Summary
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand cut rates on Wednesday. The Reserve Bank of Australia did so in May, the Bank of Canada in January, the ECB last September. The Fed rate hike has been pushed back to September or later, depending of course, on the data. Does the Fed know something exclusive to bankers in Washington? Is the U.S. economy that disconnected form the world? Or is the reluctance of the Fed governors to do what they say they must do, evidence that all is not well in the U.S. or the world economy? What does the Fed fear? Join us for theory, evidence and practice in the world of Fed policy.Latest Live Videos
Editors’ Picks
AUD/USD extends the bounce, focus back to 0.7100
AUD/USD adds to Monday’s optimism and approaches the key 0.7100 barrier ahead of the opening bell in Asia. The pair’s positive performance comes as investors keep assessing the hawkish tilt from the RBA Minutes and despite humble gains in the Greenback. Next in Oz will be the Westpac Leading Index and the Wage Price Index.
EUR/USD meets initial support around 1.1800
EUR/USD remains on the back foot, although it has managed to reverse the initial strong pullback toward the 1.1800 region and regain some balance, hovering around the 1.1850 zone as the NA session draws to a close on Tuesday. Moving forward, market participants will now shift their attention to the release of the FOMC Minutes and US hard data on Wednesday.
Gold remains offered below $5,000
Gold stays on the defensive on Tuesday, receding to the sub-$5,000 region per troy ounce on the back of the persistent move higher in the Greenback. The precious metal’s decline is also underpinned by the modest uptick in US Treasury yields across the spectrum.
Ethereum Price Forecast: BitMine extends ETH buying streak, says long-term outlook remains positive
Ethereum (ETH) treasury firm BitMine Immersion continued its weekly purchase of the top altcoin last week after acquiring 45,759 ETH.
UK jobs market weakens, bolstering rate cut hopes
In the UK, the latest jobs report made for difficult reading. Nonetheless, this represents yet another reminder for the Bank of England that they need to act swiftly given the collapse in inflation expected over the coming months.
Here is what you need to know on Wednesday, February 18:
The United States (US) released the four-week average of the ADP Employment Change, which showed the private sector added 10.3 K jobs, beating the previous week 7.8K.