Ipek Ozkardeskaya
Swissquote Bank Ltd
The week starts on quite a tense note as the tensions between Ukraine and Russia don’t seem to be headed in the right direction with reports on Friday hinting at the possibility of a Russian invasion before ‘the end of the Beijing Olympics’.
European equities are deep in the red, with FTSE 100 somehow doing less bad than the others on rising energy and commodity prices, but the Euro Stoxx is already down 2.33% and the DAX by 2.85%.
US crudes flirts with the $95 per barrel, and gold welcomes decent safe-haven capital. While US sovereigns, energy and gold are the favorite destinations for those who are seeking protection in the actual environment, any relief on the Ukrainian front could send the recent gains in oil and gold crumbling.
On the economic agenda: US PPI and FOMC minutes will be closely watched. We know that engineering a policy that would bring inflation down to the 2% target in the US would also bring unnecessary stress on the market and on the economy. Would that help cooling the Fed hawks?
This report has been prepared by Swissquote Bank Ltd and is solely been published for informational purposes and is not to be construed as a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any currency or any other financial instrument. Views expressed in this report may be subject to change without prior notice and may differ or be contrary to opinions expressed by Swissquote Bank Ltd personnel at any given time. Swissquote Bank Ltd is under no obligation to update or keep current the information herein, the report should not be regarded by recipients as a substitute for the exercise of their own judgment.
Recommended Content
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD climbs to fresh daily highs above 1.0700
EUR/USD has regained its traction and climbed to a fresh daily high above 1.0720 in the second half of the day on Thursday. Despite the upbeat ADP employment data, the downward revision to Unit Labor Costs for the first quarter triggered a fresh leg of USD selloff, boosting the pair.
GBP/USD tests 1.2500 as USD continues to weaken
GBP/USD has extended its daily rebound toward 1.2500 in the American session. The US Dollar continues to weaken against its rivals as soft wage inflation data feed into expectations for a pause in Federal Reserve rate hikes at the upcoming policy meeting.
Gold climbs above $1,970 as US yields extend slide
Gold price climbed above $1,970 in the American session on Thursday. Following weak wage inflation data from the US, the benchmark 10-year US Treasury bond yield is down more than 1% on the day below 3.6%, fuelling XAU/USD's daily rally.
XRP unlocks tokens worth $500 million as SEC vs. Ripple verdict looms
Ripple, the cross-border payment remittance giant, has unlocked a total of 1 billion XRP tokens from escrow on Thursday. This unlock is a part of the scheduled monthly distribution strategy of the XRP token.
LCID sheds 13% with $3 billion share sale
Lucid Group (LCID), the maker of the Lucid Air luxury electric sedan, surprised shareholders late Wednesday when it announced that it would raise $3 billion in new common stock.