• English
  • 简体中文
  • 繁體中文
  • Tiếng Việt
  • ไทย
  • Indonesia
Subscribe
Real-time News
On September 10th, European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde emphasized the uncertainty of the outlook at her post-policy press conference. Following Thursdays hawkish statement, financial markets are now almost evenly divided on whether the ECB will raise interest rates again next month. The ECB raised rates by 25 basis points to 2.5% on Thursday, in line with expectations. However, according to LSEG data, the probability of a rate hike on October 29th is currently 49%; if not, the probability of a hike before December 17th is 89%, and the probability of the deposit rate reaching 3% before Christmas is 36%. ECB staff raised their inflation forecasts for 2027 and 2028, citing inflationary pressures from the Middle East conflict, and also raised their GDP growth forecasts for 2026 and 2027, citing "the eurozone economys resilience exceeding expectations." The ECB stated that the outlook remains highly uncertain, a point Lagarde attempted to convey at her post-policy press conference. She said the uncertainty is so great that the situation could change overnight—for example, with rising diesel prices. "We simply cannot predict what will happen next," Lagarde said.U.S. existing home sales totaled 3.98 million units annualized in August, in line with expectations and down from 4.06 million units in the previous month.US existing home sales fell 2% month-over-month in August, compared with a previous reading of -1.70%.U.S. wholesale sales rose 0.8% month-on-month in July, with the previous figure revised from -3.00% to -2.9%.Gold prices fell more than 1% on Thursday as strong U.S. inflation data and rising oil prices increased market bets on a Federal Reserve rate hike next week. Kyle Rodda, senior financial markets analyst at Capital.com, said the producer price index data tells us that underlying inflation in the U.S. economy is picking up, partly due to rising energy costs. U.S. producer price increases in August were largely in line with expectations, but energy prices rebounded. According to the CME FedWatch Tool, traders now expect a 70% probability of a rate hike next week, up from 62% before the data release. However, most economists surveyed by Reuters expect the Fed to keep rates unchanged at its September 15-16 meeting and for the remainder of the year. A stronger dollar makes dollar-denominated gold more expensive for holders of other currencies, while rising yields on benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds further pressured gold prices. Rodda added that higher bond yields reflect more persistent and higher inflationary pressures from rising oil prices, which also contributed to the decline in gold prices. Rising bond yields typically increase the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets, thus putting downward pressure on gold.

USD/CHF Steady at 1.0020 as DXY Pauses, Powell and US Retail Sales Take Center Stage

Daniel Rogers

May 16, 2022 10:46

The USD/CHF pair is bouncing within a small range between 1.0020 and 1.0030 in early Tokyo, as the US dollar index (DXY) is not gaining much traction due to Monday's light economic calendar. Although broad-based fundamentals continue to favor the dollar bulls, the Federal Reserve (Fed) is projected to raise interest rates by another significant number in June in an effort to limit the inflation issue.

 

Last week, Fed's Powell's interview with the national radio show Marketplace revealed the ongoing conversations among Fed policymakers regarding anticipated rate hikes in monetary policies. Fed Powell indicated that the Fed could declare two additional rate hikes in the next two consecutive monetary policy sessions in order to tame the soaring inflation.

 

In the meantime, the US dollar index (DXY) is poised between 104.46 and 104.60 after reaching a new 19-year high of 105.00 on Friday. The DXY appreciates the broader gains but requires further triggers to maintain strong. In the future, two significant events on Tuesday will keep investors occupied. First will be Fed Chairman Powell's speech, which will likely influence monetary policy action in June. The second significant event is the monthly US Retail Sales report, which is anticipated to increase by 0.7% from the previous reading of 0.5%.

 

In terms of the Swiss franc, Friday's Industrial Production data will be the focal point. The catalyst reached 7.3% the previous time. A greater-than-anticipated number will strengthen the Swiss franc against the U.S. dollar. 

USD/CHF

image.png