AUD: RBA flags oil-driven inflation risks – Rabobank

FXStreet Insights Team FXStreet

Rabobank’s Global Strategist Michael Every notes the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) minutes stress that it is not possible to predict the cash rate path with confidence given Middle East conflict uncertainty. The RBA estimates Oil at around $100 would lift headline CPI to about 5% in Q2, implying further tightening is likely, even as some policymakers already worry about stagflation risks.

RBA uncertainty and stagflation concerns

"Meanwhile, in Australia the RBA minutes’ key line was: “it was not possible to predict the future path for the cash rate target with any confidence, given the high degree of uncertainty around the breadth and duration of the current conflict in the Middle East.” It added that the direct effect of oil prices remaining around $100 would on its own lift headline CPI to around 5% in Q2, 0.75% higher than expected in February, and sustained higher oil prices would boost inflation more broadly over time. A majority agreed further tightening in policy would likely be required in the near term, but a minority was already worrying about the ‘stag’ part of stagflation."

"The RBA is right about the Middle East – and let’s repeat that one then has to look at that complex region through a broad geopolitical lens, not a narrow “because markets/elections” one that said this war wasn’t going to happen. Oh - and that today saw half a million young Aussie workers get up to 42% pay increase due to changes to minimum wage rates."

(This article was created with the help of an Artificial Intelligence tool and reviewed by an editor.)

Author

FXStreet Insights Team

FXStreet

The FXStreet Insights Team is a group of journalists that handpicks selected market observations published by renowned experts. The content includes notes by commercial as well as additional insights by internal and external analysts.

GBP/USD advances to three-week high above 1.3400 as UK political risk eases

The GBP/USD pair builds on Wednesday's gains and trades in positive territory above 1.3400 during the early European trading hours on Thursday. Fading political uncertainty following the resignation of Keir Starmer in late June provides some support to the British Pound against the US Dollar. However, the risk-averse market atmosphere could limit the pair's upside.

EUR/USD climbs toward 1.1450 despite Mideast tensions

EUR/USD gains traction in the European session on Thursday and advances toward 1.1450. Despite the escalating tensions in the Middle East, the US Dollar (USD) struggles to find demand and allows the pair to stretch higher. Weekly Jobless Claims data will be featured in the US economic calendar.

Gold rebounds to $4,100 but struggles to gather momentum

Gold manages to stage a rebound and clings to modest daily gains near $4,100 following a three-day slide. With Middle East hostilities reviving fears of high global inflation, which could cause major central banks to refrain from easing monetary conditions, XAU/USD finds it difficult to gather momentum.

Hyperliquid: Short-term noise in HYPE price masks breakout potential to $100

Hyperliquid continues to slide for the fourth consecutive day this week as retail demand eases amid broader market risk-off sentiment. A surge in HIP-3 Open Interest reflects steady demand for tokenized Real World Assets, amid institutional inflows that support the broader upward trend.

Japan may be changing its Yen strategy, but markets don’t look scared

Japan may be changing its intervention playbook, but that might not be enough to rescue the battered Yen. With USD/JPY hovering at four-decade highs, the currency’s weakness is being driven less by speculative pressure and more by a powerful structural force: the wide US-Japan rate gap.

Bye, forward guidance: How to trade when central banks choose silence

Central banks have spent years telling markets what might come next. Now, traders face the possibility that they say a lot less. From the Federal Reserve to the European Central Bank and the Bank of England, policymakers are pushing back against forward guidance.