Oil prices fell on Wednesday as an expected build-up of US crude inventories outweighed a temporary halt in output at two large fields in Kazakhstan and geopolitical pressure from US threats of tariffs over its bid to gain control of Greenland.

Gold prices surged to a record ‌above $4,800 per ounce on Wednesday, as investors sought the metal as a safe haven following a broad selloff in US assets amid heightened tensions between the US and NATO over Greenland.

Britain’s annual inflation rate rose more than expected in December, official data showed Wednesday, reinforcing expectations that the Bank of England will hold off on cutting interest rates next month.

Global liquefied natural gas (LNG) output is set to jump this year, easing constraints seen since the 2022 Ukraine war and dampening prices, which could spur demand including from top importers China and India, analysts say.

This month, two leading players in China's artificial intelligence industry, Zhipu AI and MiniMax, made dazzling debuts on the Hong Kong stock exchange

Spot gold climbed 2.1 percent to $4,862.19 per ounce by 0837 GMT

The explosion of data offers new ways to understand the economy, and change what gets measured

Asia saw a mixed performance in early trade Wednesday

Authorities are likely to unveil incentives, ease market barriers and invest in high-growth sectors to tackle supply gaps

Oil prices were steady on Tuesday as investors monitored US President Donald Trump’s threats of higher tariffs on European states over his drive to acquire Greenland, while firmer global economic growth expectations and better-than-expected economic data from China gave a floor to prices.

Gold surged past the $4,700 an ounce mark for the first time on Tuesday, and silver hovered just below a fresh record high, as global tensions sparked yet another rush to safety.

China sold more goods to the world than ever in 2025, but export saleswoman Aimee Chen says it was the hardest of her roughly two-decade career.

Spot gold gained 1.3 percent to $4,727.99 per ounce by 0910 GMT

The dollar index fell as much as 0.6 percent

The world's second-largest economy grew five percent last year

One in five CEOs said their companies were highly exposed to losses from trade tariffs

Orders from the new markets were often smaller in volume and less lucrative than US sales

India’s central bank has proposed that BRICS countries link their official digital currencies to make cross-border trade and tourism payments easier, two sources said, which could reduce reliance on the US dollar as geopolitical tensions rise.

The International Monetary Fund again edged its 2026 global growth forecast higher on Monday as businesses and economies adapt to US tariffs that have eased in recent months and a continued AI investment boom that has fueled asset wealth and expectations of productivity gains.

Low-income households, women, rural communities, and informal workers remain excluded from financial services due to deep-rooted barriers, even as the government aims to achieve financial inclusion for all adults by June 2026, according to the Bangladesh Bank.