|

Key events for the week ahead - Westpac

Analysts at Westpac explained that in the week ahead, the domestic data highlight will be Jan employment, to see if the rapid pace of job creation can be sustained (Westpac forecast +15k jobs, 5.5% unemployment rate).

Key Quotes:

"The US focus will be Jan data on retail sales and consumer prices. If these continue to support US market pricing of >80% chance of yet another Fed rate rise on 21 March and commodity prices remain skittish (weakness in energy prices most notable), then AUD/USD should chop a little lower in the week ahead, trading mostly say 0.7700-0.7850.

Event risk: Japan holiday (Mon), Aust Jan NAB business confidence, UK Jan CPI (Tue), Aust Feb Westpac-MI consumer sentiment, Japan Q4 GDP, Bank of Thailand policy decision, US Jan CPI and retail sales (Wed), Aust Jan employment, Bank Indonesia policy decision, US Feb NAHB housing survey (Thu), RBA governor Lowe testifies, UK Jan retail sales, US Jan housing starts, US Feb consumer sentiment (Fri)."

Author

Ross J Burland

Ross J Burland, born in England, UK, is a sportsman at heart. He played Rugby and Judo for his county, Kent and the South East of England Rugby team.

More from Ross J Burland
Share:

Editor's Picks

AUD/USD keeps the red near 0.6950 after weak Aussie jobs data

AUD/USD holds losses near 0.6950 on disappointing Australian jobs data, extending the previous day's retracement slide from the monthly high and hitting a fresh weekly low during Thursday’s Asian session. Meanwhile, declining US bond yields drag the US Dollar away from the April 2025 high, touched after Wednesday's hot US CPI, helping limit losses for the currency pair.

USD/JPY slides back below 158.00 as USD reverses post-CPI gains

USD/JPY extends the previous day's pullback from a three-week high, attracting follow-through selling and sliding below 158.00 during Thursday's Asian session. Traders remain on high alert amid speculation that authorities will step in to prop up the Japanese Yen. The US Dollar, meanwhile, reverses Wednesday's hot CPI-led gains to April 2025 highs as US bond yields retreat on China bond-buying talk, further pressuring the pair.

Gold rebounds firmly as China Treasuries-buying report smashes US yields

Gold stages a solid comeback from weekly lows, retakes $4,150 early Thursday. US Dollar declines sharply alongside Treasury yields on China’s bond-buying report. Technically, the daily RSI remains bearish and a headwind for Gold buyers.

XRP and XLM extend losses as US inflation data weighs in
Ripple (XRP) and Stellar (XLM) extend their losses on Thursday as bearish momentum builds, having corrected over 7% and 11% so far this week. XRP and XLM both slip below key support zones, indicating weakening technical structure.
China seems routing US Treasury holdings through Canada

According to a Bloomberg report, China seems to be moving United States securities to non-US custodian banks in other countries, masking its role in financing US deficits.

Has Bitcoin really escaped the macro forces it was built to fight?
Over 17 years ago, Satoshi Nakamoto designed Bitcoin (BTC) on the back of a global financial crisis as an alternative to the global monetary system outside the control of central banks, governments and traditional intermediaries. This raises a key question: has Bitcoin really become independent of the macroeconomic forces it was built to challenge?