Oil prices retreated in Asian trade on Friday, extending a sharp drop from the prior session as traders awaited more clarity on the OPEC’s plans for future production cuts, while concerns over the U.S. debt ceiling kept markets on edge.
The dollar stood near a two-month high against its major peers on Friday and was headed for a third weekly gain on expectations that U.S. interest rates could remain higher for longer than initially expected.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao traded barbs on trade, investment and export policies in talks on Thursday described by Raimondo's office as "candid and substantive."
U.S. President Joe Biden and top congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy are closing in on a deal that would raise the government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling for two years while capping spending on most items, a U.S. official told Reuters.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai on Thursday called on Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) trade ministers to "think creatively" for solutions to overcome a host of challenges from fragile supply chains, a worsening climate crisis and growing inequality.
A top U.S. lawmaker on Thursday asked for more detail on the Biden administration's proposed executive order on U.S. investments in China, questioning whether the planned restrictions would be effective.