Canada: Inflation is easing, but progress in November was slower than expected - CIBC

Matías Salord FXStreet

Data released on Wednesday in Canada showed the annual inflation rate dropped from 6.9% to 6.8%. Analysts at CIBC, point out that inflation is easing but is a slower progress than what probably the Bank of Canada was hoping for.

Key Quotes:

"The 6.8% headlinethanual rate was only a tick lower than the prior month and slightly above the consensus expectation (6.7%). Of greater concern to policymakers, however, is that the easing in core measures of inflation (including CPI-trim, median and ex food/energy) appears to have stalled at levels still above those that would be consistent with a 2% inflation target. We would like to see signs of a deceleration in core measures when the December data are released to be more confident in our view that the Bank will pause its rate hiking cycle at the January meeting (which is a week after the next CPI release).

"The good news is that inflation is easing, and that will become more noticeable when the big monthly increases seen this spring start to drop out of the annual calculation next year. However, the bad news is that it is slower progress than we and maybe even the Bank of Canada was hoping for. We still expect no change in interest rates at the January meeting, although it would be nice to see a deceleration in some core measures of inflation in next month's release to be more confident in that call."

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.

AUD/USD hangs close to monthly lows, still defends 0.7100 ahead of Fed decision

AUD/USD retains its negative bias for the third straight day, defending 0.7100 while trading close to a monthly low in Wednesday's Asian session on Wednesday. The US Dollar stands firm near a two-week high as the anticipated Fed rate hike and oil-driven inflation fears continue to push US bond yields to a multi-year high. Furthermore, escalating Middle East tensions benefit the safe-haven buck and weigh on the risk-sensitive Aussie.

USD/JPY holds firm above 155.00, awaits Fed policy announcements

USD/JPY climbs to a fresh one-week high above 155.00 in the Asian session on Wednesday amid a bullish US Dollar. Oil-driven inflation fears, along with the anticipated Fed rate hike, continue to support surging US bond yields. Moreover, rising US-Iran tensions underpin the USD's reserve currency status. The pair, however, remains below the mid-155.00s as bulls seem hesitant ahead of the Fed decision later today and the BoJ meeting, starting on Thursday.

Gold picks up pace prior to the Fed; revisits $4,350

Gold sets aside two daily declines in a row, gathering some composure and revisiting the $4,350 zone per troy ounce amid decent gains on Wednesday. The precious metal’s recovery comes despite an acceptable advance in the US Dollar and declining US Treasury yields prior to the anticipated rate hike by the Fed.

XRP Price Forecast: XRP clings to 50-day EMA support after CLARITY Act setback

Ripple (XRP) trades lower around $1.28 on Wednesday, as investors broadly assess the impact of the failed United States (US) Senate vote on the CLARITY Act and the upcoming Federal Reserve (Fed) monetary decision. The remittance token has trimmed early-week gains that tagged highs around $1.50 on Monday and now holds key moving-average support.

Federal Reserve set to raise interest rate after five meetings on hold

The United States (US) Federal Reserve (Fed) announces its interest rate decision on Wednesday, following another pivotal meeting that could provide key insights into the monetary policy outlook heading into the end of the year.

How Japan became the World's Banker and why that era may be ending

Japan's ultra-low interest rates helped finance trillions of dollars in global investments for more than a decade, making the Japanese Yen one of the world’s cheapest sources of funding. With the Bank of Japan expected to tighten policy again this week, that advantage may be entering a new phase. While most major economies raised interest rates, Japan remained the world's outlier.