Canada: Employment report provided a mixed bag of indicators – CIBC

Matías Salord FXStreet

Data released on Friday showed that Canadian employment rose by 60,000 in June, above the 20,000 expected. Analysts at CIBC point out that employment growth was brisk in June, however, they warn that rapid population growth and a rise in participation meant that the unemployment rate rose two ticks to 5.4%, while wage growth decelerated by more than anticipated.

Key quotes:

“This morning's data release was no slam dunk for the Bank of Canada, with a rise in the unemployment rate and slowing wage growth suggesting that labour market conditions are loosening. However, the data are probably just strong enough to see policymakers pull the trigger on another 25bp interest rate hike next week, rather than wait until September as we had previously forecast.”

“We still think that the rate of 5.0% reached at the time of the next hike will prove to be the peak, as evidence that the economy is slowing appears to be mounting.”

Author

Matías Salord

FXStreet

Matías started in financial markets in 2008, after graduating in Economics. He was trained in chart analysis and then became an educator. He also studied Journalism. He started writing analyses for specialized websites before joining FXStreet.

Japanese Yen gains ground as traders await Fed rate decision

The USD/JPY pair loses ground to near 160.25 during the early European trading hours. Traders prefer to wait on the sidelines ahead of the US Federal Reserve interest rate decision under new Chair Kevin Warsh later on Wednesday.

AUD/USD stays pressured; holds above 0.7050 as traders await Fed decision

The AUD/USD pair struggles to capitalize on the previous day's hawkish Reserve Bank of Australia-inspired bounce and trades with a negative bias for the second consecutive day on Wednesday. Spot prices, however, hold above the 0.7050 level as traders opt to wait for the outcome of a two-day FOMC policy meeting before placing fresh directional bets.

Gold stabilizes above $4,300 as traders seem hesitant ahead of Fed

Gold corrects lower following the bullish action seen earlier in the week but manages to hold above $4,300 on Wednesday. Traders now seem hesitant ahead of the highly anticipated FOMC policy decision and the revised Summary of Economic Projections, keeping the commodity below the weekly high.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP trim breakout gains as focus shifts to Fed decision

Cryptocurrency prices broadly decline as investors show caution toward risk assets ahead of the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) interest rate decision on Wednesday.

Federal Reserve set to hold interest rates in Warsh's debut as chair

The United States Federal Reserve announces its interest rate decision on Wednesday, another pivotal meeting for markets to gauge the stance of policymakers and new Chair Kevin Warsh as energy prices retreat after the United States and Iran reached a framework deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Why a hawkish RBA is no longer enough to lift the Australian Dollar

The Reserve Bank of Australia delivered more than what markets expected: a hawkish hold that should have supported the Aussie. But markets widely ignored it, focusing instead on slowing economic growth and proving that central bank messaging alone isn’t always enough to drive currencies.