Analysis: Currencies

US weekly jobless claims fall more than expected

The number of Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits fell more than expected last week, consistent with a gradual cooling in labor market conditions. Initial claims for...

Bank of England keeps rates steady, policy split widens

The Bank of England kept its main interest rate unchanged at 4.75% on Thursday but policymakers became more divided about whether rate cuts were needed to tackle a slowing economy. Three...

BOJ keeps rates steady by 8-1 vote, board member Tamura dissents

The Bank of Japan kept interest rates steady on Thursday, underscoring policymakers' preference to spend more time scrutinising whether wage hikes will broaden and keep inflation durably around its 2%...

Dollar charges ahead on hawkish Fed outlook, yen awaits BOJ

The dollar flirted with a two-year peak on Thursday after the Federal Reserve signalled a slower pace of rate cuts in 2025, while the yen slid to a one-month low ahead of a policy decision by the Bank...

BOJ meets for final rate review this year as Trump risk clouds outlook

Bank of Japan policymakers will debate whether conditions are falling in place to raise interest rates at their final meeting this year, a decision complicated by slowing global growth and uncertainty...

Fed cuts reverse repo rate by wider margin than funds rate target

The Federal Reserve adjusted a key part of its rate control toolkit on Wednesday, lowering the rate it offers on its reverse repo facility by more than it cut the federal funds rate. ...

Fed policymakers project two quarter-point rate cuts next year

U.S. central bankers on Wednesday issued fresh projections calling for two quarter-point interest-rate cuts next year amid rising inflation, a forecast consistent with a wait-and-see approach come...

US single-family housing starts rebound in November

U.S. single-family homebuilding rebounded in November as the drag from hurricanes faded, but the threat of tariffs on imported goods and potential labor shortages from mass deportations could hamper...

Powell has a long to-do list for his last full year as Fed chief

The Federal Reserve will conclude its final meeting of 2024 on Wednesday, and next year will likely be Fed Chair Jerome Powell's last full one at the helm of the U.S. central bank, with his four-year...

Dollar steady against peers as Fed rate cut looms 

The U.S. dollar held steady against the yen and other major rivals on Wednesday as investors waited to see whether the Federal Reserve will deliver a hawkish cut before the Bank of Japan and other...

US retail sales beat expectations in November

U.S. retail sales increased in more than expected in November amid an acceleration in motor vehicle purchases, consistent with strong underlying momentum in the economy as the year winds down. ...

Canada's inflation rate ticks down to 1.9% in November

Canada's annual inflation rate unexpectedly slowed by a tick to 1.9% in November, driven by a broad-based slowdown in prices, and the consumer price index was unchanged on a monthly basis, data showed...

Over 90% of market players expect BOJ to keep rates steady this week, survey shows

Over 90% of market participants expect the Bank of Japan to keep interest rates steady at this week's policy meeting, a survey by money market brokerage Ueda Yagi Tanshi showed on Tuesday. ...

Morning bid: Investors look past politics to central bank moves

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Ankur Banerjee Political upheaval is jolting governments from South Korea to Germany to Canada, but for now investors are...

Exclusive-China plans record budget deficit of 4% of GDP in 2025, say sources

Chinese leaders agreed last week to raise the budget deficit to 4% of gross domestic product next year, its highest on record, while maintaining an economic growth target of around 5%, two sources...

Political jitters ripple ahead of cenbank fest

A look at the day ahead in Asian markets.  Asian market sentiment is likely to remain subdued on Tuesday following the release of mixed Chinese economic data the day before, as...

Currencies: It's very quiet

The dollar continues to benefit from favorable winds, but this does not yet call into question our consolidation scenario. Forex traders seem to be holding back, waiting to decipher the language that...

Bank Indonesia to hold rates this month as FX stability outweighs domestic concerns

Bank Indonesia will hold its key interest rate steady on Wednesday to support the rupiah, according to a narrow majority of economists in a Reuters poll, who decisively expected a rate cut on Dec. 18...

Iran currency slips to new lows amid U.S., Europe tensions

The Iranian currency extended its fall on Saturday, hitting a new all-time low against the U.S. dollar amid uncertainties about Donald Trump's imminent arrival in the White House and tensions with the...