|

Forex Today: The world gyrates around the US-China trade deal

Here is what you need to know  Monday, December 16th:

  • The American dollar stood victorious on Friday, as the US and China agreed on phase one of a trade deal. It ended the week down, however, against most major rivals.
  • China announced it suspended additional tariffs on the US meant to be implemented this Monday, while the US is expected to do the same, after agreeing to long purchases of US goods, mostly agricultural.
  • US Treasury Secretary Mnuchin said that details about the deal would soon be released, adding that the new trade relationship with China would be “very good” for global growth, adding that phase two of negotiations will begin immediately. PM Johnson would submit his deal to the Parliament before the year-end.
  • UK Conservatives’ victory sent the Pound skyrocketing against most major rivals, correcting lower ahead of the close but retaining substantial gains by the end of the week.  Next Thursday, Queen Elizabeth will do the so-called Queen’s Speech and will detail all the bills the government plans to enact over the coming year.
  • Wall Street was unable to hold on to gains, ending Friday barely up. US Treasury yields also retreated sharply from intraday highs, as speculative interest remains cautious ahead of more certainties about the trade war. The USD/JPY pair eased after faltering around December high.
  • Commodities closed the day and the week with gains, although spot held within familiar levels, while oil prices jumped to fresh multi-month highs on hopes of a trade deal between the US and China.
  • Cryptocurrencies under pressure throughout the weekend, BTC/USD poised to challenge 7,000.

Author

FXStreet Team

Composed of a group of economic journalists and FX experts, the FXStreet content team produces and oversees all content published on FXStreet. It provides a purely journalistic approach to the Forex market.

More from FXStreet Team
Share:

Editor's Picks

GBP/USD advances to three-month peak beyond 1.3600

GBP/USD extends its daily rally and trades at its highest level since mid-May above 1.3600. The US Treasury Department decision to double the sice of liquidity support buyback operations for longer-dated nominal coupon securitiez weighs heavily on the US Dollar and helps the pair push higher. Earlier in the day, the data from the UK showed that annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation picked up to 2.9% in July, meeting estimates, while core CPI rose by 2.6% YoY in July versus 2.5% expected.

EUR/USD surges to 11-week high above 1.1650 after US Treasury announcement

EUR/USD gathers bullish momentum and trades at its highest level since early June above 1.1650 on Wednesday. The US Dollar stays under heavy bearish pressure after the US Treasury announced that it will increase the size of liquidity support buyback operations for longer-dated nominal coupon securities. Later in the day, investors will scrutinize FOMC Minutes for fresh clues on policy outlook.

Gold climbs 2% as US Treasury buyback plan pressures long-term yields

Gold (XAU/USD) enters Wednesday’s American trading hours with decent intraday gains, as a softer US Dollar (USD) and a sharp pullback in long-term US Treasury yields help the metal recover all the previous day’s losses.

Australia unemployment rate expected to hold at 4.4% in July
Australia will release the July monthly employment report on Thursday at 01:30 GMT. Ahead of the announcement, analysts anticipate a modest 15K increase in job creation, while the Unemployment Rate is expected to remain steady at 4.4%.
WTI Oil climbs as US-Iran standoff keeps Middle East supply risks elevated
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Oil holds firm on Wednesday, hovering near its highest level in more than three weeks as traders balance Middle East supply risks against rising US crude inventories. At the time of writing, the US benchmark trades around $85.20 per barrel, up nearly 1% on the day.
Why is Crude Oil priced for a reopening the ships haven't made?
Fourteen vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. Before the war, the count ran near 120 a day. In the sessions since the waterway was publicly declared open, Brent has drifted back to $87 and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) to $81, both a little lower again on Wednesday, with daily momentum on each unwound from the top of its range in late July to the low twenties now.