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 Japanese Yen (JPY) is trading weaker against the US Dollar (USD) on Friday, as geopolitical tensions and central bank policy divergence drive market flows. USD/JPY has staged a modest rebound, trading above 144.00 at the time of writing, as demand for the safe-haven US Dollar picks up. Reports of Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities have lifted geopolitical risk, supporting the USD and weighing on the Yen. Meanwhile, expectations that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) will leave interest rates unchanged at its upcoming meeting on Tuesday have further limited JPY gains. While BoJ...
GBP/USD is tumbling over 0.40% on Friday as geopolitical tensions triggered a flow towards the US Dollar (USD) haven status after Israel launched an attack on Iran, which escalated the Middle East conflict. The pair traded near 1.3550s after hitting a three-year peak of 1.3632.Israel's attacks targeted Iran's nuclear facilities, missile factories and military commanders, according to Israeli officials. Iran media revealed that explosions were heard in Tehran and Natanz, the latter being crucial for the Iranian nuclear program. Consequently, Iran retaliated against Israel and sent over 100...
Oil prices jumped over 7% on Friday to multi-month highs after Israel launched air strikes against Iran, sparking Iranian retaliation and raising worries about a disruption in Middle East oil supplies. Brent crude futures were up $4.94, or 7.12%, to $74.30 a barrel at 1442 GMT, after hitting an intraday high of $78.50, the strongest level since January 27. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up $4.72, or 6.94%, at $72.75, touching its highest since January 21 at $77.62 earlier in the session. Friday's gains were the largest intraday moves for both contracts since 2022, after Russia's...
The U.S. dollar gained against major currencies, including the euro and yen, on Friday as markets sought safe-haven assets amid rising geopolitical tensions following an Israeli attack on Iran. Israel launched a barrage of strikes across Iran on Friday, attacking nuclear facilities and missile factories and killing a swath of military commanders. Israel said about 100 drones had been launched towards Israeli territory in retaliation, although an Iranian source denied this. U.S. President Donald Trump, Israel's main ally, urged Iran to reach a deal on its nuclear program, suggesting that...
Gold (XAU/USD) is extending its gains as Israel's attacks on Iran continue, supporting demand for the safe-haven precious metal. At the time of writing, Gold is trading near $3,430, with a surge in bullish momentum potentially opening the door for a retest of the $3,500 record high in the near term. The attacks by Israel on Iran's nuclear facilities have resulted in a broad ‘risk-off' tone throughout markets, supporting Gold's rise. Recent news indicates that the United States and Israel have warned that attacks are likely to persist, leading to a surge in gold prices, which are currently...
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...