Overnight spot gold dipped below $4,000/oz, with the Shanghai Gold Exchange Au99.99 spot contract slipping back into the '8' price band. At Caibai Jewelry's Xicheng flagship in Beijing, 10g and 20g investment bars were the most sought-after items; 10g basic bars and 20g zodiac horse bars were sold out by around noon, roughly three hours after trading opened. The store quoted a 100g bar at 88,310 yuan; customers exhausted multiple bank-card balances, paid cash and completed remaining amounts via

After a US‑Iran temporary peace agreement, vessel-tracking shows Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) LNG carrier Umm Al Ashtan, silent for nearly two weeks, reappeared on Wednesday inside the Persian Gulf near ADNOC’s Das Island LNG export facility—implying it likely crossed the Strait of Hormuz with its AIS off. Increasing numbers of vessels are switching AIS on when entering and exiting the Gulf, indicating an improvement in regional security, though some ships still transit the strait with AIS disabled. Since Monday at least six ballast oil tankers have transited the Strait into the Gulf, and Qatar and the UAE are expanding LNG exports, allowing more LNG carriers freer passage.

Venezuela's acting president Rodríguez said dozens of buildings collapsed in La Guaira, calling it "a real tragedy".