The GBP/USD pair moved up at the start of a busy week and for now, seems to have snapped a three-day losing streak to the 1.2600 handle, or more than a two-week low hit on Friday. The spot currency is trading around the 1.2630-1.2635 range, up 0.10% for the day, although meaningful appreciation seems elusive ahead of the key central bank event risks this week. The Federal Reserve (Fed) is scheduled to announce its policy decision on Wednesday, which will be followed by the Bank of England (BoE) meeting on Thursday. The US central bank is widely expected to lower borrowing costs for the...
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil prices corrected lower after posting gains in the previous session, trading around $70.50 per barrel during the Asian session on Monday (12/16). Crude oil prices rose amid rising expectations of tighter supplies driven by the imposition of additional US sanctions on major producers Russia and Iran. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Reuters on Friday that the United States was considering further sanctions on "black fleet" tankers and may also impose sanctions on Chinese banks to curb Russian oil revenues and access to foreign supplies, which fueled...
The Australian Dollar (AUD) snapped a four-day losing streak on Monday (16/12) as the US Dollar (USD) weakened amid US Treasury yields ahead of the Federal Reserve's (Fed) interest rate decision due on Wednesday. The Fed is widely expected to announce a 25 basis point interest rate cut at its final monetary policy meeting of 2024. According to the CME FedWatch tool, markets are now almost fully pricing in a quarter basis point rate cut at the Fed's December meeting. China Retail Sales (YoY) rose 3.0% in November, compared with a 4.6% forecast and a previous reading of 4.8%. Meanwhile,...
Gold prices (XAU/USD) moved higher after the Asian session to drop to $2,644-2,643 region, or the lowest level in a week, and for now, seems to have halted its sharp decline from over a month highs reached last Thursday. The US Dollar (USD) started the new week on a weaker note amid a slight decline in the US Treasury bond yields. Moreover, geopolitical risks and uncertainty over US President-elect Donald Trump's policies turned out to be the main factors providing support for the precious metal which is a safe-haven asset. Meanwhile, investors now seem convinced that the Federal Reserve...
Silver (XAG/UD) started the new week on a subdued note and consolidated last week's retracement slide from or above one-month highs. The white metal remained close to a two-week low touched on Friday and traded around the $30.55 area, or the 100-day Simple Moving Average (SMA), during the Asian session. From a technical perspective, acceptance below the 100-day SMA will be seen as a fresh trigger for bearish traders against the backdrop of last week's failure near the $32.35 horizontal resistance. Given that oscillators on the daily chart have just started gaining negative traction, XAG/USD...