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Forexlive Americas FX news wrap 7 Jan;Stocks tumble with tech shares leading the way lower

Forexlive Americas FX news wrap 7 Jan;Stocks tumble with tech shares leading the way lower

Markets Summary

The financial markets experienced a mixed day with significant moves across commodities, currencies, and equities. Here’s an overview:

Commodities:

  • WTI Crude Oil rose $0.81 (+1.09%) to settle at $74.18, supported by steady demand signals.
  • Gold gained $13.76 (+0.52%) to close at $2,649.69, reflecting safe-haven buying amid market volatility.
  • Silver edged up $0.08 (+0.29%) to $30.21.
  • Bitcoin experienced a sharp decline, tumbling over $5,400 to $96,841 after hitting a high of $102,760, as investors took profits following recent rallies.

Currencies:The U.S. Dollar strengthened broadly against major counterparts, buoyed by robust economic data. Gains were most notable against:

  • Swiss Franc (CHF): +0.52%
  • Euro (EUR): +0.47%
  • More modest gains were recorded versus the Australian Dollar (AUD): +0.19% and New Zealand Dollar (NZD): +0.18%.

This upward momentum for the dollar was driven by stronger-than-expected U.S. economic indicators, including the ISM Non-Manufacturing Index, which rose to 54.1 from 52.1, and the JOLTS Job Openings, which increased to 8.098 million, surpassing forecasts of 7.7 million. Treasury yields moved higher in response, with the 10-year yield climbing to 4.689% (+7.3 bps), reflecting investor expectations of prolonged economic resilience.

Federal Reserve Commentary:Fed official Thomas Barkin highlighted the need for businesses to adapt to changing tariffs and reaffirmed the central bank’s commitment to the 2% inflation target. Barkin also indicated that price pressures remain elevated, suggesting that policy tightening may need to persist.

The US Treasury auctioned $38B of 10 year notes with average demand

Equities:U.S. stock indices tumbled after two consecutive days of gains, led by a sharp pullback in tech stocks:

  • Dow Jones: -0.42%
  • S&P 500: -1.11%
  • NASDAQ Composite: -1.89%
  • Russell 2000: -0.74%

Shares of Nvidia plunged 6.22%, reversing earlier gains after hitting a record intraday high following CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote at CES 2025. The tech sell-off also saw significant declines in other high-growth stocks, with MicroStrategy falling 9.94% and Palantir dropping 7.81%.

Pres. elect Trump held a press conference at Mar a Lago.In addition to announcing a $20B investment to build new data centers by Billionaire Hussain Sajwani the Chairman of Damac Properties, the Pres. elect commented on a number of different topics

  • Interest rates are too high
  • The Biden ban on offshore oil and gas drilling will be reversed
  • Something will have to be done with Canada and Mexico trade. Says we don;t need cars or milk and oil
  • When asked for assurance that he will not us military or economic coercion as he tries to gain control over Greenland, said he cannot assure of either of those two.
  • Calls Greenland essential for national security
  • Could consider tariffs on Denmark over Greenland if they don’t give up Greenland.
  • Thinks Meta has come a long way
  • Says he is ok with spending cuts. Wants to see an extension of the debt ceiling.

Overall Insight:The day’s market action reflected a complex interplay of stronger U.S. economic data, rising yields, and profit-taking in tech stocks. With robust dollar strength and elevated volatility in equities, traders are keeping a close eye on upcoming economic reports and Fed guidance.

Tomorrow the lead-up to the US non-farm jobs report on Friday will continue with the ADP Non-Farm employment report due at 8:15 AM ET. The expectation is for 139K vs 146K last month. The weekly unemployment claims will be released a day early as a result of the day of mourning for Pres. Carter. The expectation is for 214K vs 211K last week. The US stock market will be closed on Thursday as well.

Fed’s Waller will speak at 8:30 AM ET, and the minutes of the Fed December meeting (bearish cut of 25 basis points) will be released at 2 PM ET.

This article was written by Greg Michalowski at www.forexlive.com.

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Australian November monthly inflation is expected to jump from October

Australian November monthly inflation is expected to jump from October

I popped up a post earlier that contains a detailed description of the difference between the monthly and quarterly inflation, and also why the quarterly is preferred.

The post also had a quick rundown on recent inflation data and implications for the Reserve Bank of Australia. ICYMI:

Commonwealth Bank of Australia have a good preview posted, In brief:

  • We anticipate headline inflation rose to 2.6%/yr in November, a ½ppt rise from the pace in October.
  • The annual trimmed mean measure of core inflation is expected to have ticked down a touch to 3. 4 %/yr from 3.5%/yr .
  • This configuration of a solid lift in headline CPI but a slightly lower core inflation figure predominantly reflects the inflationary impact of the gradual unwind of the electricity rebates . This unwind will occur through to July 2025 , as currently legislated.

Impact:

  • Markets may knee – jerk react to a higher headline print , particularly after the most recent jobs report

CBA are well above the consensus forecast:

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at www.forexlive.com.

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Leverage USD Strength: UBS Recommends Diversifying into GBP and AUD

Leverage USD Strength: UBS Recommends Diversifying into GBP and AUD

UBS says its maintaining its recommendation to capitalize on any further strength in the US dollar by selling it.

Analysts cite recent shifts in expectations around Federal Reserve and US government policies have bolstered the USD since the release of their “Year Ahead 2025” report. However, they believe the dollar remains overvalued. Adding they don’t anticipate a sharp decline in the near term, but suggest that traders take advantage of USD strength to diversify into other favored currencies, such as the British pound and Australian dollar.

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at www.forexlive.com.

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Johns Hopkins professor says a US Bitcoin reserve = “A stupid idea”

Johns Hopkins professor says a US Bitcoin reserve = “A stupid idea”

Steve Hanke is a professor of Applied Economics at Johns Hopkins University. On a Bitcoin reserve:

  • It diverts weighting and savings into old masters that just, it just sits there and is never invested in bankable projects that actually produce anything and increase productivity in the economy.
  • I’m completely opposed to it. I think it’s the stupidest idea

He made the comments during an interview, snippet here if you are interested:

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at www.forexlive.com.

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