The Federal Reserve is expected to deliver its first interest-rate cut this year at its September 16-17 meeting, as it moves to counter a cooling labor market even as inflation remains above target. The anticipated quarter-point reduction may not satisfy President Donald Trump, who wants a bigger cut and has named his White House economic advisor, Stephen Miran, in time to be on the Fed Board at the September meeting, pending Senate confirmation. Here is a look at Fed officials' comments since their last policy meeting, sorting them under the labels "dove" and "hawk" as shorthand for their...
GBP/USD continues its upward momentum for the second consecutive session, hovering near 1.3360 during Asian trading hours on Tuesday. The Pound Sterling (GBP) is strengthening as the US Dollar (USD) softens in response to Moody's Ratings downgrading the US credit rating from Aaa to Aa1. This downgrade echoes similar actions by Fitch Ratings in 2023 and Standard & Poor's in 2011. Moody's now anticipates that US federal debt will rise to approximately 134% of GDP by 2035, up from 98% in 2023, while projecting the federal budget deficit to widen to nearly 9% of GDP. The downgrade reflects...
The Japanese (JPY) weakens across the board on Tuesday, assisting the USD/JPY pair to reverse the previous day's slide to over a one-week low and climb back to mid-145.00s during the Asian session. A surprise downgrade of the US government's credit rating on Friday appeared to have a modest impact on the global risk sentiment. This is evident from a generally positive tone around the equity markets, which is seen as a key factor undermining demand for the safe-haven JPY. Any meaningful JPY downfall, however, seems elusive in the wake of the growing acceptance that the Bank of Japan (BoJ)...
Brent crude oil futures rose to around $65.6 per barrel on Tuesday amid increased uncertainty over the progress of US-Iran nuclear negotiations. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takhtravanchi said on Monday that talks between Iran and the US will "lead nowhere" if Washington continues to demand a complete halt to Tehran's uranium enrichment activities. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said that Russia and Ukraine will "immediately" begin ceasefire negotiations following a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. A potential truce could pave the way for increased Russian oil...
The Gold price (XAU/USD) edges lower to around $3,230 during the early Asian session on Tuesday, pressured by a modest US Dollar (USD) rebound. However, the concerns over the US economic health after Moody's downgrades the US national credit rating might cap its downside. The Greenback recovers on Tuesday, capping the upside for the USD-denominated commodity price. Nonetheless, the economic uncertainties could boost the safe-haven flows. Moody's cut the US rating to "Aa1" from "Aaa" on Friday, citing rising debt and interest "that are significantly higher than similarly rated sovereigns"....
The U.S. dollar fell broadly on Monday, hitting its lowest point in more than a week against the yen, Swiss franc and euro, pressured by a surprise downgrade of the U.S. government's credit rating late Friday, even as trade tensions also escalated. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a television interview Sunday that President Donald Trump would impose tariffs at the level he threatened last month on trading partners that do not negotiate in "good faith." However, Moody's cutting the United States' top sovereign credit rating by one notch on Friday began to weigh on the dollar....
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...