NATO's Stoltenberg: We are concerned Russia trying to stage a pretext for invasion of Ukraine

Joel Frank Independent Analyst

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday that the defensive alliance is concerned that Russia is trying to stage a pretext for an invasion of Ukraine, according to Reuters. Stoltenberg continued that NATO has intelligence that Russia is trying to stage a false-flag operation and reiterated that NATO nations remain concerned that they have not yet seen any signs of withdrawal of Russian troops.

Market Reaction

Amid concerning geopolitical headlines pointing towards the risk of Russia/Ukraine military escalation, markets remain in a defensive mood prior to the start of the US session. S&P 500 futures are currently trading with losses of about 0.3% on the day, though remain within Wednesday's ranges and above the 4450 level.

Author

Joel Frank

Independent Analyst

Joel Frank is an economics graduate from the University of Birmingham and has worked as a full-time financial market analyst since 2018, specialising in the coverage of how developments in the global economy impact financial asset

GBP/USD holds range near 1.3500 after UK Q2 GDP beat

GBP/USD keeps its range near the 1.3500 psychological mark in the European session on Thursday. The UK GDP data beat estimates across the time horizon but failed to inspire the British Pound. Meanwhile, the US Dollar stabilizes after the US CPI data-led sell-off, checking any upside attempts in the pair.

EUR/USD flatlines above 1.1500 as US Dollar stablizes ahead of PPI

EUR/USD is trading modestly flat above 1.1500 in European trading hours on Thursday. The pair stalls its rebound as the US Dollar consolidates losses incurred after the release of July's Consumer Price Index report. Inflation in the US moderated across a broad range of goods and services, cooling expectations for an aggressive Federal Reserve rate hike in September and weighing on the Greenback. The US PPI data is next in focus.

Gold weakens further below $4,400 as USD sticks to gains amid Fed bets, Iran tensions

Gold extends its intraday retracement slide from the highest level since June 5, around the $4,450 area touched earlier this Thursday, and slides further below the $4,400 mark heading into the European session. The initial market reaction to signs of moderating US inflation fades quickly as investors remain worried that higher energy prices will rekindle inflationary pressures.

XRP holds at make-or-break level, ADA and SOL risk 50-day EMA breakout

Top altcoins, including Ripple, Cardano, and Solana, are facing downside pressure, holding at crucial support levels. The technical outlook for XRP, ADA, and SOL indicates a mild bearish bias as downside pressure mounts.

Gold has priced a Fed pause. The hike is still coming

July inflation landed exactly where the consensus had it, on all four lines of the release, and Gold responded by adding around 1% and holding fast near $4,400/ounce, trading at its highest since early June. A print that surprises nobody is not supposed to move a metal that far.

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.