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Market Overview

Dollar Firms as Fed Powell Dismisses Rapid Rate Cuts, EUR/GBP Slips Before Eurozone CPI

Dollar stabilized overnight and is attempting to regain ground following recent losses. The greenback found some support after Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s remarks, where he indicated that Fed is in no rush to implement rapid rate cuts. This has reduced market expectations for a 50bps cut at the November...

Euro Recovers Despite Soft German Inflation Data, AUD/JPY in Focus for Upcoming Session

Forex market activity was relatively subdued during European trading hours, with Euro recovering against both Sterling and Swiss Franc despite lower-than-expected inflation reading from Germany. However, the common currency continues to face resistance in breaking out of its range against Dollar. Markets will keep a close eye on ECB...

Diverging Trends in Asian Markets; EUR/USD Awaits Eurozone CPI and US NFP

Asian financial markets are displaying significant divergence today. Japan's Nikkei index has plummeted over -4%, reacting sharply to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's election results from last Friday. Shigeru Ishiba, the newly elected LDP leader and Japan's incoming Prime Minister, attempted to soften his previously hawkish stance on the...

Stimulus and Political Surprise in Asia Drive Market Sentiment

Unexpected developments from Asia significantly influenced global financial markets last week. China's surprise stimulus measures invigorated investor sentiment, leading to substantial gains in Chinese and Hong Kong equities, as well as strengthening Chinese Yuan. This positive shift boosted commodity-linked currencies, with New Zealand Dollar and Australian Dollar emerging as...

US Inflation Data Fuels More Risk-On Rally, Yen Surges After Ishiba’s LDP Leadership Win

Risk-on sentiment returned to global markets again in early US trading, driven by lower-than-expected inflation data. While annual PCE core inflation edged up to 2.7%, the monthly increase was a modest 0.1%. This tamer monthly inflation growth suggests that underlying price pressures would, at least, not obstruct Fed's to...

Risk-On Sentiment Drives Global Gains, Kiwi and Aussie Lead the Charge

Risk-on sentiment continues to dominate global financial markets today, driven by widespread monetary easing and a significant boost from China’s latest stimulus measures. US equities finished strong overnight, with all major indexes posting gains. S&P 500 hit a fresh record for the third consecutive time this week. Meanwhile, Germany’s...

Swiss Franc Steady as Dovish SNB Tone Balances Offsets Rate Cut

Swiss Franc remained relatively stable today following SNB's decision to cut its policy rate by 25bps, bringing it down to 1.00%. This move defied some market speculations that anticipated a larger 50bps reduction. Despite opting for a smaller cut, SNB issued a decidedly dovish statement, sharply downgrading its inflation...

Risk-On Sentiment Drives Asian Markets; Focus Shifts to SNB Rate Decision

Asian markets are maintaining a risk-on tone today, despite the lackluster US market performance overnight. Sentiment remains buoyed by China’s recent monetary stimulus measures, even as doubts linger about their overall effectiveness due to the absence of significant fiscal support. Nevertheless, stocks in Hong Kong and China continue to...

Euro Gains Momentum Despite ECB Rate Cut Speculations

Euro is gaining broadly today, even though there is no major fundamental news driving its ascent. Market expectations are mounting that ECB may cut interest rates as early as October, with HSBC projecting 25bps cuts at every meeting from October through April 2025. This would bring the deposit rate...

Dollar Slumps as Euro Eyes August High, Hong Kong Markets Approach Crucial Resistance

Dollar continued its broad-based weakness in Asian session, with selling pressure shifting towards European majors. EUR/USD is approaching its August high as the near-term rebound gathers momentum. This decline in the Dollar is partly attributed to weaker-than-expected US consumer confidence data released overnight, which has intensified market expectations of...

Aussie Stays Firm With Copper’s Rally Giving Extra Support

The forex market continues to display a mild risk-on mood, with commodity-linked currencies Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian Dollars gaining ground. In contrast, safe-haven currencies Japanese Yen, Swiss Franc, and Dollar are under pressure. Australian Dollar jumps earlier today following RBA's decision to hold rates steady, combined with China's broad...

Aussie Jumps as RBA Holds Steady, Markets Lifted by China’s Stimulus Push

Australian Dollar surged broadly today following RBA's decision to leave interest rates unchanged at 4.35%, as widely expected. What caught the market's attention was RBA's continued focus on inflation risks, making it clear that the central bank is not considering a rate cut anytime soon. During the post-meeting press...

Euro Slumps on Weak PMI as ECB Oct Cut Speculation Heats Up

Euro took a sharp dive today following disappointing PMI data that fueled fresh speculation about ECB potentially moving up its anticipated rate cut. Markets had been bracing for a December cut, timed with the release of new economic forecasts. However, the mounting risks of stagnation and even recession in...

Aussie Gains Ground, Overcoming PMI Weakness on China’s Rate Cut Boost

Australian Dollar managed to climb modestly in a quiet Asian trading session today, despite underwhelming PMI data from Australia. With Japan on holiday, the session saw limited movement, but risk-on sentiment helped offset some of the negative impact from the weak data. In contrast, Yen and Swiss Franc extended...

Dollar With Limited Losses After Fed; Yen Slumps; Sterling Soars

Dollar finished last week on the back foot, reacting to Fed's decision to cut rates by 50 bps. While the greenback lost ground to most major rivals, its decline was relatively modest. Notably, Dollar managed to close higher against both Japanese Yen and Swiss Franc, and it continued to...

Sterling Rallies on Strong Retail Sales as Yen Struggles

Sterling climbed broadly today, fueled by unexpectedly strong UK retail sales data that more than compensated for the lackluster consumer confidence report. Despite ongoing high interest rates and persistent inflation, British consumers appear to be resilient, continuing to spend. This bolsters the position of hawkish members within the BoE's...

Risk-On Rally Continues, Yen Remains Soft Following BoJ Hold

Global markets continues to a wave of risk-on sentiment today, with Japan's Nikkei leading the charge in Asia. The index maintained its gains after BoJ decided to keep interest rates unchanged, a move that was widely anticipated. This positive momentum stems from the strong performance of US equities overnight, as...

Sterling Gains on Cautious BoE, Investors Embrace Fed’s Message

Sterling surged notably today and reached its highest level against Dollar since March 2022. The move followed BoE's decision to hold interest rates steady as expected. The surprise came from Deputy Governor Dave Ramsden, who chose not to vote for a rate cut. The overall tone from BoE suggests...

No Fireworks After Fed Cut, Attention Turns to BoE

Market reactions were indecisive after Fed's much-anticipated rate cut overnight. The initial optimism that sparked a rally in US stocks quickly fizzled out, with major indexes closing in the red, while Treasury yields staged a recovery. The reaction was somewhat anticlimactic but understandable given the unusually high level of uncertainty...

Sterling Climbs as UK Core Inflation Accelerates, Dollar Softens Ahead of FOMC Decision

Sterling strengthened across the board today after UK CPI data revealed reacceleration in core inflation. The uptick in core CPI provides additional support for hawkish members of the BoE's MPC, bolstering the case for a rate hold at tomorrow's decision. A rate cut is still expected in November, when...