FUNDAMENTALS * Spot gold was little changed at $4,715.42 per ounce by 0052 GMT. U.S. gold futures for June delivery fell 0.8% to $4,739.20. * Israel pounded Lebanon with its heaviest strikes yet on Wednesday, killing hundreds of people and drawing a threat of retaliation from Iran, which suggested it would be "unreasonable" to proceed with talks to forge a permanent peace deal with the U.S. * The comments from Iran's lead negotiator and parliament speaker, Mohammed Bager Qalibaf, laid bare the persistent volatility in the region despite a ceasefire announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday. * Spot gold has declined more than 10% since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28, as higher energy prices fuelled inflation concerns and prompted investors to scale back rate-cut hopes. * Minutesfrom the Federal Reserve's March 17-18 meeting showed a growing number of policymakers felt rate hikes could be needed to rein in inflation that continued to exceed the central bank's 2% target, particularly in light of the Iran war. * Investors are now waiting for the Personal Consumption Expenditures data for February and the weekly jobless claims data due later in the day for additional clues on the Fed's policy path. * "Beyond near-term liquidity needs, we expect gold to continue to rebuild its gains in the coming months amid heightened geopolitical risk," Standard Chartered said on Wednesday. * Among other metals, spot silver fell 0.4% to $73.83 per ounce, platinum lost 0.2% to $2,025.75, while palladium firmed 0.3% to $1,559.29. DATA/EVENTS (GMT) 0600 Germany Industrial Output MM Feb 0600 Germany Industrial production YY SA Feb 0900 Germany Overall Comprehensive Risk Q2 0900 France Overall Comprehensive Risk Q2 0900 UK Overall Comprehensive Risk Q2 1230 US Consumption, Adjusted MM Feb 1230 US Core PCE Price Index MM, YY Feb 1230 US PCE Price Indec MM, YY Feb 1230 US GDP Final Q4 1230 US Initial Jobless Clm April 4 (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel) (What's moving Sensex and Nifty Track latest market news, stock tips, Budget 2025, Share Market on Budget 2025 and expert advice, on ETMarkets. Also, ETMarkets.com is now on Telegram. For fastest news alerts on financial markets, investment strategies and stocks alerts, subscribe to our Telegram feeds .) Subscribe to ET Prime and read the Economic Times ePaper Online.and Sensex Today. Top Trending Stocks: SBI Share Price, Axis Bank Share Price, HDFC Bank Share Price, Infosys Share Price, Wipro Share Price, NTPC Share Price (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel) (What's moving Sensex and Nifty Track latest market news, stock tips, Budget 2025, Share Market on Budget 2025 and expert advice, on ETMarkets. Also, ETMarkets.com is now on Telegram. For fastest news alerts on financial markets, investment strategies and stocks alerts, subscribe to our Telegram feeds .) Subscribe to ET Prime and read the Economic Times ePaper Online.and Sensex Today. Top Trending Stocks: SBI Share Price, Axis Bank Share Price, HDFC Bank Share Price, Infosys Share Price, Wipro Share Price, NTPC Share Price
FUNDAMENTALS * Spot gold was little changed at $4,715.42 per ounce by 0052 GMT. U.S. gold futures for June delivery fell 0.8% to $4,739.20. * Israel pounded Lebanon with its heaviest strikes yet on Wednesday, killing hundreds of people and drawing a threat of retaliation from Ira…
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Vice President JD Vance downplayed the scope of the conflict in Iran, saying he would not describe it as “a war” given that major combat operations ended several weeks ago — even though military strikes recently intensified in the region. Bloomberg's Abeer Abu Omar has the latest.
Sep 4th, 2026 US VP Vance on Iran Conflict: “I Wouldn’t Call it a War” | Daybreak Europe 9/4/2026 Bloomberg Daybreak Europe is your essential morning viewing to stay ahead. Live from London, we set the agenda for your day, catching you up with overnight markets news from the US and Asia.
And we'll tell you what matters for investors in Europe, giving you insight before trading begins. Vice President JD Vance downplayed the scope of the conflict in Iran, saying he would not describe it as “a war” given that major combat operations ended several weeks ago — even though military strikes recently intensified in the region.
Global stocks extended their advance as easing bets on a Federal Reserve interest-rate hike this month lifted sentiment. And Volkswagen’s supervisory board backed a sweeping restructuring that calls for 50,000 additional job cuts, far fewer models and a smaller industrial footprint, giving Chief Executive Officer Oliver Blume his clearest mandate yet to overhaul Europe’s biggest carmaker.
Jordan, a U.S. ally hosting American military forces, has faced repeated drone and missile attacks, which reports suggest are linked to Iranian operations, alongside broader economic challenges and regional instability. Despite these security risks, Jordanian officials have affirmed their commitment to the alliance, while King Abdullah II warned that current global and regional disruptions pose a broad threat to international stability.
Oil prices rose this week as conflict intensified in the six-month war, with Iran reportedly maintaining control of the Strait of Hormuz while the US presses a counter-blockade of Iranian ports. Iranian authorities claimed to have targeted US military assets in Kuwait and the UAE, though Kuwait confirmed intercepting a missile and drone attack on its air base, while the UAE reported no evidence of an attack on its own facilities.
These exchanges followed Iran’s attribution of a deadly wedding strike in Kuhestak to the US, a claim US Vice President JD Vance stated is currently under investigation but disputed by Washington.