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Decent US Data ahead of Payrolls | Xtreamforex

Today brings this week’s most important data releases both from the Euro area and the US.

In Euro area, flash inflation print for December will be released. Individual country data released thus far suggest that while headline inflation probably continued to decline in December, underlying price pressures remain strong. Consensus is looking for core inflation to have picked up from 5.0% in November to 5.1% in December. Going forward, interpretation of euro area inflation data will become more and more cumbersome as country-specific fiscal measures that compensate households for the rising energy costs will also affect consumer price developments.

In the US, it is time for December payrolls. Consensus expects 200k new jobs while a figure around 100k would be consistent with demographic developments and any higher number implies labor shortages are likely to prevail in US jobs market, upholding wage and price pressures. We will also get IMS Services index where consensus looks for a decline to 55.0 in December from 56.5 in November. Factory orders are also expected to have declined in November.

Read More : https://www.xtreamforex.com/decent-us-data-ahead-of-payrolls-xtreamforex/

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Gold & silver Struggle Despite Weak US dollar

Gold came off its earlier highs while silver turned a touch lower in what has been a quietish day. The US dollar fell further lower, extending it sharp losses from Friday when weak ISM data raised speculation that the Fed will be forced to cut interest rates again towards the back end of this year. But the dollar typically rises in Q1, which I something that could undermine the gold rally. In terms of the immediate term and this week, we have two key risk events that could move the dollar thus gold price.

Jerome Powell’s speech is expected while US CPI data for December will be released on Thursday. Both of these macro events have the potential to move dollar sharply again, after a double whammy of bearish news sent the greenback tumbling on Friday, and Monday.

Read More : https://www.xtreamforex.com/gold-silver-struggle-despite-weak-us-dollar/

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US CPI Preview:- Will lower inflation data cause the Fed to pause

In general, inflation has been slowing over the last few months. Tomorrow, markets will get a look at December’s CPI print. Expectations are that the headline print will continue to move lower to 6.5% YoY vs a November reading of 7.1% YoY. Last month’s reading was the fifth straight monthly decline after reaching a high of 9.1% YoY in June 2022. The print was also the lowest reading since December 2021.

Markets have also now seen that wage growth is slowing. Average Hourly Earnings for December slowed to 4.6% YoY and expectation of 5% YoY and a lower November revised print of 4.8% YoY from 5.1% YoY. The Fed has been worried about wage growth, and this data was the first sign that wages may be rising at a slower pace.

Read More :https://www.xtreamforex.com/us-cpi-preview-will-lower-inflation-data-cause-the-fed-to-pause/

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GBP/USD: Pound Counts on the Best.

As in the US, retail sales in the UK also went down. They fell -1.0% in December, which is significantly lower than the forecast +0.5%. Analysts note that real spending in the country was significantly ahead of GDP in 2020-2022, but the rise in inflation led to a sharp halt in this process. And it is predicted that 2023 will be a period of retribution for this waste.

According to economists at HSBC, one of the world’s largest financial conglomerates, things are not so bad. “With UK inflation likely to have peaked and could potentially slow more than the consensus forecast,” a less aggressive tone of tightening from the BoE now could mean a less dramatic reversal later in the year. And this may eventually become a minor positive factor for the British pound in the coming months. The shift towards better-than-expected domestic data should also be positive for the British pound.

Read More : https://www.xtreamforex.com/gbp-usd-pound-counts-on-the-best/

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25bp Hike from Bank Of Canada expected

The Bank of Canada are expected to hike interest rates by 25bp tomorrow according to market pricing and economists. The hike would see their benchmark rate rise to 4.5% – its highest level since October 2007 – and on par with the Fed yet above the RBNZ’s 4.25% rate. A 25bp hike would be the slowest pace since their first hike of this cycle in March 2022, after which they moved up 50bp increments, a 100bp hike and a 75bp hike along the way. The central bank will also provide minutes from the meeting on February the 8th, which is the first time in their history.

Money markets suggest an 80% chance of a 25bphike, whilst 25 of 26 economists polled by Reuters also anticipate the move. With a 25bp hike all but a given, it could take a surprise hold to start volatility for traders. But then looking through the latest business and consumer sentiment surveys suggest we could be fast approaching the BOC’s terminal rate.

Read More : https://www.xtreamforex.com/25bp-hike-from-bank-of-canada-expected/

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Australia CPI:

Headline CPI 1.9%qtr/7.8%yr; Trimmed Mean 1.7%qtr6.9%yr; Weighted Median 1.6%qtr5.8%yr. Hospitality services most important factor in the upside surprise in the December quarter but with the Trimmed Mean coming in broadly as expected this suggests the pace of core inflation is generally unfolding as we expected.

The CPI lifted 1.9% in the December quarter with the most significant contributions coming from domestic holiday travel & accommodation, electricity, and international holiday travel & accommodation.

The ABS noted that ‘strong demand, particularly over the Christmas holiday period, contributed to price rises for domestic holiday travel and international airfares”. The rises seen for domestic & international travel were notably higher than the historical norm for the December quarter.

Read More : https://www.xtreamforex.com/australia-cpi/

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Gold Steady and Dollar Undermined

After silver’s big plunge on Monday, both precious metals have managed to steady the ship, suggesting the move at the start of the week was probably a bear trap.

The US Dollar has come back against the Canadian dollar thanks to a 25- basis point rate hike from the Bank of Canada, with its governor saying that interest rates will be kept at its current level while the bank assesses the impact of the cumulative interest rate increases.

But elsewhere, the likes of the Pound, Euro and Yen all remain supported against the US dollar. This is helping to keep buck-denominated metals supported.

Read More : https://www.xtreamforex.com/gold-steady-and-dollar-undermined/

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USD/JPY expected slide

Last year was tough for Japanese yen. USD/JPY gained more than 30% over 2022, striking above 150 in October. While anticipation of slower Fed rate hikes pulled the pair below the 130 level at the start of 2023, the speculations over the destiny of BOJ’s yield control policy grabbed the attention of the Japanese assets in the middle of January.

The BOJ is famous for its slow and steady monetary policy, which aims to boost economic activity and fire inflation. There are two main tools that the BOJ uses: the negative interest rate at -0.1% and the yield-curve control, which allows the 10-year government bond to fluctuate within a pre-determined range to reach the 0% yield target.

Read More : https://www.xtreamforex.com/usd-jpy-expected-slide

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Currency Pair of the Week: EUR/USD

The pair started on a positive note thanks for Spain’s Harmonized CPI, which came in at +5.8 YoY vs 4.7% YoY expected and +5.5% YoY last. Today, Markets will get a look at CPI from France and Germany, ahead of the Eurozone January Preliminary CPI tomorrow. Expectations are for a print of the headline CPI to drop to 9% YoY from 9.2% YoY in December. The Core rate is expected to drop to 5.1% YoY from 5.2% YoY in December. Expectations are for 50bps rate hike, which would bring the key rate to 3.00%. Many members of the committee, including ECB President Christine Lagarde, have already indicated that a 50bps hike is a done deal. Anything different will disappoint the markets. But traders will be watching for signals that another 50 bps rate hike is in the cards for March.

Last week, the US released one of the Fed’s favorite measures of inflation, the Core PCE Price Index. The print was 4.4% YoY, as expected, vs a prior reading of 4.7% YoY. Today, the US will release another important gauge of inflation which the Fed relies heavily on: The Q4 Employment Cost Index. Expectations are for an increase of 1.1% vs a Q3 reading of 1.2%. How will these prints affect the FOMC when it meets tomorrow ? The markets are already pricing in a 99% chance of a 25bps hike, which would bring the Fed Funds rate to 4.75%.

Read More :https://www.xtreamforex.com/currency-pair-of-the-week-eur-usd/

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FOMC Hikes Rates and Signals More to Come

As universally expected, the FOMC raised its target range for the federal funds rate by 25 bps at the conclusion of its policy meeting today. But the tightening cycle likely is not over yet as the FOMC noted that it “anticipates that ongoing increases in the target range will be appropriate”.

The FOMC said that “inflation has eased somewhat’” which Chair Powell reiterated in his post-meeting press conference. But he also noted that the committee “has more work to do” in terms of monetary tightening to bring inflation back to the FOMC’s target of 2% on a sustained basis. Powell also stated that policy will need to be restrictive for some time.

We look for the FOMC to hike the fed funds target rate by 25 bps each at its next two policy meetings. That said, we do not have a high level of conviction regarding the exact amount of tightening that the Committee will need to deliver. The FOMC is in the fine-tuning stage of its tightening cycle, and future rate hikes will depend on incoming data in coming weeks and months.

Read More : https://www.xtreamforex.com/fomc-hikes-rates-and-signals-more-to-come/