Summary
August has not been the greenback's best month. The dollar dipped against its peers as the chances of a rate hike slipped away. The minutes showed little appetite for further hikes, despite some comments from Yellen's peers. However, some kind of slide in oil prices and uncertainty towards the Jackson Hole Symposium help the world's reserve currency. /the pound was unable to fully capitalize on the good post-Brexit figures which should have lifted the dark clouds. Also commodity currencies seemed unable to break higher, Was the market out of focus due to the Olympic Games? Well, they are over now, and it's back to business.
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EUR/USD retreats to daily lows near 1.1570
EUR/USD briefly pushed higher earlier in the session, climbing toward the 1.1650 area, but the recovery quickly lost momentum and the pair has drifted back to test the 1.1570 region. A more cautious market mood, driven by the escalating conflict in the Middle East, together with broad-based strength in the US Dollar, is making it difficult for the pair to maintain its footing.
GBP/USD loses the grip, focus is on 1.3300
GBP/USD remains on the defensive on Thursday, hovering around the 1.3320 region. The British Pound is coming under pressure amid growing concerns that rising energy prices could expose the UK economy to stagflation risks, while renewed safe-haven demand for the Greenback continues to weigh on the pair.
Gold falls as demand for the US Dollar resurges
Gold turns lower on Thursday, slipping back toward the $5,100 area. Persistent strength in the US Dollar (USD) is preventing the precious metal from building a meaningful recovery, even as markets remain risk-averse amid the deepening conflict in the Middle East.
Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP hold weekly gains despite US-Iran war
The cryptocurrency market is gaining strength on Thursday, building on Wednesday's upswing, which saw Bitcoin reach a weekly high above $74,000. Ethereum and Ripple are moderating their recent gains amid uncertainty stemming from the escalating war in the Middle East.
Two PMIs, two Chinas Premium
China’s economic data are often treated with a degree of caution by global investors. The challenge is not necessarily that the numbers are incorrect, but that they can describe very different parts of a vast and complex economy. Nowhere is that more evident than in China’s PMIs.
Here is what you need to know on Thursday, March 5:
Financial markets remain risk-averse in the second half of the week as the conflict in the Middle East widens. The US economic calendar will feature mid-tier macroeconomic data releases, while investors will remain focused on geopolitical headlines.