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Ukraine talks weigh on the US dollar Currency markets had a volatile session overnight, with most of the majors trading in quite large ranges. The intraday volatility is a symptom of a market that is searching for a unifying theme and finding it difficult to nail one down.

18-03-2022 04:42 GMT by Jeffrey Halley

Asian equities are mixed

US data sends Wall Street and Asia higher Asian equities are mixed after strong US economic data saw Wall Street sharply reverse to a positive finish. Overnight, the S&P 500 rose 1.20%, the Nasdaq by 1.28% and the Dow Jones by 1.18% as the stock markets find their buy-the-dip legs again.

18-03-2022 04:34 GMT by Jeffrey Halley

Chasing tails

It was another messy session overnight with energy, equities, precious metals and currencies trading in wide choppy ranges, diverging in price direction, with no unifying sense of theme emerging. Markets are trying to make sense of a hawkish FOMC that announced a dovish rate hike and believes it can tighten aggressively while maintaining growth.

18-03-2022 04:18 GMT by Jeffrey Halley

Oil back above USD 100, gold rallies

Oil prices edge higher Crude prices have come down enough and seem poised to stabilize above the USD 100 a barrel level until energy traders have clarity over geopolitical developments in Ukraine and with Iran nuclear deal talks. Not enough crude demand destruction has happened to warrant prices falling below the USD 90 level and with inventories continuing to decline, this oil market will likely remain tight for quite some time. WTI crude seems poised to continue to edge higher if no major p

17-03-2022 15:39 GMT by Edward Moya

Stocks maintaining post-Fed rally, bitcoin struggles

US stocks are still holding onto their post-Fed gains as investors await developments with Russia/Ukraine negotiations. There is too much short-term geopolitical and economic growth risk that the rally in stocks appears like it will be capped soon.

17-03-2022 15:34 GMT by Edward Moya

Oil rises on Ukraine, gold extends gains

Oil rises after Kremlin comments and IEA report Oil prices are rising once again today, with Brent and WTI now back above USD 100. It has been pushing higher throughout the day after the Kremlin pushed back against reports of substantial progress in ceasefire talks.

17-03-2022 14:20 GMT by Craig Erlam

Premature optimism

Stock markets are edging lower on Thursday, paring back this week's gains as the Kremlin denies substantial progress in talks and the Fed begins its aggressive tightening cycle. As ever, we need to take commentary coming from the Kremlin with a pinch of salt, both good and bad, but the latest comments have come as a blow to the markets. We've seen cautious optimism building in the markets this week as the two sides appeared to be making progress, even if it was occurring against the backdrop of

17-03-2022 14:15 GMT by Craig Erlam

EUR/GBP - Can it break the downtrend?

Or are we heading for pre-Brexit vote levels again? The euro has been performing relatively well against the pound recently after a prolonged downward spiral going back to late 2020, but can it keep it up? The pair was given another boost by the Bank of England on Thursday, despite the MPC agreeing on a third consecutive rate hike taking the base rate to 0.75%. What weighed on the pound - and therefore lifted this pair - was the fact that one policymaker, Deputy Governor Jon Cunliffe, voted ag

17-03-2022 13:28 GMT by Craig Erlam

Market Insights Podcast (Episode 307)

OANDA Senior Market Analyst Craig Erlam reviews the day's market news with Jonny Hart. They discuss why markets are recovering, oil falling, and the BoE.

17-03-2022 12:52 GMT by Craig Erlam

British pound slips after BoE rate hike

GBP/USD is down 0.28% on Thursday, trading just above the 1.31 line in the North American session. BOE raises rates but sterling falters The Bank of England raised rates by 0.25%, as was widely expected. This was an unprecedented third straight hike from the BoE, but the new record failed to impress investors, as the pound rose steadily prior to the hike, only to fall by 0.8% after the rate move. Why the sour grapes from the markets after a rate hike?

17-03-2022 10:22 GMT by Kenneth Fisher

Australian dollar punches above 73 line

The Australian dollar has posted strong gains for a second straight day. In the European session, AUD/USD is trading at 0.7338, up 0.65% on the day. We continue to see strong volatility from the Australian dollar.

17-03-2022 09:18 GMT by Kenneth Fisher

New Zealand dollar flies despite GDP miss

The New Zealand dollar has edged higher on Thursday. NZD/USD is trading at 0.6855, up 0.24% on the day.

17-03-2022 07:26 GMT by Kenneth Fisher

Asia, once again, buys the oil dip

Oil prices held steady overnight, led by the perception of diminishing Ukraine risks and a positive meeting between the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. The platitudes handed out to Boris Johnson in Riyadh conveniently overlook the fact that the Saudis are committed to OPEC+ and are not able to unilaterally boost production within that framework.

17-03-2022 06:28 GMT by Jeffrey Halley

US dollar bashed by Ukraine hopes

US dollar falls on China, Ukraine In behaviour reminiscent of equity markets overnight, the US dollar staged a full retreat as stimulus hopes out of China, and an apparent Ukraine agreement inching closer to reality saw a mass exodus out of haven positioning and into full risk-seeking mode. The dollar index fell 0.62% to 98.40 where it remains this morning.

17-03-2022 05:35 GMT by Jeffrey Halley

Asian equities rallying sharply

Positive vibes out of Ukraine boost equities Equity markets ignored the warning signs from the bond market post-FOMC overnight, piling back into long positions after the FOMC held no surprises in its mind. Assisting things along were positive signals around Ukrainian talks and the huge rally in China stocks that also lifted their ADRs to huge gains in New York.

17-03-2022 04:09 GMT by Jeffrey Halley

A lot of information to unpick

So much information has been thrown at financial markets over the last 24 hours, it is quite a challenge to unpick it all and draw conclusions. Sitting here in front of my computer digesting it all has left me feeling like I have had a solid hour (or two), of “communicating with Mrs Halley.

17-03-2022 04:01 GMT by Jeffrey Halley

Fed React: Powell is finally ready to take on inflation, Retail Sales revisions, Oil lower, Gold tumbles, Bitcoin higher

US stocks went on a rollercoaster ride after a hawkish FOMC statement initially sent risky assets lower, but then turned positive after Fed Chair Powell tentatively convinced markets they will not be too late with fighting inflation. Much of today went as expected with the Fed raising rates by 25 basis points and addressing how the war in Ukraine is driving additional inflationary pressures. The Fed’s 2022 forecast for inflation was raised from 2.6% to 4.3%.

16-03-2022 15:49 GMT by Edward Moya

NZD extends gains ahead of GDP, FOMC meeting

The New Zealand dollar has extended its gains for a second straight day. NZD/USD is trading just above the 0.68 line in the North American session. All eyes on Federal Reserve The Federal Reserve is poised to raise rates by 0.25% at today's meeting.

16-03-2022 13:17 GMT by Kenneth Fisher

Oil and gold continue to lose ground

Oil slips further below USD 100 Oil prices are continuing to fall in the middle of the week as progress in talks between Ukraine and Russia see crude premiums being eroded. Whether that's premature or not, we'll soon see, especially with disruptions already being reported in recent weeks. While an end to the fighting will reduce the cloud of uncertainty for the global economy, it will not put an end to the sanctions that have already been imposed on Russia, or any that will follow.

16-03-2022 12:58 GMT by Craig Erlam

Equities buoyed by ceasefire talks

Equity markets are continuing to bounce back strongly on Wednesday, as talks between Ukraine and Russia appear to be nearing a conclusion that could put an end to the invasion. Given how the events have unfolded over the last month, I remain cautiously optimistic at best about a deal. Especially when you consider that Russian attacks on Ukraine are continuing during the negotiations.

16-03-2022 12:51 GMT by Craig Erlam

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