Oil prices moved lower on Thursday morning, giving back part of the strong gains recorded during the previous session. Brent crude futures fell by 67 cents, or 0.69%, to $97.14 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures declined by 62 cents, or 0.65%, to $95.40 per barrel.

This downward adjustment in energy overheads, coupled with cooling momentum in the US dollar, provided immediate support to safe-haven assets. Spot gold advanced 0.4% to reach $4,450.16 per ounce, while US gold futures for August delivery gained 0.2% to settle at $4,477.00.

The upward momentum extended across the precious metals complex, with spot silver rising 0.8% to $73.26 per ounce. Platinum edged up 0.2% to trade at $1,863.25, while palladium gained 0.5% to reach $1,307.67.

The early morning decline in crude oil benchmarks was primarily driven by widespread profit-taking following Wednesday’s multi-month highs, alongside a brief pause in fresh escalation across the Arabian Gulf, which allowed the market to undergo a technical correction.