Friday, 18 September 2026
Independent coverage of global markets, trade and finance
The August 2025 non-farm payrolls report is expected to confirm a weakening US labor market, with forecasts of +75,000 jobs and unemployment rising to 4.3%. A soft reading could strengthen expectations for a Federal Res…
Asian markets traded cautiously on Thursday, with much of the region's price action muted as traders adopted a wait and see approach ahead of Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's Jackson Hole speech, even though the symp…
UOB Global Economics & Markets Research notes that US PCE inflation for July slightly exceeded expectations, helping US Treasury yields to rise and supporting the US Dollar against most G10 currencies. The DXY index pos…
Gold (XAU/USD) surrenders modest intraday gains and trades just above the $4,600 mark heading into the European session on Thursday. The commodity, however, holds above the weekly low touched the previous day as traders…
The Aussie Dollar advances for the third straight day, up more than 0.17%, even though the latest US inflation report renewed investors' hawkish bets that the US central bank might increase rates by the end of 2026. The…
Sam Azzarello: What's next for markets and the global economy after a year defined by escalating tariffs, persistent geopolitical tensions, and the rise of artificial intelligence across industries?
Gold price (XAU/USD) falls to near $4,610 during the early Asian session on Thursday. The precious metal retreats from a three-month high as US inflation data came largely in line with expectations, increasing expectati…
The GBP/JPY failed to sustain the 217.00 breakout, reversing to the 216.50 area as traders faded the move, exacerbating the decline to current exchange rates. At the time of writing, the cross-pair exchanges hands with …
The Dow Jones Industrial Average trades a shade beneath 53,500 and roughly 100 points lower on the session, after a 12:30 GMT data drop the wires filed as uneventful. July core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) pr…
Sterling retreats some 0.39% as the US Dollar stages a recovery after a US inflation report revealed that prices remained elevated, increasing the chances of seeing a rate hike by the Federal Reserve (Fed) towards the e…
Chris Turner at ING notes USD/CNH is consolidating after last week’s sharp decline, as investors hesitate to buy Renminbi with the PBoC slowing lower USD/CNY fixings and US–Iran sanctions risks in focus. ING’s base case…
Scotiabank strategists Shaun Osborne and Eric Theoret describe the Japanese Yen (JPY) as quiet, extending a tight consolidation as markets gradually price a 25 bp Bank of Japan (BoJ) hike for September 18. Hawkish BoJ m…
Prashant Newnaha at TD Securities notes that the RBA’s August minutes were overall less hawkish than June, but still emphasized upside inflation risks and the possibility of preemptive tightening. With July CPI strong a…
AUD/USD is trading around 0.7170 on Wednesday, down slightly after a hot Australian inflation print ran straight into a firmer US Dollar.
ABN AMRO’s Georgette Boele highlights that EUR/PLN has risen as interest rate expectations diverge between the Eurozone and Poland. The National Bank of Poland kept rates at 3.75% and appears divided on a possible 25bp …
EUR/GBP is trading around 0.8570 on Wednesday, on the front foot as hopes of a de-escalation in the Gulf hand the Euro (EUR) a modest lift. The pair has broken above its 20- and 100-period moving averages, which sit bun…
NZD/USD retreats to around 0.5940 on Wednesday at the time of writing, down 0.60% on the day. The New Zealand Dollar (NZD) loses ground against the US Dollar (USD), which finds some support following the release of the …
EU mid-market update: Bond yields off recent highs as drop in crude overshadows rate expectations and hawkish commentary; Awaiting Nvidia numbers and Rubin color tonight.
MUFG’s Derek Halpenny notes the Japanese Yen is firmer versus most G10 currencies as markets increasingly price a Bank of Japan rate hike in September. Services PPI data and hawkish commentary from former BoJ officials …
Crude prices extend their reversal on Wednesday, with the US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) trading at the $79.50 area as of writing, highlighting a 9% decline from last week’s highs above $87.00.
United Overseas Bank’s (UOB) Quek Ser Leang and Lee Sue Ann note AUD/USD extended its consolidation slightly higher, closing at 0.7165 as short-term momentum improves.
DBS Group Research economist Philip Wee notes that the DXY Index’s recent recovery stalled slightly above 99 and has reverted to a 98.5–99.0 range after last week’s sell-off linked to higher US long bond yields.
ING’s Chris Turner reports that the National Bank of Hungary cut its policy rate by 25bp to 5.50%, with Chief Economist Peter Virovacz seeing a 4.75% terminal rate.
EUR/JPY depreciates after registering modest gains, trading around 185.60 during the European hours on Wednesday. The technical analysis of a daily chart indicates that the currency cross is remaining within the ascendi…