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BBVA Bancomer Team
BBVA Bancomer
Following Thursday's sharp decline, GBP/USD clings to small gains above 1.3300 in the American session on Friday, supported by the upbeat UK Retail Sales and July PMI data. Nevertheless, the pair's upside remains capped as investors cling to a cautious stance amid a further escalation of tensions in the Middle East. The US July PMI data failed to trigger relevant price action.
The EUR/USD pair builds on a modest bullish gap opening and climbs back above the 1.1400 mark during the Asian session on Monday. The intraday move up is sponsored by a broadly weaker US Dollar, weighed down by renewed optimism over a diplomatic resolution to end a five-month-old US-Iran war.
Gold holds the bullish gap-up opening on Monday, around $4,100, as hopes of US-Iran peace talks weigh heavily on crude oil prices, easing inflation fears and tempering Fed rate-hike bets. Moreover, the optimism drags the safe-haven US Dollar away from a one-month top, touched on Friday, and supports the non-yielding bullion.
Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple begin the week on a firm footing after surging over 1%, 4% and 1%, respectively, in the previous week. BTC holds above key technical resistance after recording its fourth consecutive weekly gain.
The Australian Dollar rode a rollercoaster in the first half of the year, hitting a four-year high and then correcting. The currency enters the second half with an outlook full of uncertainty due to renewed hostilities in the Middle East, which clouds the inflation outlook and interest rates.