EUR/USD
1.14734
-0.267%
Gold
5011.67
0.112%
Oil
96.405
3.413%
USD/JPY
159.449
0.237%
GBP/USD
1.32847
-0.260%
GBP/JPY
211.828
0.040%
Real-time News
March 17th - The Federal Reserve is set to release an additional $200 billion in capital to several of the largest U.S. banks for their use. In recent years, the six largest U.S. banks have set aside substantial profits to meet stricter standards proposed by former Federal Reserve Vice Chairman for Supervision Barr. Much of this upcoming $200 billion release represents funds that are no longer needed. Later this week, U.S. regulators will unveil new proposals to update and, in some respects, relax U.S. capital regulations, a move that would boost stock buybacks, lending, and trading activity. However, this carries risks: deploying this additional capital too hastily could unhealthily lead to overheating of the economy and housing market. Such a large amount of additional capital will present banks with difficult choices. Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Morgan Stanley have all had to reconsider whether to return billions of dollars directly to investors through stock buybacks. Given the current high stock prices, this would be costly. All large lenders should be wary of expanding their lending too rapidly, as this almost always leads to an increase in bad debts as lending standards decline.1. WTI crude oil futures trading volume was 1,495,668 lots, an increase of 84,695 lots from the previous trading day. Open interest was 2,107,681 lots, an increase of 14,175 lots from the previous trading day. 2. Brent crude oil futures trading volume was 293,399 lots, a decrease of 7,786 lots from the previous trading day. Open interest was 286,510 lots, an increase of 6,372 lots from the previous trading day. 3. Natural gas futures trading volume was 431,760 lots, an increase of 283 lots from the previous trading day. Open interest was 1,568,818 lots, a decrease of 4,375 lots from the previous trading day.Iranian state television: The speaker of the Iranian parliament said that regional security must be sustainable and should not be imposed from the outside.On March 17th, eToro analyst Josh Gilbert stated that the Reserve Bank of Australias (RBA) first consecutive interest rate hikes since 2023 highlights the severity of the Middle East energy shock. This decision was far from easy, with the committee passing it by a near 5-4 vote. This was clearly not the rate hike the RBA wanted, but the institution is facing difficulties with escalating inflation risks and rising fuel prices. For families struggling with mortgage payments, rising fuel and food bills, this is undoubtedly a bitter pill to swallow. The rate cut many were hoping for is now highly uncertain. The RBAs decisiveness this time surpasses that during the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict, which could be a key turning point. If the conflict is resolved and oil prices return to normal, the March rate hike might be the last, but at present, this seems like wishful thinking.Iraqs Ministry of Oil: Total crude oil exports via this route are expected to reach 450,000 barrels per day, including crude oil from the Kurdistan region.
