All Articles

Oil’s price action gets emotional If you’re looking for volatility, trade oil markets. Oil’s price action overnight bordered on outright lunacy as Brent crude rose from USD 114.50 to USD 119.70, before falling to finish 3.60% lower at USD 110.40 a barrel.

04-03-2022 05:05 GMT by Jeffrey Halley

Dollar climbs on Ukrainian nuclear fire

The US dollar surges on Ukrainian nuclear fears Notably, the US dollar did not experience any relief flows seen in energy and equity markets overnight in New York, as US yields held onto their gains of the previous session. The rising price of commodities increases demand for US dollar, as does Ukraine haven flows, and should continue to support the greenback into the weekend.

04-03-2022 04:52 GMT by Jeffrey Halley

Market-Trends-Stocks-Bonds-Equities-forex-currencies.jpg

Ukraine jitters weigh on Asian markets

Asian equities spooked by Ukraine nuclear plant fire Overnight, European stock markets were crushed once again under Ukrainian nerves as commodity prices across the board soared. US stocks managed a modest recovery as bond yields steadied and hopes rose of an Iranian nuclear deal.

04-03-2022 04:37 GMT by Jeffrey Halley

From Bad to Worse

This morning, headlines in Asia have been dominated by reports that fighting had caused a fire at Ukraine’s nuclear power plant and Europe’s largest, Zaporizhzhia, in the southeastern part of the country. That sparked a risk-off move in asset classes, with equities falling and oil rallying. War reporting is a fluid situation at best and initial reports stated that one of the reactors, thankfully closed for maintenance but still containing nuclear material, was on fire.

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

AUD/USD - Breakout amid soaring commodity prices

OANDA Senior Market Analyst Craig Erlam discusses AUDUSD which is in the midst of a bullish breakout as commodity currencies continue to benefit from rising prices.

03-03-2022 18:19 GMT by Craig Erlam

Oil dips after more gains, gold flat

Oil pulls back after almost hitting USD 120 Oil prices are slightly lower, entirely giving up earlier gains that amounted to more than 5% at one point. Brent peaked just shy of USD 120 which is a level that's been talked about a lot in recent weeks but perhaps many won't have expected to see so fast.

03-03-2022 15:36 GMT by Craig Erlam

Risk-aversion returns after brief rally

Stock markets are back in the red again on Thursday, as we await further talks between delegations from Ukraine and Russia. Wednesday's rebound was predictably short-lived against the backdrop of reports of intensifying attacks by Russian troops as they close in on cities across the country. The sanctions that have been levelled at Russia since the invasion started have been far more severe than many expected and we're learning more about their devastating impact with every passing day. While

03-03-2022 15:32 GMT by Craig Erlam

Commodities and Cryptos: Oil weakens on Iranian supply prospects, Gold higher, Bitcoin rally exhausted

Oil Crude prices are ping ponging back and forth as energy traders remain focused on the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and as Iran inches closer to a nuclear deal. In early trade, WTI crude rallied to the highest levels since 2008, after the Russian military captured the Ukrainian city of Kherson. Expectations for another round of Russia-Ukraine talks led to some hope that a possible ceasefire could be agreed upon but talks seem to have been pushed into the beginning of next week.

03-03-2022 15:06 GMT by Edward Moya

US Close -Stocks edge lower, ISM Services Index disappoints, No surprises from Day 2 of Powell

US stocks went on a bumpy ride as investors continue to trade off every incremental update with the Ukraine-Russia conflict and following a wrath of mixed US economic data. Stocks were under pressure early after a French official said President Macron’s conversation with Vladimir Putin did not provide any reason to be optimistic that we could see a de-escalation/ceasefire.

03-03-2022 15:06 GMT by Edward Moya

New Zealand dollar edges higher

The New Zealand dollar has posted small gains on Thursday, as NZD/USD has pushed above the 0.68 line in the North American session. New Zealand is hugely dependent on its export industry, and the Covid pandemic has taken its toll on exports, as global demand has fallen. However, with the worst of Covid hopefully behind us, global demand has picked up, which bodes well for New Zealand's economy.

03-03-2022 11:09 GMT by Kenneth Fisher

Australian dollar shrugs after strong data

PMIs, trade balance power higher Australia posted strong data earlier in the day, but the Australian dollar remains almost unchanged as it trades around the 0.73 level. Services PMI jumped to 57.4 in February, up from 46.6 in January. It was a similar story for Construction PMI, which climbed to 53.4, up from 45.9.

03-03-2022 06:02 GMT by Kenneth Fisher

Oil keeps climbing, gold steady

Oil rises once again in Asia Despite the noise in equity and bond markets overnight, the panic in oil markets continues with prices rallying aggressively once again. Brent crude leapt 6.80% higher to USD 114.50 a barrel overnight, while WTI rallied 4.75% to USD 111.40 a barrel.

03-03-2022 05:02 GMT by Jeffrey Halley

Currency markets are mixed

Euro steady, sterling rises The US dollar mostly retreated overnight as Fed rate hike expectations were pared for March and investors hoped for progress in the Ukraine-Russia meeting expected today. The dollar index eased slightly by 0.04% to 97.36, but with oil prices on fire in Asia today has resumed its ascent, climbing 0.16% to 97.51.

03-03-2022 04:48 GMT by Jeffrey Halley

Asian equities are cautiously higher

Asian markets eye Ukraine-Russia talks Overnight, news that a second Ukraine-Russia meeting in sunny Belarus sparked a relief rally in equities markets, which was given more momentum as Jerome Powell signally the Fed would only hike 0.25% this month, instead of 0.50%. As I said previously, peak-Ukraine FOMO is strong in equity markets right now, and the outcome of today’s meeting will dictate entirely whether this is yet another sucker’s rally.

03-03-2022 04:19 GMT by Jeffrey Halley

Powell sets the record straight

Powell says March hike to go ahead Jerome Powell sparked more volatility in markets overnight, as if we needed more, by quite clearly stating that the Federal Reserve would not be deterred from hiking at this month's FOMC meeting, despite uncertainty surrounding the Ukraine situation. His remarks suggested a 25 basis point hike was coming, taking 50 bps off the table. His remarks sparked more tumult in bond markets, which this week, have been behaving like the caffeine-addled tail-chasing f

03-03-2022 04:10 GMT by Jeffrey Halley

Market Insights Podcast (Episode 301)

Jonny Hart speaks to APAC Senior Market Analyst Jeffrey Halley about news impacting the market and the week ahead. Today we look at market developments in Asia following a relief rally on Wall Street overnight. Notably, oil prices have continued flying in Asia and much of the podcast ponders the fallout from spiralling commodity prices, notably stagflation or not.

03-03-2022 02:49 GMT by Jeffrey Halley

EUR/JPY - Further downside to come?

Or is it due a correction? It's been a very volatile start to 2022 and risk aversion has certainly picked up in recent weeks following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The shift to safe havens has benefited the usual currencies like the dollar, Swiss franc, and Japanese yen, with the latter making significant gains against the euro. The pair has fallen more than 4% over the last few weeks and despite rebounding a little on Wednesday, looks very vulnerable to a break lower. And this comes a

02-03-2022 19:06 GMT by Craig Erlam

Canadian dollar jumps on BOC hike

The Canadian dollar has posted strong gains on Wednesday. USD/CAD is trading at 1.26695 in the North American session, down 0.59% on the day. BoC raises rates The Bank of Canada went ahead and raised rates earlier today by 0.25%, to 0.50%.

02-03-2022 12:45 GMT by Kenneth Fisher

Oil powers higher, gold has support

OPEC+ displays little appetite for lower prices Oil prices are surging once again today and have topped USD 110 as reports of disruptions to Russian exports as a result of the sanctions emerge. This is something that was already being priced into the markets prior to and after the invasion and the severity of the sanctions have justified those moves.

02-03-2022 12:29 GMT by Craig Erlam

Sell-off on hold amid more talks

The sell-off is on hold on Wednesday as investors regroup following another big move lower a day earlier. European stocks are paring gains and the US has kicked things off in a similar fashion with energy naturally leading the way. I'm not sure broader market sentiment has improved in any way since yesterday given the intensification of the invasion of Ukraine and soaring oil prices but equity markets are seeing some reprieve. There is mild hope that talks between the Ukrainian and Russian del

02-03-2022 12:26 GMT by Craig Erlam

All news & analysis