Australian Business Confidence at a six-year low - ANZ

Dhwani Mehta FXStreet

The Australian and New Zealand Banking Group analysts offer a quick reaction to the Australian NAB Business Survey that disappointed in December.

Key Quotes:

“Business conditions fell 1.6 points in December, putting an end to the gradual improvement over the previous few months. Business confidence dropped to -1.9, the lowest level since July 2013.

The employment index was fairly stable at +4.2 and remains the standout component at 2.2pts above its long-run average. Forward orders improved 0.9pts, albeit not enough to get back into positive territory.

Capacity utilization was down 0.2ppts to 80.9%. Profitability fell 2.5pts from its November eight-month high, while trading also fell 1.5pts.

We expected that bushfires, smoke haze and a weaker Christmas shopping season could have had a negative effect, but NAB indicated that the impact of the bushfires may not yet be apparent in the results.

NAB has previously warned that caution should be taken when interpreting the data around the Christmas/New Year period.

We will look to the January survey due out in two weeks to get a better idea of the underlying momentum.”

Author

Dhwani Mehta

FXStreet

Residing in Mumbai (India), Dhwani is a Senior Analyst and Manager of the Asian session at FXStreet. She has over 10 years of experience in analyzing and covering the global financial markets, with specialization in Forex and commodities markets.

EUR/USD onsolidates around mid-1.1800s as traders keenly await FOMC Minutes

The EUR/USD pair struggles to capitalize on the previous day's goodish rebound from the 1.1800 neighborhood, or a one-and-a-half-week low, and consolidates in a narrow band during the Asian session on Wednesday. Spot prices currently trade just below mid-1.1800s, nearly unchanged for the day.

GBP/USD seems vulnerable near mid-1.3500s; UK CPI/FOMC Minutes awaited

The GBP/USD pair struggles to capitalize on the previous day's late rebound from an over one-week low – levels below the 1.3500 psychological mark – and trades with a negative bias for the third consecutive day on Wednesday. The downside, however, remains cushioned as investors seem reluctant to place aggressive directional bets ahead of the release of the latest UK consumer inflation figures and FOMC Minutes.

Gold regains positive traction after Tuesday's over 2% slump as traders await FOMC Minutes

Gold gains some positive traction during the Asian session on Wednesday and recovers a part of the previous day's heavy losses more than 2%, to the $4,843-4,842 region or a nearly two-week low. The intraday move higher could be attributed to repositioning trade ahead of the release of the FOMC Minutes.

Top Crypto Gainers: Jito drops, Morpho holds steady, Convex Finance climbs

Decentralized Finance tokens, including Jito, Morpho, and Convex Finance, rank among the top-performing crypto assets over the last 24 hours. Jito dips on Wednesday after rallying 22% the previous day on the launch of a new mainnet node.

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.

Ripple slides to $1.45 as downside risks surge

Ripple edges lower at the time of writing on Tuesday, from the daily open of $1.48, as headwinds persist across the crypto market. A short-term support is emerging at $1.45, but a buildup of bearish positions could further weaken the derivatives market and prolong the correction.