Oil prices fall back after the US capture of Venezuelan leader Maduro

Oil prices have slipped and precious metal prices jumped after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a weekend raid, adding to geopolitical uncertainty. U.S. futures edged higher, while shares in Asia and Europe advanced. Gold gained 2.4% and the price of silver soared 6%. Oil prices barely wavered, since after years of neglect and international sanctions, Venezuela’s oil industry is in disrepair. It could take years and major investments before production can increase dramatically. On Friday, U.S. stocks mostly edged higher on Wall Street in a wobbly start to the new year. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% and the Dow gained 0.7%, but the Nasdaq was roughly flat.