Silver is still more than 40 percent below its peak

Posted on April 5, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Silver is still more than 40 percent below its peak of $121.6 per ounce on January 29, despite a nearly 6.5 percent increase in price over the past week. The precious metal has found strong support from the same factors that drive its sister metal, gold, coupled with a tighter supply amid strong industrial demand.

Silver hit an intraday high of $69.7 per ounce early on March 26. It dropped as low as $67 per ounce later in the session. The white metal settled at $67.97. Silver fell as traders sold their paper market positions to cover margin calls, much like gold did.

The white metal peaked on March 27 at $70.3 per ounce before it closed at $69 as the market stabilized.

Silver continued to rise on Monday as the appeal of non-yielding assets grew amid falling US Treasury yields, closing at $70.12 after reaching an intraday high of US$71.72 in early morning trading.

Gold and silver futures are among the most actively traded non-crypto contracts on Binance, indicating rising demand for safe-haven assets amid rising geopolitical tensions. The rise in gold and silver futures trading can be attributed to both geopolitical and economic factors.

Precious metals are becoming more popular due to US trade tariffs, West Asian tensions, and the ongoing peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. This risk-off sentiment is typically negative for Bitcoin as investors move to safer assets. The Bitcoin price target market has no trading volume, indicating a lack of active speculation.

Gold and silver futures activity indicate that traders are hedging against potential escalations that could impact Bitcoin’s trajectory. This pattern suggests that the market’s sentiment has changed.

China: Yuan-for-Hormuz Tolls Spark Rally in Chinese Payment Stocks

Posted on April 5, 2026April 5, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Listed Chinese businesses that provide cross-border payments increased after the commerce ministry stated that the yuan is being used to pay tolls for passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

China National Petroleum Corp.’s financial services division is called CNPC Capital. exceeded Shenzhen’s daily cap of ten percent. Lakala Payment Company. grew by up to 7.9 percent, and Shenzhen, a financial technology company, established Syntron Information Co., which increased by 9.4% before paring gains.

Although China has long aimed to internationalize the yuan, the Hormuz’s actual implementation offers a tangible use case that markets have been anticipating. The development, according to analysts, supports predictions that geopolitical disputes could direct more capital toward China.

According to a recent Lloyd’s List report cited in a post on the Ministry of Commerce website, ships are paying Iran $2 million to pass through the vital energy transportation waterway.

The yuan is emerging as a significant alternative for global capital because of China’s good relations with Iran, according to Shen Meng, a director at the Beijing-based investment bank Chanson. Capital flows to associated industries, such as electronic payment stocks and oil and gas capital firms, will therefore increase.

China’s drive for internationalization has been one of the main factors encouraging the use of the yuan in Hormuz. Iran has been imposing tolls, starting at about $1 per barrel, payable in yuan or stablecoins, to regulate shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Physical Brent Crude Hits $141, Highest Level Since 2008 Financial Crisis

Posted on April 5, 2026April 5, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

S&P Global data showed the spot price for current physical Brent crude oil surged on Thursday to $141.36, the highest level since the 2008 financial crisis.

The demand for Brent oil delivered within the next ten to thirty days is reflected in the spot price. There is currently a tight physical supply due to the significant disruption caused by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is indicated by the high cost of more immediate oil deliveries. The price was $32.33 more than the June delivery

Brent crude futures contract, which ended Thursday at $109. Amrita Sen, the founder of Energy Aspects, stated that the futures price is “almost giving a false sense of security that things are not that stressed.” Sen remarked, “You are seeing it, but the financial market is almost hiding the true tightness that is showing up everywhere else.” A barrel of diesel currently costs close to $200 in Europe.

Mike Wirth, CEO of Chevron, issued a warning last week that the futures price does not accurately reflect the extent of the disruption to the oil supply caused by the Strait’s closure. According to Wirth, the market is based on “perception” and “scant information.” Wirth stated, “There are very real, physical manifestations of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz that are working around the world and through the system that I don’t think are fully priced into the futures curves on oil.”

Gold Down 16% From $5,589 Record, But Rises Over 6.4% in a Week

Posted on April 5, 2026April 5, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Gold is still down more than 16 percent from its January 28 record of $5,589.38 per ounce, despite rising by more than 6.4 percent over the past week. Gold prices saw a “V-shaped” recovery this week as markets moved from a liquidation-driven selloff to a rally motivated by geopolitical de-escalation

However, the four-day rally quickly reversed on Thursday, April 2, following Trump’s televised speech on Wednesday night, April 1, in which he vowed to strike Iran “extremely hard” over the coming weeks. Overnight, all expectations of a quick de-escalation disappeared as Gold changed course. Tensions in the Middle East have two effects on gold. On the one hand, continued military escalation raises prices and increases demand for safe havens.

This implies that media sentiment may cause short-term upward waves in gold prices; any sustained rise above the present resistance levels would probably require tangible evidence of persistent geopolitical threats. According to markets, investors should keep a close eye on the news flow and refrain from depending only on isolated statements because these could be fleeting and mainly encourage speculative trading without changing the overall trend of the market

Gold and silver futures are among the most actively traded non-crypto contracts on Binance, indicating rising demand for safe-haven assets amid rising geopolitical tensions. Bitcoin is under pressure to hit $100,000 by June 30.

The rise in gold and silver futures trading can be attributed to both geopolitical and economic factors. Precious metals are becoming more popular due to US trade tariffs, West Asian tensions, and the ongoing peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. This risk-off sentiment is typically negative for Bitcoin as investors move to safer assets. The Bitcoin price target market has no trading volume, indicating a lack of active speculation.

Brent Oil Spot Price Surges to $141 as Physical Cargoes Hit Highest Level Since 2008

Posted on April 4, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

S&P Global data showed the spot price for current physical Brent crude oil surged on Thursday to $141.36, the highest level since the 2008 financial crisis.

Ripple: XRP Activity on Binance Plummets to Lowest Levels Since Mid-2025

Posted on April 4, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Crypto markets have been erratic in the short term but generally aimless since the start of the Middle East conflict. Several significant assets, including XRP, have moved sideways. Concurrently, there has been a significant decrease in XRP transaction activity on Binance, with both deposits and withdrawals reaching their lowest points since 2025.

There were about 310,500 deposits and 329,400 withdrawals over the previous 30 days.

There were roughly 18,900 net negative transactions, indicating ongoing net outflows from the exchange. According to CryptoQuant’s most recent analysis, “This decline reflects a continued net outflow from the platform; however, it comes amid a significant drop in the total number of transactions, suggesting a period of market stagnation.”

Activity has drastically decreased since the middle of 2025, whereas earlier periods of the year frequently saw more than 6 million deposits and withdrawals.

Transaction volumes have steadily decreased since then and are currently at their lowest point since that previous peak. According to the data, speculative trading and short-term investor interest have both declined, leading to a calmer market.

Such low activity levels are linked to lower price volatility because of the simultaneous weakening of buying and selling pressures. Some users are still removing assets from exchanges if withdrawals continue to outpace deposits.

According to the analytics platform, this behavior is frequently associated with accumulation strategies or transfers to private wallets, particularly during times when market momentum is low and trading activity is muted.

China’s Yuan-for-Hormuz Fees Trigger Rally in China’s Payment Companies

Posted on April 4, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Listed Chinese businesses that provide cross-border payments increased after the commerce ministry stated that the yuan is being used to pay tolls for passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

According to a recent Lloyd’s List report cited in a post on the Ministry of Commerce website, ships are paying Iran $2 million to pass through the vital energy transportation waterway.

China’s drive for internationalization has been one of the main factors encouraging the use of the yuan in Hormuz. Iran has been imposing tolls, starting at about $1 per barrel, which are paid in yuan or stablecoins, to regulate shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Tankers Divert from Europe, Deepening Diesel Supply Crunch

Posted on April 4, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Tankers transporting diesel to Europe have altered their course at sea as the war in Iran raises prices and increases competition for supplies. According to Vortexa and ship-tracking data gathered, four tankers—the Aliai, Minerva Vaso, Grand Ace6, and Elka Delphi—recently loaded diesel-type fuel in the United States and began sailing across the Atlantic.

The other three were indicating Amsterdam, and the Aliai was indicating Gibraltar. All of the ships have since made abrupt turns; the Grand Ace6 is currently signaling Lome in Togo, a country in West Africa, while the other three are traveling southeast. According to Vortexa data, they are collectively transporting roughly 1.2 million barrels of diesel-type fuel.

The tanker diversions occur as the war in Iran effectively closes the vital Strait of Hormuz, upending global energy supply chains. Fuel supplies are already under extreme strain in Asia due to markets being deprived of millions of barrels, and analysts and oil traders have warned that Europe may experience shortages in the upcoming weeks.

Diesel prices have skyrocketed in Asia, as none of the ships are indicating Asian destinations. Another indication of how the crisis is affecting the world’s energy markets is that some of these barrels may eventually be going to buyers in the East.

Philip Jones-Lux, senior oil analyst at energy analytics firm Sparta Commodities, stated, “Europe’s time will come, but right now it is Asia that is screaming the loudest.” He stated that although Europe may be lacking imports of oil products, there is still an abundance of crude available for processing. According to Jones-Lux, a supply shortage is causing crude runs at oil refineries in Asia to decline. Diesel fuel, which powers everything from trucks to construction equipment, is a net import for the UK and the European Union.

Hedge Funds Liquidate Global Equities at Fastest Rate in 13 Years

Posted on April 4, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Goldman Sachs data showed hedge funds sold international stocks in March at the fastest rate in 13 years. its premier brokerage division.

The selling pace was the second-highest since the bank started monitoring the data in 2011 . An increase in short sales, which reflects worries about additional stock market weakness as the fighting in Iran continues, was the main cause of the accelerated selling.

The MSCI All-Country World Index had its worst monthly performance since 2022 in March, falling 7.4%. In the same time frame, the S&P 500 Index dropped 5.1%. Exchange-traded funds were used by quick money investors to convey their pessimistic views on the stock market.

The number of short positions in US ETFs increased by 17% as a result of short positions in large-cap equity ETFs. Eight of the eleven industries in the US market saw net outflows from hedge funds. The close-knit industries of financials, materials, and industrials saw especially robust sales.

Hedge funds were net buyers of media, technology, and telecom stocks for the first time in four months. This buying was motivated by investors covering short positions rather than opening new long positions.

Aluminum Crunch Looms as Abu Dhabi Faces Year-Long Production Recovery

Posted on April 4, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

The biggest aluminum manufacturer in the Middle East said it could take up to a year for its Abu Dhabi plant to resume full production after an Iranian attack a week ago. According to Emirates Global Aluminium, the Al Taweelah smelter went into emergency shutdown due to significant damage caused by drones and missiles.

The company has completed an initial damage assessment of the facilities in the United Arab Emirates in contact with clients whose shipments may be impacted, according to a statement issued on Friday. The Middle East produces about 9% of the world’s aluminum. The effects of the war are being felt more acutely because production restrictions elsewhere have reduced stocks, leaving the market with little cushion to withstand shocks.

The industry was ready for production cuts because the Strait of Hormuz disruptions affected the raw material flow even before the attacks on EGA’s facilities.

Aluminum prices on the London Metal Exchange have risen by over 10 percent since the start of the Iran War. Al Taweelah, one of the biggest smelters in the world, produced 1.6 million tons of cast metal in 2025.

According to EGA, a final damage assessment might enable other facilities at the Abu Dhabi site, like an alumina refinery and a metals recycling plant, to resume production sooner. “We are working directly with customers whose deliveries might be impacted by the situation at Al Taweelah,” said EGA CEO Abdulnasser Bin Kalban in the statement.