Here is a rundown of latest headlines surrounding the crisis in the Middle East as the United States (US) and Israel’s war against Iran enters the fourth week: US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that they will “obliterate” Iran’s power plants, starting with the biggest one, if they refuse to open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours….
If you needed a reminder that forex trading is never just about one thing, last week delivered it emphatically. Six major central bank decisions landed within days of each other, February PPI scorched expectations at 0.7% month-over-month, and the Iran war continued reshaping global energy markets — with WTI briefly tagging $100 before retreating on diplomatic signals. The Fed…
Prior was -0.4% Ex autos +0.8% vs +1.2% expected Prior ex autos +0.1% (revised to 0.0%) Advance February sales +0.9% Sales hit $70.7 billion in January Sales ex autos and gas +0.9% The advance reading tends to be the better signal in this report and the number for February is strong. As for January, vehicles rose 2.0% led by…
EUR/USD trades with a mild downside bias on Friday as a modest rebound in the US Dollar (USD) weighs on the Euro (EUR), with price action lacking follow-through buying after failing to sustain a break above the 1.1600 mark. At the time of writing, the pair hovers near 1.1542, down around 0.38% on the day, though it remains on…
The CHF weakened initially (USDCHF moved higher) after the SNB signaled a willingness to intervene following its decision to keep rates unchanged on Thursday. The pair extended to a high of 0.7957, stalling just ahead of a downward-sloping trendline on the 4-hour chart. However, the upside momentum could not be sustained. Broad-based USD selling during the North American session…
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) tumbled around 257 points, or 0.6%, on Friday as all three major US indices tracked toward a fourth consecutive losing week. The S&P 500 fell 0.8%, while the Nasdaq Composite underperformed with a decline of 1.2%. Overnight strikes between Iran and Israel, fresh attacks on energy sites in the Persian Gulf, and a…
Trump is lamenting the lack of help in reopening Hormuz: Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER! They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran. Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to…
Gold (XAU/USD) extends losses on Friday following a sharp two-day decline that pushed prices to their lowest level since early February, near the $4,500 mark. The drop comes as markets increasingly price in a ‘higher-for-longer’ global interest rate environment following this week’s major central bank monetary policy announcements. At the time of writing, XAU/USD is trading around $4,580, pulling…
Oft times, there are implications to actions. The Trump administration tends to look to solve problems with laser focus that goes above and beyond without thinking of the consequences. The ICE/deportation implementation is an example. That is being clawed back. The War against Iran is another major situation. Who knows what they thought how everything was going to work…
United States Baker Hughes US Oil Rig Count: 414 vs 412
