Oil prices rose on Wednesday as supplies from Russia and OPEC members tightened while data showing an unexpected increase in U.S. jobs openings pointed to expanding economic activity and consequent growth in oil demand.

The dollar stood tall on Wednesday and the yen sagged close to levels that drew intervention last year after strong U.S. data drove a spike in yields and pared some bets on Federal Reserve rate cuts.

Antimony prices are likely to hit record levels as consumers seek alternative supplies following China's latest export ban with growing trade tensions changing the dynamics around markets for critical materials.

Factory Orders, a key economic indicator that measures the change in the total value of new purchase orders placed with manufacturers, has reported a decline of 0.4%. This slight dip is a more significant decrease than the forecasted drop of 0.3%, indicating a slightly more sluggish manufacturing sector than anticipated.

Black Friday spending helped lift retail sales in late 2024 but overall sales in the final quarter of last year proved disappointing, the British Retail Consortium said on Tuesday.

Asia shares rose on Tuesday, tracking Wall Street's positive lead and as some investors hoped incoming U.S. President-elect Donald Trump could adopt a less aggressive tariff stance than promised when he takes office.