Exclusive: Trump says Clinton policy on Syria would lead to World War Three - Sean Seshadri trading Tampa

U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Democrat Hillary Clinton's plan for Syria would "lead to World War Three," because of the potential for conflict with military forces from nuclear-armed Russia.

In an interview focused largely on foreign policy, Trump said defeating Islamic State is a higher priority than persuading Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, playing down a long-held goal of U.S. policy.

Trump questioned how Clinton would negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin after demonizing him; blamed President Barack Obama for a downturn in U.S. relations with the Philippines under its new president, Rodrigo Duterte; bemoaned a lack of Republican unity behind his candidacy, and said he would easily win the election if the party leaders would support him.

“If we had party unity, we couldn’t lose this election to Hillary Clinton,” he said.

On Syria's civil war, Trump said Clinton could drag the United States into a world war with a more aggressive posture toward resolving the conflict.

Clinton has called for the establishment of a no-fly zone and “safe zones” on the ground to protect non-combatants. Some analysts fear that protecting those zones could bring the United States into direct conflict with Russian fighter jets.

"What we should do is focus on ISIS. We should not be focusing on Syria," said Trump as he dined on fried eggs and sausage at his Trump National Doral golf resort. "You’re going to end up in World War Three over Syria if we listen to Hillary Clinton.

"You’re not fighting Syria any more, you’re fighting Syria, Russia and Iran, all right? Russia is a nuclear country, but a country where the nukes work as opposed to other countries that talk," he said.

Clinton's campaign dismissed the criticism, noting that both Republican and Democratic national security experts have denounced Trump as unfit to be commander-in-chief.

"Once again, he is parroting Putin's talking points and playing to Americans' fears, all while refusing to lay out any plans of his own for defeating ISIS or alleviating humanitarian suffering in Syria," Clinton spokesman Jesse Lehrich said in a statement.

Trump said Assad is much stronger now than he was three years ago and said getting Assad to leave power was less important than defeating Islamic State.

"Assad is secondary, to me, to ISIS," he said.

OBAMA FOCUSED 'ON HIS GOLF GAME'

On Russia, Trump again knocked Clinton's handling of U.S.-Russian relations while secretary of state and said her harsh criticism of Putin raised questions about "how she is going to go back and negotiate with this man who she has made to be so evil," if she wins the presidency.

On the deterioration of ties with the Philippines, Trump aimed his criticism at Obama, saying the president "wants to focus on his golf game" rather than engage with world leaders.

Since assuming office, Duterte has expressed open hostility toward the United States, rejecting criticism of his violent anti-drug clampdown, using an expletive to describe Obama and telling the United States not to treat his country "like a dog with a leash."

The Obama administration has expressed optimism that the two countries can remain firm allies.

Trump said Duterte's latest comments showed "a lack of respect for our country."

The interview comes two weeks before the Nov. 8 election, with Trump trailing badly in the polls. He repeated his assertion that the "media is rigging the polls" and said his supporters were upset with Republican Party leadership.

"The people are very angry with the leadership of this party, because this is an election that we will win 100 percent if we had support from the top. I think we’re going to win it anyway."

He said if he wins he would not consider putting Democrats in his cabinet but would work with them on legislation.

Brent, NYMEX weaker in Asia as oversupply views dominate - Sean Seshadri

Crude oil prices held weaker in Asia Monday as investors booked profits as doubts grow that efforts by key producers to crub supply will result in significant impact on availability in the absence of stronger demand cues.

U.S. crude oil on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 0.61% to $50.54 a barrel. Global benchmark Brent futures on the Intercontinental Exchange eased 0.50% to $51.51 a barrel.

Last week, oil futures reversed early losses to end higher on Friday, despite a stronger dollar after Russia’s energy minister said an oil output freeze agreement was necessary to help stabilize the market.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak on Friday expressed interest in cooperating with an OPEC production cut and said that he would make proposals to his Saudi Arabian counterpart at a meeting of Gulf Arab oil ministers over the weekend.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries announced late last month that it has a preliminary plan to limit production to a range of 32.5 million to 33.0 million barrels per day.

OPEC is expected to complete details of the proposed production cut at its next official meeting on November 30, but without Russia’s participation the plan could fail.

Some analysts feel the pullback indicates that the recent oil price rally is unsustainable, with global production continuing to outpace demand. In the week ahead, oil traders will focus on U.S. stockpile data on Tuesday and Wednesday for fresh supply-and-demand signals.

Brent, NYMEX down in Asia as sentiment turns down ahead of U.S. rig data - Sean Seshadri

Crude oil prices dropped in Asia on Friday as sentiment turned downbeat on the supply outlook with U.S. rig count data ahead to cap the week.

U.S. crude oil on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 0.49% to $50.38 a barrel. Global benchmark Brent futures on the Intercontinental Exchange eased 0.37% to $51.19 a barrel.

Last week, oilfield services provider Baker Hughes said the number of rigs drilling for oil in the U.S. last week rose by 4 to 432, marking the 15th increase in 16 weeks.

Overnight, oil prices fell on Thursday as traders took profits following a rally in the previous session fueled by an unexpectedly large U.S. oil inventory drawdown last week and hopes for an output cut by major producers.

Oil prices rallied on Wednesday, with U.S. crude settling at a 15-month high after the U.S. Energy Information Administration said oil inventories fell by 5.2 million barrels in the week ended October 14.

That was compared to forecasts for a stockpile build of 2.7 million barrels.

Total U.S. crude oil inventories stood at 468.7 million barrels as of last week, the EIA said. The report came after industry group the American Petroleum Institute said late Tuesday that U.S. crude oil stocks fell by a surprise 3.8 million barrels last week.

The reduction in oil inventories added to optimism over a planned output cut by major producers. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries announced late last month that it has a preliminary plan to limit production to a range of 32.5 million to 33.0 million barrels per day.

OPEC is expected to complete details of the proposed production cut at its next official meeting on November 30.

But many market analysts remain doubtful of the deal, amid uncertainty over how the agreement would be coordinated

PRECIOUS-Gold firm ahead of final U.S. presidential debate - Sean Seshadri Trading

Gold prices were stable early on Thursday, after rising 0.5 percent in the previous session, with markets keeping a close watch on the final U.S. presidential debate between candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

FUNDAMENTALS

* Spot gold XAU= was broadly steady at $1,268.85 an ounce by 0053 GMT.

* U.S. gold futures GCcv1 were little changed at $1,270.00 an ounce.

* U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump faces a formidable challenge when he and Democrat Hillary Clinton face off in their third and final debate at 0100 GMT Thursday at the University of Las Vegas Nevada. The dollar was steady in early trading on Thursday, as investors awaited the final debate before next month's U.S. presidential election as well as a European Central Bank meeting later in the day. USD/

* The dollar index .DXY , which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies, was down 0.02 percent at 97.90.

* The European Central Bank is set to keep policy unchanged on Thursday but will likely lay the groundwork for more easing in December as it tries to sustain a long-awaited rebound in consumer prices. U.S. inflation, which has under-run the Federal Reserve's 2-percent target for years, is "likely firming," Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan said on Wednesday, adding that some removal of monetary accommodation will be appropriate. Crude oil prices rose to a 15-month high on Wednesday after a surprise U.S. inventory drawdown, boosting energy shares. MKTS/GLOB

* Gold prices in India swung to a premium for the first time in nine months on Wednesday as jewellers and dealers in the world's No.2 consumer of the metal ramped up purchases ahead of major festivals. For the top stories on metals and other news, click TOP/MTL or GOL

Oil rises on U.S. crude inventory draw, falling Chinese output - Sean Seshadri

Oil prices rose by around 1 percent on Wednesday, lifted by a report of a drop in U.S. crude inventories and declining production in China, while an upbeat OPEC statement on its planned output cut also supported the market.

A slightly weaker dollar boosted oil as well, traders said, as it makes fuel purchases cheaper for countries using other currencies, potentially spurring demand.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures were trading at $50.85 per barrel at 0654 GMT, up 56 cents, or 1.1 percent, from their last settlement.

International Brent crude futures were at $52.23 a barrel, up 55 cents, or 1 percent.

"The American Petroleum Institute crude inventory numbers were released ... this has given early Asian trading a bullish start," said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at OANDA in Singapore.

U.S. crude stockpiles fell 3.8 million barrels in the week to Oct. 14, to 467.1 million barrels, the API reported late on Tuesday.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is due to release official crude and fuel storage data later on Wednesday.

Traders said oil was supported by Mohammed Barkindo, secretary general of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), saying he is confident about the prospects of a planned production cut following an OPEC meeting on Nov. 30.

"I am optimistic we will have a decision," he said.

In its first output cut agreement since 2008, OPEC said it plans to reduce production to 32.50 million to 33.0 million barrels per day (bpd), compared with record output of 33.6 million bpd in September.

The group also hopes non-OPEC producers, especially Russia, will cooperate in a cut.

In China, a raft of economic and trade data was released on Wednesday.

While economic growth was in line with expectations, at an annual growth rate of 6.7 percent in the third quarter, its oil figures were supportive of higher oil prices, traders said.

China processed 43.8 million tonnes (10.7 million bpd) of crude oil in September, up 2.4 percent from a year ago, government data showed.

At the same time, China's crude output fell 9.8 percent to 3.89 million bpd, to near its lowest in six years in the second-biggest year-on-year decline on record.

The sharp decline followed a record 9.9 percent drop in August and is the latest sign that a prolonged efficiency drive by drillers in one of the world's top five producers may help to rebalance the oversupplied global market, traders said.

Gold prices hold gains in Asia as China prices data stronger than seen - Sean Seshadri

Gold prices stayed positive in Asia on Friday after stronger than expected gains in China consumer and producer prices data.

Gold for December delivery on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 0.08% to $1,258.55 a troy ounce.

Also on the Comex, silver futures for December delivery gained 0.07% to $17.473 a troy unce and copper futures edged up 0.05% to $2.124 a pound.

China reported CPI for September with a gain of 0.7% month-on-month, well above the 0.3% pace seen and led by food prices, and a 1.9% increase year-on-year, faster than the 1.6% rise expected. As well PPI data rose 0.1% year-on-year, compared to a decline of 0.3% expected for the first positive growth since February 2012.

"The domestic industrial supply and demand situation is trending better, with improving signs in inventories and sales by key industries," due to government policies to stabilize growth, reduce excess capacities and inventories, Yu Qiumei, the bureau's senior statistician wrote, said in a statement.

Improving international commodity prices also supported the price gains in domestic industrial products, Yu said.

Earlier in Japan, the PPI for September fell 3.2% as expected year-on-year and came in flat, compared to a 0.1% month-on-month gain seen.

Overnight, gold prices held on to overnight gains during North America's session on Thursday, as the U.S. dollar and global stock markets pulled back after surprisingly weak Chinese trade data raised fresh concern about the world's second-largest economy.

China's September exports plunged, while imports unexpectedly shrank after picking up in August, suggesting signs of steadying in the world's second-largest economy may be short-lived.

Exports tumbled 10.0% from a year earlier, far worse than forecasts for a decline of 3.0%, while imports dropped 1.9%, compared to expectations for a gain of 1.0%. That left China with a trade surplus of $41.99 billion for the month, the lowest in six months, the General Administration of Customs said on Thursday.

The downbeat figures triggered a fall in global equities and a drop in the U.S. dollar and gave a lift to safe-haven assets, such as gold and the yen.

China is the world’s largest copper consumer, accounting for nearly 45% of world consumption.

Meanwhile, minutes of the Federal Reserve's September policy meeting released on Wednesday showed several voting members of the policy committee judged a rate hike would be warranted "relatively soon" if the U.S. economy continued to strengthen.

Markets are currently pricing in around a 69.8% chance of a rate hike at December's meeting, according to Investing.com's Fed Rate Monitor Tool.

Gold is sensitive to moves in U.S. rates, which lift the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets such as bullion.

Oil prices fall on higher OPEC output, rise in U.S. crude stocks - Sean Seshadri Trading Tampa

Oil prices fell on Thursday after OPEC said its production had risen to the highest level in at least eight years and following reports of an increase in U.S. crude stockpiles.

International Brent crude oil futures (LCOc1) were trading at $51.37 per barrel at 0256 GMT, down 44 cents, or 0.85 percent, from their previous close.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down 54 cents, or 1.08 percent, at $49.64 per barrel.

Traders said oil markets had come under pressure after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) reported a rise in output, despite the producer cartel having plans, potentially with non-OPEC producer Russia, to cut output in a bid to rein in a global supply overhang.

"Crude responded predictably, with both Brent and WTI falling," said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at brokerage OANDA in Singapore.

OPEC on Wednesday reported its oil production climbed in September to the highest in at least eight years and raised its forecast for 2017 non-OPEC supply growth, pointing to a larger surplus next year despite the group's deal to cut output.

The producer cartel pumped 33.39 million barrels per day (bpd) last month, according to figures OPEC collects from secondary sources, up 220,000 bpd from August.

"In the absence of any OPEC-Russia headlines to give crude its daily adrenaline shot, the market looks nervously to the EIA Crude Inventory figures due in the U.S. this evening," Halley added.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is due to publish official storage inventory data later on Thursday.

The American Petroleum Institute, a trade group, reported on Wednesday that U.S. crude inventories rose by 2.7 million barrels to 470.9 million barrels in the week to Oct. 7. This would be the first rise in oil stocks following five straight weeks of declines.

"Seasonally softer gasoline consumption, flagging demand from China and the return of refineries from maintenance will likely drive up global stock levels over Q4," BMI Research said in a note, but added that it did not see stocks returning to 2015 highs.

Traders said a strong dollar, which was hovering near seven-month highs on Thursday (DXY) on reinforced prospects for a near-term U.S. interest rate hike, was also weighing on crude futures.

A stronger dollar makes it more expensive for countries who use other currencies domestically to import dollar-traded oil, potentially weighing on demand.

Gold gains in Asia as British pound drops sharply on Brexit views - Sean Seshadri Trading

Gold gained in Asia on Friday as the pound plunged in thin trade as investors awaited U.S. jobs data and the return of China to the markets next week after a week-long holiday.

Gold for December delivery on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 0.41% to $1,258.15 a troy ounce. Silver futures for December delivery on the Comex recovered to $17.343 a troy ounce, nearly flat.

The British pound fell sharply in Asia Friday on growing concerns over the terms of a break from the European Union following comments by the government earlier this week the formal move would come by March of next year.

Market participants were focusing on Friday’s U.S. nonfarm payrolls report for further indications on the strength of the job market, as the Federal Reserve has indicated that future interest rate decisions will be data-dependent.

The consensus forecast is that the data will show jobs growth of 175,000 in September, following an increase of 151,000 in August. The unemployment rate is forecast to hold steady at 4.9%, while average hourly earnings are expected to rise 0.2% after gaining 0.1% a month earlier.

Overnight, gold prices extended overnight losses to touch the lowest level in almost four months during North America's session on Thursday, amid growing expectations for a December rate hike by the Federal Reserve.

The U.S. Department of Labor said the number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ending October 1 decreased by 5,000 to 249,000 from the previous week’s total of 254,000. Analysts had expected jobless claims to rise by 3,000 to 257,000 last week.

First-time claims were the lowest since April, when initial applications for aid were at levels not seen since November 1973.

A strong nonfarm payrolls report would reinforce the view that a U.S. rate hike in December may be on the cards, after hawkish signals from senior Fed officials in recent weeks revived speculation of a rate hike before the end of the year. According to Investing.com's Fed Rate Monitor Tool, investors are pricing in a 63.4% chance of a rate hike by December. November odds were at 14.5%.

The precious metal is sensitive to moves in U.S. rates, which lift the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets such as bullion, while boosting the dollar in which it is priced.

Oil rallies to highest since June on bets for bullish U.S. stockpile dat - Sean Seshadri Trading Florida

Oil prices were higher during European hours on Wednesday, touching the strongest level in nearly four months as market players awaited fresh weekly information on U.S. stockpiles of crude and refined products.

Crude oil for November delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange tacked on 64 cents, or 1.31%, to $49.33 a barrel by 4:05AM ET (08:05GMT), after touching $49.45 earlier, a level not seen since June 30.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration will release its weekly report on oil supplies at 10:30AM ET (14:30GMT) Wednesday, amid analyst expectations for an increase of 2.56 million barrels.

Gasoline inventories are expected to rise by 702,000 barrels while stocks of distillates, which include heating oil and diesel, are forecast to drop by 700,000 barrels.

After markets closed Tuesday, the American Petroleum Institute said that U.S. oil inventories surprisingly fell by 7.6 million barrels in the week ended September 30. The API report also showed an increase of 2.9 million barrels in gasoline stocks, while distillates showed a drop of 1.3 million barrels on the week.

Elsewhere, Brent oil for December delivery on the ICE Futures Exchange in London rose 71 cents, or 1.4%, to $51.58 a barrel. The contract rose to $51.69 earlier, the most since June 10.

Sentiment remained supported after OPEC members agreed on output cuts for the first time in eight years last week, despite some skepticism among analysts over the implementation of such an agreement.

The oil cartel reached an agreement to limit production to a range of 32.5 million to 33.0 million barrels per day, a reduction of 0.7%-to-2.2% from its current output of 33.2 million barrels.

However, the market remained skeptical of the deal, pondering how such a plan would be implemented. Some analysts cautioned that the agreement left out crucial details on how much each country will produce.

The 14-member oil group said it will finalize a plan to make those decisions at the official OPEC meeting in Vienna on November 30, when an invitation to join cuts could also be extended to non-OPEC countries such as Russia.

Oil prices dip on surging Iran sales, but looming OPEC deal offers support - Sean Seshadri

Oil prices dipped on Tuesday on a rise in Iranian exports that adds to a global supply overhang, but a planned OPEC-led production cut later this year offered some support.

International Brent crude oil futures (LCOc1) were trading at $50.70 per barrel at 0519 GMT, down 18 cents from their previous close.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude (CLc1) was down 25 cents at $48.56 a barrel.

Traders said prices were dented by the latest rise in Iranian crude and condensate sales, which likely reached about 2.8 million barrels per day (bpd) in September, almost matching a 2011-peak in shipments before sanctions were imposed on the OPEC producer.

However, analysts said Iran will struggle to boost output further and reaching pre-sanctions levels makes it more likely Tehran will agree on some form of production constraint with other members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), including its regional rival Saudi Arabia, which is also pumping oil near record levels.

There was optimism that OPEC producers, and perhaps also exporters outside the club like Russia, would find some form of agreement by the time the group meets in November, although the risks of failure remain.

"For now, optimism has returned and the market will anxiously await any confirmation of the agreement or additional non-OPEC participation," Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) said in a note to clients.

It added that "the risk of disappointment is high, and fundamentals remain challenging/unchanged in the interim".

The U.S. bank said important price factors to watch for in coming weeks include talks on output with non-OPEC members, most notably with Russia, production within OPEC as its members try to squeeze out oil before any potential cut or freeze, hedging activity by producers into 2017 as forward price guidance, and U.S. inventory and import data.

The overall higher crude prices since the announcement of a potential supply cut by OPEC has hit profits in the refinery sector, where crude is the main feedstock.

Asian benchmark Singapore refinery margins have fallen almost a third in the last five days to under $5 per barrel.

Beyond the higher crude feedstock prices, traders said that a seasonal downturn in product demand amid an ongoing fuel supply overhang was also weighing on refinery products.

Gold prices little changed near 2-week lows - Sean Seshadri

Gold prices were little changed near two-week lows on Monday, as market sentiment remained supported as concerns over Deutsche Bank’s health continued to ease.

On the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, gold futures for December delivery were steady at $1,318.50.

The December contract ended Thursday’s session 0.67% lower at $1,317.10 an ounce.

Futures were likely to find support at $1,312.90, Friday’s low and a two-month low and resistance at $1,327.70, Friday’s high.

Safe-haven demand weakened following reports late last week that Deutsche Bank(DE:DBKGn) is nearing a deal to settle a mortgage-securities investigation by paying a $5.4 billion fine, well below the Justice Department’s original proposal of $14 billion.

Meanwhile, gold prices were also affected by a stronger dollar after the University of Michigan said in a revised report on Friday that its consumer sentiment index hit 91.2 in September, up from a previous estimate of 89.8 and beating expectations for a reading of 90.0.

Data also showed that the Chicago purchasing managers’ index rose to 54.2 this month from 51.5 the previous month, exceeding expectations for an uptick to 52.0.

Elsewhere in metals trading, silver futures for December delivery slid 0.40% to $19.138 a troy ounce, while copper futures for December delivery edged up 0.16% to $2.214 a pound.