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...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) weakened across the board during the Asian session on Wednesday (07/05) as optimism over the US-China trade talks was seen denting demand for traditional safe-haven assets. This comes on top of uncertainty over the likely pace and timing of future interest rate hikes by the Bank of Japan (JPY), which was seen weighing on the JPY. This, along with a modest uptick in the US Dollar (USD), helped the USD/JPY pair to gain some positive traction and snap a three-day losing streak to a near one-week low touched on Tuesday. However, investors seem convinced that the BoJ could...
The dollar was steady on Wednesday before a Federal Reserve meeting to determine policy for an uncertain economy and as major investors in Asia continued to cash out of U.S. assets. News that the United States and China will hold talks on Saturday eased concerns about a trade war that has shaken investor confidence in the dollar and U.S. markets. Fed Chair Jerome Powell is expected to say more data is needed before deciding on the U.S. central bank's next move. There appears to be a slowdown in dollar selling since last week, which has been driven by investors globally, particularly in...
Gold prices fell on Wednesday as optimism over potential US-China trade talks dampened demand for safe-haven assets, while investors prepared for a Federal Reserve policy meeting later in the day. Spot gold fell 1.2% to $3,388.67 an ounce by 0225 GMT. The metal had gained nearly 3% in the previous session. US gold futures fell 0.7% to $3,397.70. "Gold appears to be pulling back amid the broad risk-on movement across the market ... this is a pro-cyclical configuration that may echo optimism amid hints that the US and China have begun real trade negotiations," said Ilya Spivak, global head...
The AUD/USD pair extended its upward momentum for the fourth straight session, holding around the 0.6510 mark during Asian trading hours on Wednesday (07/05). The Australian dollar (AUD) found support from the release of mid-tier domestic economic data and improving global trade sentiment. In April, the AiG Industrial Index rose by 5.1 points to -15 on a seasonally adjusted basis, signaling a moderate improvement despite persistent headwinds in the industrial sector. Headwinds such as global trade uncertainty, currency volatility, and the upcoming federal election continued to weigh on...
Oil prices rose after rising more than 3% in the previous session as the U.S. and China agreed to start trade talks, raising optimism that tensions between the world's two largest economies could ease. West Texas Intermediate crude rose near $60 a barrel after rising the most in nearly three weeks on Tuesday. Brent crude settled above $62. U.S. Treasury and Commerce officials are due to travel to Switzerland this week for talks with Chinese officials, the first such discussions since President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs. Crude is facing increasing pressure from escalating trade...
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...