Dollar Fluctuates Amid North Korea Tensions. The greenback jumped on Friday on the payrolls data, that disappointed regarding jobs growth, although wage inflation rose and the jobless rate fell, before falling again on Russian media reports that North Korea is preparing to test a missile capable of reaching the US West Coast.
Kiwi Drops to 5-Month Low as Nats Lose Two Seats. The New Zealand dollar fell to a five-month low after the National Party lost two seats after special votes were counted while market bets on a Federal Reserve rate hike in the US increased. The kiwi fell to 70.53 US cents from 70.92 cents on Friday.
Gold Rebounds on North Korean Concerns. Gold bounced up from a two-month low on Friday, on concerns that North Korea is preparing to test a long-range missile and on support from the U.S. dollar’s shift into negative territory.Gold was up to $1276 per ounce on Monday after hitting its low of $1260.50 on Friday.
Record U.S. Oil Exports Weigh on Oil Prices. Crude oil briefly slumped below US$50 after a brief rally, as EIA data about U.S. crude oil exports showed these had hit a record-high of 1.98 million barrels per day. Refiners are returning to normal operation before the maintenance season shutdowns, with the EIA also saying in its Weekly Petroleum Status Report that crude oil inventories fell by an impressive 6 million barrels in the week to Sept. 29, versus analyst expectations ranging between a draw of 3 million barrels to a build of 2.7 million barrels. WTI traded at $49.48 a barrel on Monday, with Brent crude at $55.71.
