... Market Expectations and Investor Sentiment Ahead of trading on July 30, investor sentiment can be characterized as cautiously optimistic. Despite numerous sources of uncertainty (the concluding Fed meeting, a packed corporate earnings report calendar, geopolitical risks), the US stock market displays notable resilience. Indices have approached historical highs, and the VIX volatility index remains in relative low “calm” ranges. This indicates that market participants are not preemptively pricing in negativity—rather,...

... stable range in the near term. The US dollar is trading around 78–82 rubles, while the euro is in the corridor of 92–97 rubles. Among the negative factors for the ruble are the seasonal increase in demand for foreign currency in summer and persistent geopolitical risks that heighten interest in savings in stable currencies. At the same time, the ruble is supported by high oil prices, Ministry of Finance currency sales under the budget rule, as well as the elevated key interest rate set by the Bank of Russia (18% ...

... analysis of the current situation and forecasts for the future development of the oil industry. At the turn of July and August, geopolitics once again took center stage in the oil market. The political crisis in Venezuela coincided with another round of ... ... service companies (Weatherford, Schlumberger, Halliburton, Baker Hughes). Not About Prices, But About Competition The risks of a decline in production in Iran and Venezuela are largely offset by the upcoming easing of OPEC+ quotas. According to ...

...,340–3,350, which is 0.5–1% below recent peaks. The pressure on the precious metal was fueled by increased investor interest in risk assets and a moderate strengthening of the US dollar amidst optimism regarding trade. Furthermore, strong employment data ... ... fundamental factors supporting gold remain unchanged. Inflation in Western economies still exceeds central banks' target benchmarks, geopolitical tensions remain high, and central banks could shift toward a softer policy if economic growth slows. In such an environment,...

... directly intervene in the current conflict, the expert speculates. Blokhin from Alpha Bank notes that even before the onset of the current conflict, China—a key trading partner of Iran—significantly reduced its imports of Iranian oil amid rising geopolitical risks. Iran exports about 1.7 million barrels of crude oil per day, constituting less than 2% of global consumption. According to the analytics firm Kpler, over 90% of Iran’s oil exports go to China, with most being purchased by small private refineries ...