Influenced by Middle East tensions and the latest U.S. inflation data, international oil prices experienced a significant increase on the 10th, while the price of gold fell sharply.
U.S. officials issued another stern statement towards Iran that day, triggering market fears of escalating conflict and a renewed tightening of global oil supplies. By the close of trading, the price for July delivery of West Texas Intermediate crude on the New York Mercantile Exchange had risen by $1.83 to settle at $90.03 per barrel, marking a gain of 2.07%. Meanwhile, the price for August delivery of Brent crude on the London market increased by $1.65 to close at $93.10 per barrel, a rise of 1.8%.
Data released on the 10th by the U.S. Labor Department showed that the Consumer Price Index for May rose by 4.2% year-over-year, up from 3.8% in April and reaching its highest level since May 2023. This fueled market speculation that the Federal Reserve may tighten monetary policy, putting further downward pressure on the international gold price and driving both futures and spot prices for gold below the $4,100 per ounce threshold.