Asian stocks opened mixed on Friday following the European Central Bank's surprise rate cut on Thursday and amid caution ahead of a key U.S. jobs report.
European Central Bank (ECB) chief Mario Draghi caught markets off guard overnight by cutting interest rates to record low of 0.05 percent and the overnight rate to negative 0.2 percent, further penalizing banks for parking money at the central bank. The ECB also said it would launch a program next month to buy asset-backed securities.
Attention now turns to the U.S. August nonfarm payrolls report due later on Friday. Analysts polled by Reuters expect a figure of around 225,000 nonfarm payrolls following July's gain of 209,000 jobs. The unemployment rate is seen dropping to 6.1 percent from 6.2 percent.
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EUR/USD hovers near 1.0700 even as USD struggles ahead of data
EUR/USD has erased gains to trade flat near 1.0700 in the European session on Thursday. The pair comes under pressure even as the US Dollar struggles, in the aftermath of the Fed policy announcements and ahead of more US employment data.
GBP/USD turns south toward 1.2500, US data eyed
GBP/USD is consolidating the rebound above 1.2500 in European trading on Thursday. The pair struggles, despite the US Dollar weakness on dovish Fed signals. A mixed market mood caps the GBP/USD upside ahead of mid-tier US data.
Gold price pulls back as market sentiment improves
The Gold price is trading in the $2,310s on Thursday after retracing about three-tenths of a percent on reduced safe-haven demand. Market sentiment is overall positive as Asian stocks on balance closed higher and Oil prices hover at seven-week lows.
Top 3 Price Prediction BTC, ETH, XRP: Altcoins to pump once BTC bottoms out, slow grind up for now
Bitcoin reclaiming above $59,200 would hint that BTC has already bottomed out, setting the tone for a run north. Ethereum holding above $2,900 keeps a bullish reversal pattern viable despite falling momentum. Ripple coils up for a move north as XRP bulls defend $0.5000.
Happy Apple day
Apple is due to report Q1 results today after the bell. Expectations are soft given that Apple’s Chinese business got a major hit in Q1 as competitors increased their market share against the giant Apple.