|

BoE in focus after dovish Fed

Important news for the day

  • Thu, 18th, 13:00 CET        UK        BoE interest rate decision
  • Thu, 18th, 14:30 CET        US        Employment claims

BoE in focus

Financial markets will focus on the interest rate decision of the Bank of England today. It is expected that the Bank will leave rates unchanged at 4.00%. Yet following yesterday’s decision of the Fed, we might get a further surprise rate cut as well. Markets had currently priced in that no change will be made so a cut might offer further negative momentum against the Pound. The GBPUSD currency pair might hence fall as the Dollar had picked up some steam already.

Market talk

Yesterday, the BoC did cut interest rates as it had been expected. Meanwhile the CAD did not move much and lost some momentum against the USD but also geared up steam against the EUR. Currently the trend might be due to continue. The Fed did also cut rates at it was expected. Thereafter, the Dollar started to resume some strength against other currencies and equities resumed some upside. Since the move had been previously priced in and secretly a 50 basis points cut was also on the cards, markets might now continue with further strength of the Greenback. Many currency pairs like the GBPUSD, NZDUSD among others printed bearish turnaround patterns, which could be traded as such. The upside in US stocks might hence also be negatively affected.

Tendencies in the markets

  • Equities sideways, USD stronger, BTC positive, ETH stronger, oil sideways, Silver weaker, Gold weaker, JPY weaker.

Author

Frank Walbaum

Frank Walbaum

FX Strategies.Asia

Frank has been working in the TV business for several years. Acquiring his skills in Germany’s biggest broadcasting station, he then chose to work and live in Asia, which was in 2007.

More from Frank Walbaum
Share:

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to our Terms and conditions.

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD drops to daily lows near 1.1630

EUR/USD now loses some traction and slips back to the area of daily lows around 1.1630 on the back of a mild bounce in the US Dollar. Fresh US data, including the September PCE inflation numbers and the latest read on December consumer sentiment, didn’t really move the needle, so the pair is still on course to finish the week with a respectable gain.

GBP/USD trims gains, recedes toward 1.3320

GBP/USD is struggling to keep its daily advance, coming under fresh pressure and retreating to the 1.3320 zone following a mild bullish attempt in the Greenback. Even though US consumer sentiment surprised to the upside, the US Dollar isn’t getting much love, as traders are far more interested in what the Fed will say next week.

Gold makes a U-turn, back to $4,200

Gold is now losing the grip and receding to the key $4,200 region per troy ounce following some signs of life in the Greenback and a marked bounce in US Treasury yields across the board. The positive outlook for the precious metal, however, remains underpinned by steady bets for extra easing by the Fed.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP pare gains despite increasing hopes of upcoming Fed rate cut

Bitcoin is steadying above $91,000 at the time of writing on Friday. Ethereum remains above $3,100, reflecting positive sentiment ahead of the Federal Reserve's (Fed) monetary policy meeting on December 10.

Week ahead – Rate cut or market shock? The Fed decides

Fed rate cut widely expected; dot plot and overall meeting rhetoric also matter. Risk appetite is supported by Fed rate cut expectations; cryptos show signs of life. RBA, BoC and SNB also meet; chances of surprises are relatively low.

Ripple faces persistent bear risks, shrugging off ETF inflows

Ripple is extending its decline for the second consecutive day, trading at $2.06 at the time of writing on Friday. Sentiment surrounding the cross-border remittance token continues to lag despite steady inflows into XRP spot ETFs.