West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the US crude oil benchmark, is trading around $73.65 on Friday. The WTI price flat lines as the stronger US Dollar (USD) broadly offsets concerns over supply disruptions. A strengthening of the USD on the cautious stance of the US Federal Reserve (Fed) undermines the WTI price as it makes oil more expensive for holders of other currencies. FOMC Minutes released on Wednesday showed that the Fed policymakers expressed concern about inflation and the impact that President-elect Donald Trump's policies could have. Fed officials indicated that they would be moving...
The USD/CHF pair gains traction to around 0.9115 during the early European trading hours on Thursday, bolstered by the stronger US Dollar (USD). The cautious stance of the Federal Reserve (Fed) and solid US economic data provide some support to the pair. Traders will monitor the Fedspeak on Thursday for more cues about the US interest rate outlook this year. Investors scaled back rate cut bets, with pricing a less than 50% chance the Fed cuts rates ahead of its June meeting, according to the CME FedWatch Tool. "With the Federal Reserve expected to cut rates less than most other major...
ilver price (XAG/USD) continues its rally after registering little losses in the previous session, trading around $30.20 per troy ounce during the Asian hours on Friday. Traders are now focused on US labor market data including Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP), for additional insights into the Federal Reserve's policy direction.The precious Silver, often considered a safe-haven asset, gains support amid uncertainty surrounding inflation and potential tariffs under President-elect Trump's administration, as highlighted by the US Federal Reserve (Fed). However, the upside of the non-yielding metal...
The Japanese Yen (JPY) ticks higher in reaction to comments from Japan's Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa during the Asian session on Friday, albeit it lacks bullish conviction amid the Bank of Japan (BoJ) rate hike uncertainty. Data released earlier today showed that real household spending in Japan fell for the fourth month in November and pointed to an economic fragility. This gives the BoJ another reason to be cautious about raising interest rate hikes further, which might continue to undermine the JPY. Furthermore, the US-Japan bond yield differentials have widened significantly over...
The Australian Dollar (AUD) extends its losses for the fourth consecutive day against the US Dollar (USD), with the AUD/USD pair hovering near two-year lows on Friday. The AUD receives downward pressure as the ANZ is now forecasting a 25 basis points (bps) rate cut by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) in February. Traders are now focused on US labor market data including Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP), for additional policy direction insights. The AUD found no support from China's latest inflation data, which highlighted increasing deflationary risks. China's Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased...