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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.
USD/JPY extends sell-off below 157.00 in European trading on Thursday. Traders react negatively to the weak US ADP report, smashing the US Dollar across the board and exerting renewed selling pressure on the pair. Meanwhile, hawkish BoJ expectations and intervention risks continue to lend support to the Japanese Yen, rendering it negative for the major.
AUD/USD struggles to capitalize on the previous day's bounce from a nearly two-week low and ranges above 0.7150 in Asia on Thursday, as dismal Australian trade data counter upbeat China's RatingDog Services PMI. However, the pair's upside remains in check as the US Dollar stalls the weak ADP report-led slide amid escalating US-Iran tensions and firming September Fed rate-hike bets.
Gold maintains its bid tone heading into the European session, though it remains below $4,450 amid mixed fundamental cues. Sliding US bond yields and Wednesday's soft US ADP report weigh on the US Dollar, assisting the commodity build on the previous day's goodish recovery from a nearly four-week low. That said, firming US Federal Reserve rate-hike expectations and inflation risks stemming from higher energy prices could act as a tailwind for US bond yields.
Ripple and Stellar show divergent technical outlooks as traders assess whether the recent weakness could give way to a recovery. XRP is finding support and defining a key support zone, while XLM slips below a cluster of Exponential Moving Averages.
The Oil market may look calmer than it did a few months ago, but diesel is sending a very different message. The US diesel crack spread, the premium of ultra-low sulphur diesel futures over WTI, recently surged above $100 per barrel for the first time, reaching an intraday record of just over $102.00.
