FX Today: Markets ignore Fed, keep selling the Greenback
What to watch on Friday, December 12
The US Dollar (USD) attempted a recovery throughout the first half of Thursday, but resumed its decline following the release of worse-than-anticipated employment data. Initial Jobless Claims for the week ended December 6 unexpectedly rose to 236K, well above the previous 192K.
US Dollar Price Today
The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies today. US Dollar was the strongest against the Australian Dollar.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | -0.52% | -0.23% | -0.36% | -0.19% | 0.12% | -0.03% | -0.81% | |
| EUR | 0.52% | 0.30% | 0.15% | 0.33% | 0.64% | 0.50% | -0.29% | |
| GBP | 0.23% | -0.30% | -0.15% | 0.03% | 0.34% | 0.20% | -0.59% | |
| JPY | 0.36% | -0.15% | 0.15% | 0.18% | 0.50% | 0.34% | -0.43% | |
| CAD | 0.19% | -0.33% | -0.03% | -0.18% | 0.32% | 0.17% | -0.62% | |
| AUD | -0.12% | -0.64% | -0.34% | -0.50% | -0.32% | -0.14% | -0.93% | |
| NZD | 0.03% | -0.50% | -0.20% | -0.34% | -0.17% | 0.14% | -0.78% | |
| CHF | 0.81% | 0.29% | 0.59% | 0.43% | 0.62% | 0.93% | 0.78% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the US Dollar from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the Japanese Yen, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent USD (base)/JPY (quote).
EUR/USD regained strong upward traction and left behind four consecutive daily pullbacks before the Federal Reserve (Fed) rate decision, revisiting once again the 1.1750 price region, its highest level since the beginning of October. Next for the EUR will be Germany’s November final inflation rate on Friday.
GBP/USD rose sharply and challenged monthly peaks just shy of the 1.3440 price zone. The RICS House Price Balance is due on Friday, seconded by the speech by the BoE’s Kroszner.
USD/JPY dropped markedly toward the 155.80 zone following the post-FOMC marked slide in the Greenback. The Japanese Industrial Production MoM and YoY report for October comes next, followed by the Capacity Utilization report.
AUD/USD fell on weak employment data, but trimmed some of the losses amid broad US Dollar weakness following a soft Initial Jobless Claims report. The pair continues to approach the 0.6700 mark.
WTI prices reversed the initial decline and regained the $57.00 per barrel mark, as traders continue to assess the geopolitical landscape and the Fed’s interest rate decision.
Gold prices rose to six-week highs near $4,280 per troy ounce following the FOMC meeting and amid a pronounced pullback in the Greenback and US Treasury yields. Silver prices extended their rally to record highs near the $64.00 mark per ounce.
Gold FAQs
Gold has played a key role in human’s history as it has been widely used as a store of value and medium of exchange. Currently, apart from its shine and usage for jewelry, the precious metal is widely seen as a safe-haven asset, meaning that it is considered a good investment during turbulent times. Gold is also widely seen as a hedge against inflation and against depreciating currencies as it doesn’t rely on any specific issuer or government.
Central banks are the biggest Gold holders. In their aim to support their currencies in turbulent times, central banks tend to diversify their reserves and buy Gold to improve the perceived strength of the economy and the currency. High Gold reserves can be a source of trust for a country’s solvency. Central banks added 1,136 tonnes of Gold worth around $70 billion to their reserves in 2022, according to data from the World Gold Council. This is the highest yearly purchase since records began. Central banks from emerging economies such as China, India and Turkey are quickly increasing their Gold reserves.
Gold has an inverse correlation with the US Dollar and US Treasuries, which are both major reserve and safe-haven assets. When the Dollar depreciates, Gold tends to rise, enabling investors and central banks to diversify their assets in turbulent times. Gold is also inversely correlated with risk assets. A rally in the stock market tends to weaken Gold price, while sell-offs in riskier markets tend to favor the precious metal.
The price can move due to a wide range of factors. Geopolitical instability or fears of a deep recession can quickly make Gold price escalate due to its safe-haven status. As a yield-less asset, Gold tends to rise with lower interest rates, while higher cost of money usually weighs down on the yellow metal. Still, most moves depend on how the US Dollar (USD) behaves as the asset is priced in dollars (XAU/USD). A strong Dollar tends to keep the price of Gold controlled, whereas a weaker Dollar is likely to push Gold prices up.
Author
Agustin Wazne
FXStreet
Agustin Wazne joined FXStreet as a Junior News Editor, focusing on Commodities and covering Majors.
