, the lowest since record-high imports in 2020. December imports increased 2.3% to 437,000 tons compared with November.
- NYMEX natural gas prices perked up today, after falling to a 12-week low in the previous session on a drop in preliminary gas flows to liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plants in Texas.
