Asian Session: Live Market Analysis (February 4, 2013)

AUD/USD retreats for the second straight day on Tuesday, this time breaking below the 0.7000 level to hit new four-week troughs. The intense sell-off in the Aussie comes in response the continuation of the move higher in the Greenback, helped by robust safe haven demand amid geopolitical crisis.

EUR/USD regains some balance and trade just above 1.1600 the figure ahead of the opening bell in Asia. The pair initially dipped to the 1.1530 zone for the first time since November, always following the stronger US Dollar and the marked flight-to-safety in the context of the ongoing Middle East crisis
 

Gold remains on the defensive, eroding part of the recent multi-day advance and managing to trade back above the $5,100 mark per troy ounce on Tuesday. The precious metal initially dropped just below the critical $5,000 threshold on the back of the persistent strength of the Greenback, higher US Treasury yields across the curve and investors' repricing of Fed rate cuts.

Ripple (XRP) has come under pressure, drifting lower to $1.35 at the time of writing on Tuesday. The over 2% correction looks poised to erase the previous day’s gains, which lifted the remittance token to $1.42.

Even without a confirmed, sustained disruption, the mere risk to a key global energy chokepoint is enough to inject a significant premium into European Gas markets. And for the Euro, that matters.

The US Dollar (USD) is drawing safe-haven support amid sharply escalating tensions in the Middle East, prompting renewed investor concern.