Fed’s Barkin: Inflation is coming down

Pablo Piovano FXStreet

Richmond Federal Reserve President Thomas Barkin remarked on Wednesday that December’s US inflation data suggests price pressures are continuing to ease. His comments came after a government report revealed that a key underlying measure of price increases had slowed during the month.

Key Quotes

Inflation is coming down towards 2% target

Says he can see paths where inflation is sticky or continues to progress towards target

Says he was encouraged by the unemployment rate in December

Seems the job market has stabilized

Not much to support arguments that the economy is growing weaker

Says he is not concerned about overheating economy right now; demand is solid but not booming

Long rates right now are consistent with early 2000s, which was not a restrictive time for business

Says he has not seen anything in long rates that would influence Fed policy at this point

Regarding incoming Trump administration's policies, the direction of travel may be clear on things like tariffs but the details are not

Businesses generally saying that price-setting behavior is moving to pre-pandemic patterns

Author

Pablo Piovano

FXStreet

Born and bred in Argentina, Pablo has been carrying on with his passion for FX markets and trading since his first college years.

EUR/USD consolidates around 1.0900, bullish bias remains ahead of key US data

The EUR/USD pair is seen consolidating its strong gains registered over the past two days and oscillating in a narrow band during the Asian session on Tuesday. Spot prices currently trade around the 1.1900 mark, just below an over one-week high touched the previous day.

GBP/USD tilts bullish as markets barrel toward mid-week NFP print

GBP/USD is holding a broader bullish structure on the daily chart, with price trading well above the 50 Exponential Moving Average at 1.3507 and the 200 EMA at 1.3310, confirming the intermediate uptrend that has been in place since the November 2025 low near 1.2300.

Gold: Will US Retail Sales data propel it above $5,100?

Gold hovers below weekly highs of $5,087 early Tuesday, await US Retail Sales data. The US Dollar enters a downside consolidation phase amid persistent Japanese Yen strength and worsening labor market. Gold settled Monday above $5,000, now looks to take out $5,100 amid bullish daily RSI.

Top Crypto Gainers: World Liberty Financial, MemeCore and Quant gain momentum

World Liberty Financial, MemeCore, and Quant are leading gains over the last 24 hours as the broader cryptocurrency market stabilizes after last week’s correction. Still, the technical outlook for altcoins remains mixed due to prevailing downside pressure and vulnerable market sentiment.

The market is buying everything again but is it dancing on a borrowed floor

The market has a short memory and a fast trigger finger. Last week’s liquidation barely cooled before risk came roaring back, pushing the S&P toward record territory and reinstalling Big Tech as the engine of choice. This is not discovery. It is re exposure.

Ripple exposed to volatility amid low retail interest, modest fund inflows

Ripple (XRP) is extending its intraday decline to around $1.40 at the time of writing on Monday amid growing pressure from the retail market and risk-off sentiment that continues to keep investors on the sidelines.