The Japanese Yen (JPY) languishes near a six-month low against its American counterpart and seems vulnerable to prolonging a one-month-old downtrend amid uncertainty about the timing of the next rate hike by the Bank of Japan (BoJ). Adding to this, the recent widening of the US-Japan yield differential, bolstered by reduced bets for further rate cuts by the Federal Reserve (Fed), validates the near-term negative outlook for the lower-yielding JPY. That said, a combination of factors might hold back the JPY bears from placing fresh bets. Japan's Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato weighed in...
The Australian dollar (AUD) remained weak for the second straight session against the US dollar (USD), with the AUD/USD pair losing ground despite stronger-than-expected monthly inflation data released on Wednesday (8/1). However, the trimmed mean, a closely watched measure of core inflation, fell to 3.2% year-on-year from 3.5%, closer to the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) target range of 2% to 3%. Traders are currently pricing in a 55% probability that the RBA will cut the cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.35% in February, with a full quarter-point cut expected in April. Australia's...
Gold price (XAU/USD) stabilizes following the previous day's late pullback from the $2,665 hurdle as traders opt to move to the sidelines ahead of Wednesday's release of the FOMC Minutes later during the US session. In the meantime, the prospects for slower rate cuts by the Federal Reserve (Fed) continue to push the US Treasury bond yields higher and act as a headwind for the non-yielding yellow metal. Apart from this, the underlying strong US Dollar (USD) bullish tone turns out to be another factor that contributes to capping the commodity. The downside for the Gold price, however, remains...