|

Forex Today: Dollar dominates after the coronavirus crash amid Trump's tax promises, Chinese hopes

Here is what you need to know on Tuesday, March 10:

After Monday's coronavirus-correlated bloodbath in markets, Asian stocks and S&P futures are up, yields are on the rise, and the dollar bounced from its lows. USD/JPY tops 104 in a 2% leap, while EUR/USD is below 1.14, and GBP/USD under 1.31. Gold is pressured at around $1,660 after temporarily topping $1,700 early on Monday. 

Oil prices, which have plummeted also due to Saudi Arabia's decision to start a price war, is even jumping with WTI at around $33. The collapse of the OPEC+ pact with Russia triggered the Saudi move. 

The bounce is a mix of correction and optimism about China. President Xi Jinping visited Wuhan, the epicenter of the disease. Moreover, the wold's second-largest economy will issue "green cards" for those free of the illness. 

In the US, President Donald Trump is considering a payroll tax cut and other relief measures in response to the crisis. More details are due later on Tuesday. The news also helps sentiment

Mark Meadows, his Chief of Staff, is in self-isolation after coming in contact with a person carrying the virus, but the president has not been tested. Many fear that the slow pace of testing in the world's largest economy implies many more cases will show up later on.

On Monday, trading was halted on Wall Street for the first time since the financial crisis in a massive sell-off. See: Coronavirus Crash: Five reasons why markets are in full panic mode and why it is here to stay

The situation in the old continent remains dire. After another jump of around 2,000 infections and 100 deaths, Italian PM Giussepe Conte announced that all of Italy is now under the most severe restrictions. Over the weekend, travel limit and event bans were limited to only a quarter of the population. Germany, France, and Spain have confirmed over 1,000 cases each. School has been called off in the Madrid region, and France forbids events of over 1,000 people.

Japanese PM Shinzo Abe is pushing through a law that would allow emergency powers and also working on stimulus measures. Worldwide, the number of infections tops 114,000, over 64,000 recovered, and 4,000 have died.

In US politics, centrist Joe Biden aims to extend his lead over left-leaning Bernie Sanders in another round of voting in the Democratic Party's primaries. Biden's decisive victory in "Super Tuesday" was cheered by markets. 

Cryptocurrencies have stabilized with Bitcoin trading near $1,660. 

Author

Yohay Elam

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.

More from Yohay Elam
Share:

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to our Terms and conditions.

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD drops to daily lows near 1.1630

EUR/USD now loses some traction and slips back to the area of daily lows around 1.1630 on the back of a mild bounce in the US Dollar. Fresh US data, including the September PCE inflation numbers and the latest read on December consumer sentiment, didn’t really move the needle, so the pair is still on course to finish the week with a respectable gain.

GBP/USD trims gains, recedes toward 1.3320

GBP/USD is struggling to keep its daily advance, coming under fresh pressure and retreating to the 1.3320 zone following a mild bullish attempt in the Greenback. Even though US consumer sentiment surprised to the upside, the US Dollar isn’t getting much love, as traders are far more interested in what the Fed will say next week.

Gold makes a U-turn, back to $4,200

Gold is now losing the grip and receding to the key $4,200 region per troy ounce following some signs of life in the Greenback and a marked bounce in US Treasury yields across the board. The positive outlook for the precious metal, however, remains underpinned by steady bets for extra easing by the Fed.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP pare gains despite increasing hopes of upcoming Fed rate cut

Bitcoin is steadying above $91,000 at the time of writing on Friday. Ethereum remains above $3,100, reflecting positive sentiment ahead of the Federal Reserve's (Fed) monetary policy meeting on December 10.

Week ahead – Rate cut or market shock? The Fed decides

Fed rate cut widely expected; dot plot and overall meeting rhetoric also matter. Risk appetite is supported by Fed rate cut expectations; cryptos show signs of life. RBA, BoC and SNB also meet; chances of surprises are relatively low.

Ripple faces persistent bear risks, shrugging off ETF inflows

Ripple is extending its decline for the second consecutive day, trading at $2.06 at the time of writing on Friday. Sentiment surrounding the cross-border remittance token continues to lag despite steady inflows into XRP spot ETFs.