USD: Speculative longs steady as Fed hikes – Rabobank

FXStreet Insights Team FXStreet

Rabobank’s RaboResearch Global Economics & Markets FX Strategy team notes that USD net long speculative positions were broadly unchanged, with both longs and shorts rising modestly. The Federal Reserve raised its overnight policy rate by 25bp on September 16, matching expectations. The OIS curve indicates investors still anticipate more than three Fed hikes by the end of next year.

Fed path keeps Dollar supported

"USD net longs are largely unchanged as both long and short positions increased by 2,000 positions, respectively."

"The Fed released its decision to hike the overnight policy rate by 25bp at the September 16 meeting, in line with market expectations."

"The OIS curve suggest investors are still positioned for more than three hikes by the end of next year."

(This article was created with the help of an Artificial Intelligence tool and reviewed by an editor. Know more.)

Author

FXStreet Insights Team

FXStreet

The FXStreet Insights Team is a group of journalists that handpicks selected market observations published by renowned experts. The content includes notes by commercial as well as additional insights by internal and external analysts.

AUD/USD hits eight-month lows below 0.6850 amid bullish USD

AUD/USD stays defensive below 0.6850, hitting an eight-month low in the Asian session on Thursday as the possibility of a steeper Fed rate hike in December helps the US Dollar hold near its highest level since April 2025. Geopolitical uncertainty also supports the safe-haven buck, while the RBA’s cautious, on-hold stance limits the Aussie.

USD/JPY eases from near 160.00 amid looming intervention risks, BoJ hike bets

USD/JPY retreats slightly from an over two-month high as the recent surge back to the 160.00 psychological mark prompted verbal warnings from Japanese authorities and sparked fears of direct FX intervention. Moreover, data showed that Japan’s wholesale inflation picked up again in October, strengthening the case for a BoJ hike in December and lifting the Japanese Yen. However, a bullish US Dollar, bolstered by odds of a jumbo Fed rate hike in December, could cap the pair's downside.

Gold shifts the focus to $3,800 amid stronger US Dollar

Gold comes under heightened downside pressure, retreating for the third consecutive day and approaching the $3,800 region per troy ounce on Thursday. Increasing speculation of a 50-bps rate hike by the Fed in December continues to weigh on the precious metal amid further gains in US Treasury yields.

Top Altcoins Price Forecast: Ripple, Cardano and Solana halt decline amid signs of exhaustion

Top altcoins, Ripple (XRP), Cardano (ADA), and Solana (SOL), hold steady on Thursday, halting the prevailing decline linked to hot US inflation data and the post-US midterms period.

Nvidia shares crash as Jensen Huang resigns as CEO

Nvidia (NVDA) shares collapsed in Thursday's premarket after longtime CEO and co-founder Jensen Huang resigned as CEO in the face of board scrutiny over several affairs. Nvidia shares have shed 10% at the time of writing as the leading AI chipmaker chose chief financial officer (CFO) Colette Kress as interim CEO.

What the US CPI headline doesn’t tell you about inflation

Brent crude has fallen about a third since mid-October on hopes the Iran war is ending, but diesel, freight and fertiliser costs haven't followed. Those costs reach US consumer prices in stages through 2027 and could keep inflation high after gasoline gets cheaper.