EUR/USD traded lower near a 10-day low of 1.0815 during the European session on Friday (3/21). The major currency pair faced selling pressure as the US Dollar (USD) strengthened after the Federal Reserve (Fed) stated that an interest rate cut is not on the cards in the current scenario. The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, rose near 104.15. On Wednesday, the Fed kept interest rates unchanged at 4.25%-4.50% for the second consecutive day, as expected. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said in a press conference that the central bank will...
Gold (XAU/USD) is facing a second day of losses while its weekly performance is still positive. The precious metal is trading around $3,030 at the time of writing on Friday (3/21) after hitting a new all-time high of $3,057 the previous day. The move down should not come as a surprise given the Quadruple Witching event. Quadruple Witching is an event in the financial markets when four different sets of futures and options contracts expire on the same day, and investors must decide whether to sell and buy back their positions or simply sell them. Meanwhile, on the geopolitical front,...
Oil was little changed in the final trading session of the week as traders weighed the first U.S. sanctions on Chinese imports of Iranian crude against the uncertain outlook for global growth. Brent crude futures fell slightly below $72 a barrel, erasing earlier gains, while still posting their biggest weekly gain since January. The U.S. sanctioned a small Chinese refiner and its chief executive for allegedly buying Iranian oil, as well as a terminal operator. The market structure for Middle East crude firmed after the news. The Trump administration's first intervention in the Asian...