
EUR/USD rose 1.4% last week, boosted by broad-based USD weakness and growing expectations that the ECB will use the June meeting to prepare for a July interest rate hike.

Gold rallied 1.5% yesterday and has pushed above $1840, boosted by a combination of a weaker USD and safe-haven flows. The USD fell over 0.8% amid growing fears of a US economic slowdown, which could prevent the Fed from hiking interest rates as aggressively as initially expected.

The Dow Jones booked its largest daily loss since October 2022 yesterday, falling 3.7% or 1100 points on fears over inflation and the prospect of a recession in the US.

GBP/USD jumped 1.4% higher in the previous session after robust UK jobs data. Unemployment dropped to a pre-COVID low, and vacancies outstripped the number of unemployed for the first time on record. Wages, including bonuses, surged to 7%, prompting bets that the BoE could raise interest rates again in June, which would mark the 5th straight rate hike meeting.

The UK index closed higher yesterday despite warnings from the BoE governor Andrew Bailey over surging inflation and a worrying rise in food pieces. Andrew Bailey insisted that the BoE would raise interest rates until inflation falls from the expected double-digit peak to the central bank’s 2% target.

EUR/GBP fell 0.7% last week, which was more of a euro weakness story than owing to significant pound strength. The pound traded broadly lower versus its major peers on recession fears and as Brexit concerns returned.

EUR/USD steadies after falling to a 5-year low in the previous session and posting its biggest loss since March 2020. The pair tumbled 1.2% yesterday after US wholesale inflation data sparked fears of a more aggressive Fed and as tensions between Russia and the West escalated, hitting demand for the euro.

The FTSE closed up by triple digits yesterday, booking gains of 1.4%, helped by early gains on Wall Street following US inflation data. Today the focus is on UK GDP data which is expected to show solid growth across Q1, but that would be mainly owing to solid growth at the start of the year.

The rollercoaster on Wall Street continued last night, with stocks rebounding modestly ahead of key US economic data. While selling ease, sentiment remains fragile amid concerns that the Fed could struggle to raise interest rates sufficiently without choking economic growth.

Gold started the week on the back foot, falling 1.5%, as risk aversion drove trade, and the USD was the safe haven of choice.

AUD/USD is falling for a third straight day. Since Thursday, the pair has tumbled 3.4% as the USD surged on the back of the Federal Reserve 50bp rate hike, expectations for a more hawkish Fed action to come, and strong US jobs report.

The Nasdaq made a spectacular reversal in the previous session, wiping out the gains from the Fed’s decision day. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s comments that the central wasn’t considering a 75-basis point rate hike boosted stocks on Wednesday.