๐ฏ๐ต Traders are on watch for another round of Yen intervention after the $UsdJpy pair once again hit the critical 160 "line in the sand" between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. Japanese local time
Financial markets are now pricing ~30 basis points of Fed hikes by March 2027 compared with:
~60 basis points for the ECB
~40 basis points for the Bank of England
~40 basis points of BOJ rate increases by year-end
$Dxy $EurUsd $GbpUsd $UsdJpy
๐บ๐ธ๐ฎ๐ท The $Dxy is trading higher today after the US renewed strikes on Iran following a stalemate in current peace negotiations
$Wti also rallied over 3% on the news of continued hostilities in the Persian Gulf
๐ณ๐ฟ The RBNZ is expected to keep its key interest rate unchanged at tomorrow's meeting
Hawkishness from New Zealand's Central Bank in April, and recent inflation readings above 3%, have prompted money markets to price in rate hikes which are now widely expected to be delivered in June $NzdUsd
The US is in a much better position to handle higher oil prices than it has been historically and the EU is now moving to the "Severe Scenario"
$EurUsd will likely come under pressure as the EU economic situation continues to deteriorate & the US economy holds firm
๐ช๐บ ECB Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel has said that the ECB should hike rates in June:
The EU has "actually moved beyond the adverse scenario, which assumed a rapid normalization of oil prices" $EurUsd
Global Forex Volatility is near its lowest level since 2024 as the worldโs reserve currency, the $Dxy, continues trading close to flat against its major peers this year
๐ฆ๐บ Australiaโs unemployment rate climbs to 4.5% vs expectations for an unchanged 4.3%, the biggest miss since June last year
Traders now see about an even chance of a rate hike in August, rising to fully priced in December $AudUsd
๐จ NATO is discussing the possibility of helping ships pass through the blocked Strait of Hormuz if the waterway isnโt reopened by early July
Traffic through the Strait remains at record lows, despite Iranian claims of it reopening
๐ฌ๐ง UK firms cut 100,000 jobs in April, the biggest drop since the pandemic, according to the Office for National Statistics
Unemployment also rose to 5% in the three months to March $GbpUsd
๐ฌ๐ง Hedge funds and asset managers ramp up bearish sterling option bets amid rising fears of political instability and looser fiscal polices in any political shift to the Left under new leadership $GbpUsd
๐จ๐ณ China's economic slowdown continues as official data shows fixed-asset investment turned negative, whilst industrial production grew at its weakest pace in almost three years
Retail sales rose just 0.2% in April vs expectations of an increase to 2%
Game Over for the British Pound
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