After a nine-month pause, the US Federal Reserve is expected to resume its cycle of interest rate cuts this week. The big question is how far will it go? US President Trump has already made it clear that he wants to see cuts to a key interest rate of around 1% (from the current 4.25-4.50%), and probably as quickly as possible. Given the risk of stagflation in the wake of US tariffs, such a sharp easing of monetary policy would be disastrous for the US Dollar (USD), Commerzbank's Head of FX and Commodity Research Thu Lan Nguyen notes. Trump wants the Fed to help the Treasury finance the...
The GBP/USD surged during the North American session, rising back above the 1.36 figure as hostilities within the Israel-Iran conflict escalated over the weekend and continued into the new week. At the time of writing, the pair trades at 1.3600, gaining 0.27%. Last Friday, the GBP/USD retreated on risk aversion and plunged to 1.3515 as Israel delivered strikes on Iran's military and nuclear facilities, alongside targeted attacks on senior officials. Since then, Iran has retaliated, and with both parties exchanging blows, a truce seems far from reach. The Dollar began the week on the back...
EUR/USD recovered after posting a loss of 0.25% last Friday, as hostilities between Israel and Iran began, which boosted the Greenback's appeal. Nevertheless, with both parties set to continue exchanging blows and a slightly diminished risk of turning into a regional conflict, an improvement in risk appetite underpins the shared currency. The EUR/USD trades at 1.1572, up 0.17%, after reaching a daily low of 1.1523. The Greenback trades on the back foot. A scarce economic docket in the United States (US) revealed that manufacturing activity in the New York area plunged to its weakest reading...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) is treading water against the US Dollar (USD) on Monday as traders sit on the sidelines ahead of the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) policy announcement, scheduled for Tuesday. The USD/JPY pair is struggling to advance further after Friday's gains, which were underpinned by heightened Israel-Iran tensions, and stays confined within a narrow range. At the time of writing, the pair hovers near 144.20, close to its 21-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) at 144.19. Intraday moves have been limited so far, with the day's high marked at 144.75. The low at 143.65 reflects a cautious...
Silver prices are stalling above $36.00 on Monday, with bullish momentum taking a breather after a sharp multi-week rally. At the time of writing, XAG/USD remains up more than 10% for the month, although the metal now appears to be consolidating as it searches for a fresh directional catalyst. The US Dollar has lost ground despite the geopolitical backdrop, with its traditional safe-haven status coming under pressure amid political instability and uncertainty over trade policy. A softer USD has helped keep Silver supported near $36.38, following a modest 0.2% gain from Friday. The...
Oil prices fell more than $2 per barrel on Monday after reports that Iran is seeking an end to hostilities with Israel, raising the possibility of a truce and easing fears of a disruption to crude supplies from the region. Brent crude futures fell $2.65, or 2.7%, to $71.58 a barrel by 11:05 a.m. ET (1506 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell $2.71, or 3.7%, to $70.27 per barrel. Iran has asked Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman to press U.S. President Donald Trump to use his influence on Israel for an immediate ceasefire in return for Tehran's flexibility in talks about its...
President Donald Trump said he would fire Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors if she does not resign her post over mortgage-fraud accusations from a top...
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) maintained its cash rate at 4.1% during its April meeting, holding borrowing costs unchanged after slashing 25 bps in the February meeting, aligning with market...