Breaking: Pfizer says covid vaccine 90% effective, markets jump, dollar falls

Yohay Elam FXStreet

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has said that its COVID-19 vaccine study has shown that it prevents 90% of infections and that no serious safety concerns have been identified as of the first interim analysis. The company has been developing a vaccine with Germany's BioNTech. No fewer than 43,500 have been participating in the Phase 3 trial.

Developers say it is a "great day for science and humanity" and will apply for emergency approval to use the vaccine by the end of November. Pfizer believes it can supply it 50 million doses by the end of 2020 and 1.3bn by end of 2021.

Equities are jumping with S&P futures up 3%. The safe-haven dollar is falling. with EUR/USD nearing 1.19. GBP/USD has advanced toward 1.21 and USD/JPY is above 104, amid a diminishing need for the safe-haven yen. Gold is falling as the need for stimulus is falling.

Commodities are also on the rise, here is how the move looks on oil prices:

Author

Yohay Elam

FXStreet

Yohay is in Forex since 2008 when he founded Forex Crunch, a blog crafted in his free time that turned into a fully-fledged currency website later sold to Finixio.

GBP/USD declines to near 1.3500 as US-Iran tensions rise

The GBP/USD pair declines to near 1.3500 during the early European trading hours on Wednesday. Ongoing tensions in the Middle East provide some support to a safe-haven currency such as the US Dollar against the British Pound. All eyes will be on the US August jobs report later on Friday.

EUR/USD falls to two-week low below 1.1600 on broad USD strength

EUR/USD remains under bearish pressure after closing in negative territory on Tuesday and trades at its lowest level in two weeks below 1.1600 on Wednesday. As tensions in the Middle East escalate further, the US Dollar gathers strength on risk-aversion and hawkish Fed repricing, forcing the pair to stay on the back foot. Later in the day, private sector employment data from the US will be watched closely by market participants.

Gold recovers above $4,300; upside seems capped as Fed bets support USD

Gold recovers early lost ground to a four-week low, and trades above $4,320 heading into the European session. A modest US Dollar pullback is seen as a key factor supporting the commodity, though any meaningful upside seems elusive amid hawkish US Federal Reserve expectations. The escalating Middle East conflict lifted crude oil prices to a fresh high since July 24, stoking inflation fears and reaffirming bets for a Fed rate hike in September.

WTI advances to mid-$90.00s, fresh high since July 24 amid escalating US-Iran tensions

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) – the benchmark US Crude Oil price – scales higher for the third straight day – also marking the fifth day of a positive move in the previous six – and climbs to a fresh high since July 24 during the Asian session on Wednesday.

BoC set to keep interest rates steady despite sticky inflation

The Bank of Canada is widely expected to keep its policy rate unchanged at 2.25% on Wednesday. This would be the seventh consecutive gathering with the central bank sitting on the fence. The BoC left its policy rate unchanged at 2.25% in July, as widely anticipated.

Diesel’s record $100 warning: The oil shock hiding in plain sight

The Oil market may look calmer than it did a few months ago, but diesel is sending a very different message. The US diesel crack spread, the premium of ultra-low sulphur diesel futures over WTI, recently surged above $100 per barrel for the first time, reaching an intraday record of just over $102.00.