Oil settled nearly $1 lower as Trump-Putin talks loom
(Reuters) - Oil prices closed down nearly $1 on Friday...
(Reuters) - Oil prices closed down nearly $1 on Friday as traders awaited talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, which could lead to an easing of the sanctions imposed on Moscow over the war in Ukraine.
Brent crude futures settled 99 cents lower at $65.85 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures eased $1.16 lowerat $62.80 a barrel.
Trump arrived in Alaska on Friday for his summit with Putin after saying he wants to see a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine "today."
Trump has said he believes Russia is prepared to end the war, but he has also threatened to impose secondary sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil if there is no progress with peace talks.
Putin also arrived in Anchorage. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia expects the talks to bring results, Russia's Interfax news agency reported.
"If a ceasefire announcement is made, it will be taken as a negative to crude near-term," Kissler added.
For the week, WTI dropped 1.7%, while Brent eased 1.1%.
Weaker economic data from China, meanwhile, raised concerns over fuel demand.
Dow misses record close, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq fall but tally weekly gains
U.S. stocks finished mostly lower on Friday, as the S&P...
U.S. stocks finished mostly lower on Friday, as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq slipped at the end of what was otherwise a strong week on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished higher, but missed what would have been its first record close of 2025. However, the blue-chip gauge tallied a fresh intraday high earlier, its first of the year.
Here's where stocks ended, according to preliminary closing levels from FactSet:
The S&P 500 fell by 18.75 points, or 0.3%, at 6,449.80.
The Nasdaq Composite shed 87.69 points, or 0.4%, to 21,622.98.
The Dow gained 34.86 points, or 0.1%, at 44,946.12.
Erin Becomes the Atlantic’s First Hurricane This Year
Erin became the...
Erin became the first hurricane of this year’s Atlantic season on Friday, and it’s expected to continue growing stronger over the next few days, potentially even as strong as a Category 4.
The hurricane is expected to bring heavy rain and strong winds as it passes north of the Caribbean islands over the weekend. And forecasters on Friday began to have a clearer picture of where they expect it to go after that, saying the likelihood of direct effects on the East Coast of the United States are “gradually decreasing.”
US liquefied natural gas exports climbed by 22% year-over-year to a record...
US liquefied natural gas exports climbed by 22% year-over-year to a record 76 million short tons in the first eight months of 2025, with strong European demand offsetting weaker Asian imports. Although industrial and commercial gas use has increased, electric power generators have reduced consumption due to higher prices. Looking ahead, gas demand from LNG facilities is expected to grow far faster than other segments and remain the driving force of market sentiment, likely keeping domestic prices elevated even if residential and office use declines.
The eyes of the world are on out-of-the-way Anchorage, Alaska, 🌦️...
The eyes of the world are on out-of-the-way Anchorage, Alaska, 🌦️ where President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be holding a high-stakes summit later today. Anchorage isn’t used to being in the spotlight (and its residents are in a tizzy), so here are some facts to get you acquainted with Alaska’s most populous city:
It’s huge…in terms of area. The Municipality of Anchorage is 1,961.1 square miles, bigger than the state of Rhode Island.
Further north than Oslo, Stockholm, and Saint Petersburg, Russia, Anchorage can get 22 hours of daylight in peak summer.
In 2012, outdoors-loving Anchorage was named the worst-dressed city in the US in a Travel and Leisure magazine survey…but that was before wearing Carhartt was cool.