US: Initial Jobless Claims increased more than estimated last week

EUR/USD stabilizes near 1.1650 on Friday after facing a rejection once again near seven-week highs. The pair, however, continues to draw support from persistent US Dollar weakness, despite a cautious market mood. Traders now await the US September PCE inflation and UoM Consumer Sentiment data. 

GBP/USD sticks to a positive bias near 1.3350 in the second half of the day on Friday. Traders prefer to wait on the sidelines ahead of the key US inflation and sentiment data due later in the day. In the meantime, broad-based US Dollar weakness helps the pair stay afloat. 

Gold gains some positive traction on Friday and trades in the upper half of its weekly range. Dovish Fed expectations continue to undermine the USD and lend support to the commodity. Bulls, however, might opt to wait for the US PCE Price Index before placing aggressive bets.

December’s preliminary Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index is forecast to have picked up to 52 from a three-year low of 51.0 in November. A stalled labour market and higher price pressures are likely to weigh on consumers’ confidence.

Fed rate cut widely expected; dot plot and overall meeting rhetoric also matter. Risk appetite is supported by Fed rate cut expectations; cryptos show signs of life. RBA, BoC and SNB also meet; chances of surprises are relatively low.

Ripple is extending its decline for the second consecutive day, trading at $2.06 at the time of writing on Friday. Sentiment surrounding the cross-border remittance token continues to lag despite steady inflows into XRP spot ETFs.