US: New home sales increased by 3.7% in December

Eren Sengezer FXStreet

The U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday reported that new home sales increased by 3.7% on a monthly basis in December and surpassed the analysts' estimate for an 8.7% drop. On a negative note, November's reading got revised down to 9.1% from 16.9%.

"An estimated 622,000 new homes were sold in 2018. This is 1.5 percent above the 2017 figure of 613,000," the Census Bureau noted in its publication. "The median sales price of new houses sold in December 2018 was $318,600. The average sales price was $377,000."

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.

EUR/USD softens below 1.1800 on Fed hawkish remarks

The EUR/USD pair edges lower to around 1.1775 during the early Asian session on Wednesday, pressured by a renewed US Dollar demand. Traders await the US President Donald Trump's State of the Union address later on Wednesday for clarity on fiscal policies.

GBP/USD regains 1.3500 and above

GBP/USD extends its advance for the third day in a row on Tuesday, this time retesting the area beyond the 1.3500 hurdle. Cable’s uptick comes despite decent gains in the Greenback and the dovish message from the BoE’s Bailey at the UK Parliament.

Gold bounces back above $5,150 ahead Trump's State of the Union speech

Gold finds fresh demand and regains the $5,150 level following the previous day's pullback from the monthly peak as traders await Trump's State of the Union address. In the meantime, trade-related uncertainties and geopolitical risks seem to act as a tailwind for the safe-haven bullion.

Hyperliquid registers mild gains following CoinShares' ETP launch

Hyperliquid registered a 3% gain on Tuesday after CoinShares announced the launch of its Physical Hyperliquid Staking exchange-traded product, offering investors exposure to the token's price and staking yields.

The Citrini report: How a debatable AI narrative can shake Wall Street

That AI-related headline alone was enough to rattle investors.US stocks slid sharply on Monday after a widely circulated Citrini Research memo outlined a hypothetical “2028 Global Intelligence Crisis”, warning that rapid AI adoption could push US unemployment into double digits as early as by mid-2028.

XRP pressured by weak ETF flows and declining retail interest

Ripple (XRP) is edging lower, trading above its intraday low of $1.32 at the time of writing on Tuesday. The decline from its weekly opening of $1.39 reflects heightened volatility in the broader cryptocurrency market, accentuated by tariff-triggered uncertainty.