US flash Q1 GDP Growth Rate came in at -0.2%

Pablo Piovano FXStreet

According to the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the advanced GDP Growth Rate is expected to have contracted by 0.2% in the January-March period. The readings show a marked pullback from the prior quarter’s 2.4% expansion.

The GDP Price Index (deflator) remained strong, rising by an annualised 3.7%, up from a 2.4% gain.

Market reaction

The US Dollar Index (DXY) now accelerates its daily pullback and approaches the 99.30 zone, or daily troughs, in the wake of the data releases.

GDP FAQs

What is GDP and how is it recorded?

A country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) measures the rate of growth of its economy over a given period of time, usually a quarter. The most reliable figures are those that compare GDP to the previous quarter e.g Q2 of 2023 vs Q1 of 2023, or to the same period in the previous year, e.g Q2 of 2023 vs Q2 of 2022. Annualized quarterly GDP figures extrapolate the growth rate of the quarter as if it were constant for the rest of the year. These can be misleading, however, if temporary shocks impact growth in one quarter but are unlikely to last all year – such as happened in the first quarter of 2020 at the outbreak of the covid pandemic, when growth plummeted.

How does GDP influence currencies?

A higher GDP result is generally positive for a nation’s currency as it reflects a growing economy, which is more likely to produce goods and services that can be exported, as well as attracting higher foreign investment. By the same token, when GDP falls it is usually negative for the currency. When an economy grows people tend to spend more, which leads to inflation. The country’s central bank then has to put up interest rates to combat the inflation with the side effect of attracting more capital inflows from global investors, thus helping the local currency appreciate.

How does higher GDP impact the price of Gold?

When an economy grows and GDP is rising, people tend to spend more which leads to inflation. The country’s central bank then has to put up interest rates to combat the inflation. Higher interest rates are negative for Gold because they increase the opportunity-cost of holding Gold versus placing the money in a cash deposit account. Therefore, a higher GDP growth rate is usually a bearish factor for Gold price.

Author

Pablo Piovano

FXStreet

Born and bred in Argentina, Pablo has been carrying on with his passion for FX markets and trading since his first college years.

GBP/USD bounces off four-day lows, still below 1.3500

GBP/USD sticks to the bearish tone on Thursday, coming down to the 1.3480 region in the latter part of the NA session. In the meantime, Cable’s weakness comes as investors continue to assess mixed UK data, poor US results, and the persistent uncertainty surrounding the US-Iran conflict.

EUR/USD looks apathetic around 1.1530

EUR/USD reverses Wednesday’s downtick and trades with modest gains in the 1.1530 region following the end of the NA session on Thursday. The pair’s tepid advance comes on the back of the absence of clear direction in the US Dollar despite tensions from the Middle East appear far from alleviated. Later on Friday, investors are expected to monitor the the releases of another revision of GDP figures in the Euroland, US Retail Sales and the preliminary U-Mich gauge.

Gold loses the grip, recedes toward $4,350

Gold extends its intraday pullback on Thursday, retesting the $4,350 zone per troy ounce, or three-day troughs. Meanwhile, the yellow metal continues to monitor developments from the Middle East as well as bets surrounding the potential Fed’s rate path.

Ethereum Price Forecast: Fidelity plans to add staking to ETH ETF amid yield debate

Asset manager Fidelity has filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to permit staking in its Ethereum (ETH) exchange-traded fund (ETF), the Fidelity Ethereum Fund (FETH), which holds over $898 million in net assets.

Why credit markets aren’t pricing $570B of AI debt

Forecasts put global artificial intelligence related debt issuance near $570 billion this year, with roughly $236 billion of it priced by the end of May at four times the prior year's pace. Data centre securitisation alone has gone from about $4 billion a year through 2022 to roughly $10 billion in each of 2023 and 2024, and then $27 billion in 2025.

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.