US Commerce Sec. Ross: US wants to be UK’s ‘number one trading partner worldwide’

Eren Sengezer FXStreet

Wilbur Ross, the U.S. secretary of commerce, recently crossed the news wires, via Reuters, stating that the U.S. wanted to be Britain's number one trading partner worldwide.

Key quotes (via Reuters)

Unnecessary divergence in regulations and standards between UK & US must be avoided.

Removal of tariff, non-tariff barriers to be critical component of any UK-US trade talks.

Confident dialogue between UK & US will put us in ‘good position’ for trade talks.

Holding prelim scoping discussions about strengthening economic ties between UK & US.

Trump places great deal of emphasis on bilateral trade with UK.

Author

Eren Sengezer

FXStreet

As an economist at heart, Eren Sengezer specializes in the assessment of the short-term and long-term impacts of macroeconomic data, central bank policies and political developments on financial assets.

AUD/USD sticks to positive bias above 0.7100; lacks bullish conviction

AUD/USD trades with a positive bias for the second straight day, holding above 0.7100 in the Asian session on Friday as softer US bond yields keep US Dollar bulls on the back foot. Furthermore, hawkish RBA Governor Bullock's comments boost rate hike bets and support the Aussie. However, the Fed's hawkish outlook, along with geopolitical uncertainties, limits USD losses and caps the pair.

USD/JPY approaches 158.00 as Japanese Yen resumes decline

USD/JPY is resuming its upside in the European session on Friday, refreshing two-week highs and nearing 158.00. The Japanese Yen extends losses, despite the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) expected rate hike to 1.25% and hawkish Governor Ueda's comments, as two surprise dissents against the rate hike weigh on it.

Gold tests $$4,400 as softer US bond yields cap USD gains

Gold scales higher for the second straight day and continues to hit new weekly highs through the first half of the European session on Friday, with bulls now awaiting a sustained move beyond the $4,400 mark before positioning for further gains. Retreating US Treasury bond yields keep the US Dollar (USD) uptrend capped ahead of Fedspeak and mid-tier US data.

BoJ Recap: Not as hawkish as expected

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) raised its short-term interest-rate target to 1.25% from 1.00% in a 7-2 vote, marking another step in the normalisation of monetary policy and widely matching what everyone has been expecting for weeks.

Why Bitcoin's over 30% rebound doesn't mean the bear market cycle is done

BTC has staged a strong recovery after falling to a yearly low of $57,800 in July, gaining nearly 33% and recording two consecutive months of gains in July and August. However, despite that rebound, Bitcoin remains around 40% below its all-time high, leaving one key question for traders: is this the start of a new bullish phase, or simply another recovery within a broader bear-market cycle?