(Reuters) - Oil largely held steady on Friday as markets...
(Reuters) - Oil largely held steady on Friday as markets awaited a meeting in coming days between Russian president Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump, but prices marked their steepest weekly losses since late June on a tariff-hit economic outlook.
Brent crude futures settled 16 centshigherat $66.59 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futureswere unchanged at $63.88.
For the week, Brent fell 4.4% while WTI finished 5.1% lower than last Friday's close.
U.S. crude had fallen over 1% after reports that Washington and Moscow were aiming to reach a deal to halt the war in Ukraine that would lock in Russia's occupation of territory seized during its military invasion, Bloomberg News reported on Friday.
U.S. and Russian officials are working towards an agreement on territories for a planned summit meeting between Trump and Putin as early as next week, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.
The potential meeting raises expectations of a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine, which could lead to eased sanctions on Russia, and comes as trade tensions have been on the rise between Trump and buyers of Russian oil.
Nasdaq seals fresh record close, Dow and S&P 500 end higher to finish the week
U.S. stocks ended higher Friday, with the Nasdaq Composite...
U.S. stocks ended higher Friday, with the Nasdaq Composite finishing at a record peak to close out the week with gains amid optimism over resilient corporate earnings.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 206.97 points, or 0.5%, to close at 44,175.61.
The S&P 500 gained 49.45 points, or 0.8%, to end at 6,389.45, just shy of its record closing high of 6,389.77 on July 28.
The Nasdaq rallied 207.32 points, or a sharp 1%, to finish at 21,450.02.
“Equity markets delivered an impressive rebound from last week’s decline, with investors shrugging off labor market worries and a fresh round of tariffs,” said Mark Hackett, chief market strategist at Nationwide, in emailed comments Friday. He pointed to “resilient” corporate earnings and the prospect of interest-rate cuts by the Federal Reserve as offsetting concerns about cracks in the U.S. labor market.
For the week, the Dow rose 1.3%, the S&P 500 gained 2.4% and the technology-heavy Nasdaq climbed 3.9%, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
Oilfield theft is surging in Texas, with criminals targeting everything...
Oilfield theft is surging in Texas, with criminals targeting everything from crude oil in storage tanks to entire derricks, inflicting millions in losses on operators. Railroad Commission of Texas Chairman Jim Wright says thieves are even using internal RRC data to time their heists. In response, the Texas Legislature has passed bills to establish a theft task force, upgrade certain offenses to felonies and authorize inspections of suspicious crude shipments.
Israeli security cabinet approved military takeover of Gaza City
Early Friday morning, following a 10-hour meeting, Israeli Prime Minister...
Early Friday morning, following a 10-hour meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released a statement announcing that a majority of his security cabinet backed his proposal to take over Gaza City. Until this point, Israel has controlled about 75% of the Gaza Strip in its war against Hamas, but the Israel Defense Forces largely avoided ground strikes in Gaza City because it believes that is where Hamas is holding the 20 surviving Israeli hostages. Hamas has previously threatened to execute the captives rather than see them rescued. Families of the hostages have protested against military expansion in Gaza. The statement from the PM’s office said that most security cabinet ministers rejected an alternative plan put forward by the military because they believed it “would neither achieve the defeat of Hamas nor the return of the hostages.”
Trump will nominate Stephen Miran to fill Fed vacancy.
On Truth Social, the president said Miran, the current chairman of the...
On Truth Social, the president said Miran, the current chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, would serve in the seat on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors vacated by Adriana Kugler, until the term expires on January 31, 2026. Trump wrote, “In the meantime, we will continue to search for a permanent replacement,” suggesting that Miran was not a shoo-in for a full 14-year term on the board beyond this caretaking period. Miran has been a critic of Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The selection may raise concerns about political influence over the Federal Reserve, which has typically operated with independence in the modern era. Miran will require Senate confirmation to assume the role, which is not expected before September.