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

AUD/USD remains confined within a multi-week-old range, oscillating around 0.7100 in the Asian session on Tuesday. Bets for another interest rate hike by the RBA in May continue to act as a tailwind for the Aussie. However, a hit to sentiment from US-Israeli air strikes against Iran helps the safe-haven US Dollar preserve its overnight strong gains, capping the upside in the risk-sensitive Australian Dollar.

Gold is finding renewed bids in Asian trades on Tuesday, making another attempt to regain the $5,400 level amid persistent demand for safe-haven assets as the Iran war extends. A softer risk tone remains in play as US President Donald Trump continues to threaten deeper escalation to the ongoing war with Iran, warning that a “big wave” is yet to come.

USD/JPY stays defensive below the 157.50 and over a five-week high set on Monday as a dramatic escalation of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East continues to benefit the US Dollar's status as the global reserve currency. The Japanese Yen also benefits from a risk-off market scenario amid looming FX intervention fears, acting as a drag on the major. 

Near Protocol, Virtuals Protocol, and Morpho are leading the market recovery with double-digit gains over the last 24 hours. Technically, NEAR extends the breakout of the falling channel pattern, VIRTUAL holds above the 50-day EMA, while MORPHO tests a crucial resistance. 

At the end of the day, markets do not trade morality or geopolitics. They trade transmission channels. And the only channel that truly matters in this maelstrom runs through the price of energy and the time value of money.

The United States, allied with Israel, struck Iran over the weekend, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In retaliation, Iran launched missile and drone attacks targeting US military bases across several nations, with attacks from both parties still ongoing, fueling a geopolitical crisis.