|

Forex Today: Dollar rises after an ugly presidential debate, US data, end-of-month flows eyed

Here is what you need to know on Wednesday, September 30:

The first presidential debate descended turned ugly and President Trump's refusal to say he would accept the election results is weighing on the market mood. ADP Non-Farm Payrolls, final US GDP stands out as September draws to an end. 

President Donald Trump and rival Joe Biden clashed in an acrimonious televised debate. S&P 500 futures advanced at first but retreated as Trump refused to say he would accept the election results. Biden came into the televised clash with a lead and it will take several until new polling shows any change in voting intentions. 

The US dollar is marginally higher and gold is paring some of the gains recorded before the debate. 

See Presidential Debate: Stocks set to suffer on Trump's refusal to accept the results

Chinese purchasing manufacturing indexes for September came out marginally above estimates, pointing to ongoing growth in the world's second-largest economy. That has been insufficient to help Australian and New Zealand dollars. 

Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, is due to speak in Frankfurt and may shed light on the ECB's next moves. She speaks after German and Spanish inflation figures reflected ongoing weakness and coronavirus cases are rising in the old continent. EUR/USD managed to rise above 1.17 on Tuesday, potentially also worrying the bank, that would like to see a lower exchange rate.

Brexit talks continue with somewhat less optimism than seen earlier in the week. GBP/USD failed to rise with EUR/USD on Tuesday. Final Gross Domestic Product figures are showing a fall of 19.8% crash in the second quarter, an upgrade from -20.4% initially reported. 

ADP, America's largest payroll provider, publishes its jobs figures for September. The first hint toward Friday's official labor statistics is set to show a pick up in hiring. It is essential to remember that the firm's data has not been well-correlated with government data in recent months. 

See US ADP September Preview: Payrolls rise, correlation and interest falls

The final US GDP for the second quarter is set to confirm an annualized fall of 31.7%. A substantial rebound is due in the third quarter. Pending home sales for August and speeches from Federal Reserve officials are also awaited. 

Canadian GDP figures are projected to show an extended recovery in July, following the 6.5% expansion in June. USD/CAD is trading around 1.34, rising as oil prices are on the back foot. 

Cryptocurrencies have been paring their gains, with Bitcoin changing hands at around $10,700. 

The last day of the month tends to feature last-minute portfolio adjustments from money managers. That may trigger higher volatility around the London fix. 

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 recovers to 1.1750 region as 2025 draws to a close

Following the bearish action seen in the European session on Wednesday, EUR/USD regains its traction and recovery to the 1.1750 region. Nevertheless, the pair's volatility remains low as trading conditions thin out on the last day of the year.

GBP/USD stays weak near 1.3450 on modest USD recovery

GBP/USD remains under modest beairsh pressure and fluctuates at around 1.3450 on Wednesday. The US Dollar finds fresh demand due to the end-of-the-year position adjustments, weighing on the pair amid the pre-New Year trading lull. 

Gold retreats to $4,300 area, looks to post monthly gains

Gold stays on the back foot on the last day of 2025 and trades near $4,300, possibly pressured by profit-taking and position adjustments. Nevertheless, XAU/USD remains on track to post gains for December and extend its winning streak into a fifth consecutive month.

Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP prepare for a potential New Year rebound

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple are holding steady on Wednesday after recording minor gains on the previous day. Technically, Bitcoin could extend gains within a triangle pattern while Ethereum and Ripple face critical overhead resistance. 

Economic outlook 2026-2027 in advanced countries: Solidity test

After a year marked by global economic resilience and ending on a note of optimism, 2026 looks promising and could be a year of solid economic performance. In our baseline scenario, we expect most of the supportive factors at work in 2025 to continue to play a role in 2026.

Crypto market outlook for 2026

Year 2025 was volatile, as crypto often is.  Among positive catalysts were favourable regulatory changes in the U.S., rise of Digital Asset Treasuries (DAT), adoption of AI and tokenization of Real-World-Assets (RWA).