Borrowing costs across Europe slid further this week, amid raised hopes of a U.S. Federal Reserve-style quantitative easing (QE) program to boost the euro zone's struggling economies.
For the first time, yields on several euro zone sovereign bonds turned negative–meaning that investors are effectively paying to governments to hold their money.
Finnish, Dutch, Belgian and Austrian 2-year bond yields all turned negative for the first time this week, hitting record lows. German 2-year Schatz and 3-year Bunds also yielded under 0 percent.
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EUR/USD stays slightly above 1.0700 after mixed US data
EUR/USD lost its traction and turned negative on the day but managed to hold above 1.0700. Although the upbeat Employment Cost Index data boosted the USD earlier in the day, the weak consumer sentiment reading limits the currency's gains.
GBP/USD declines toward 1.2500 on renewed USD strength
GBP/USD turned south and dropped toward 1.2500 in the second half of the day. The US Dollar stays resilient against its rivals following the strong wage inflation data and doesn't allow the pair to gain traction.
Gold extends daily slide toward $2,300 as US yields edge higher
Gold stays under bearish pressure and declines toward $2,300 on Tuesday. The benchmark 10-year US Treasury bond yield stays in positive territory above 4.6% after US Employment Cost Index data, weighing on XAU/USD.
XRP hovers above $0.51 as Ripple motion to strike new expert materials receives SEC response
Ripple (XRP) trades broadly sideways on Tuesday after closing above $0.51 on Monday as the payment firm’s legal battle against the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) persists.
Eurozone inflation stable as the outlook on prices gets increasingly muddied
Eurozone headline inflation remains stable at 2.4%. With higher energy prices and improving domestic demand, questions about the direction of inflation become louder.