USD, Oil and Gas gain on Russia/Ukraine tensions [Video]

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Swissquote Bank Ltd

Moodiness due to a lack of a strong post-earnings rally from Nvidia remained short-lived. The shares fell well short of the 8-10% rally that the market was prepared for, and posted a meagre 0.53% rise post earnings. Nvidia couldn’t offer the major US indices a fresh record, as Big Tech companies were mostly sold yesterday. Google lost 4.5% on Department of Justice’s demand to sell Chrome. But both the S&P500 and Nasdaq gained the day after the Nvidia earnings, and consolidate near ATH levels.

In the FX and commodities, the US dollar, oil and gas prices are extending rally amid the mounting geopolitical tensions in Ukraine. The US dollar’s recent rise pushed the EURUSD down the 1.05 cliff yesterday, and Cable extended losses below the 1.26 mark. Yet the solid appreciation of the US dollar, combined to rising energy prices, will likely ring the alarm bell among the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England (BoE) doves, and get them to tame their dovish expectations. The latter will probably support a recovery in both the euro and sterling once the geopolitical dusts settles. Current levels are more interesting for chasing dip buying opportunities than playing with the bears.

Author

Ipek Ozkardeskaya

Swissquote Bank Ltd

Ipek Ozkardeskaya began her financial career in 2010 in the structured products desk of the Swiss Banque Cantonale Vaudoise. She worked in HSBC Private Bank in Geneva in relation to high and ultra-high-net-worth clients.

EUR/USD slumps below 1.1800 on hawkish Fed Minutes, eyes on ECB succession

The EUR/USD pair tumbles to a near two-week low around 1.1785 during the early Asian session on Thursday. The US Dollar strengthens against the Euro on hawkish FOMC minutes that revived speculation about potential interest rate hikes if inflation remains elevated.

GBP/USD extends decline as weak jobs data bolsters BoE rate cut bets

The Pound Sterling continued to backslide under sustained pressure on Wednesday, following through after the UK employment report on Tuesday showed a labour market deteriorating faster than expected.

Gold consolidates the rebound below $5,000, US data eyed

Gold price consolidates the previous rebound below $5,000 in the Asian session on Thursday. The precious metal recovered on Wednesday amid shifts in geopolitical sentiment, boosting safe-haven demand. Traders will keep an eye on the release of US Initial Jobless Claims, Pending Home Sales data, and the Fedspeak later on Thursday.

Bitcoin approaches a critical zone: Bear pennant projects $56,000

Based on the most recent analyses from February 2026, the short answer is that it is highly unlikely that Bitcoin will reach $100,000 this month.

Mixed UK inflation data no gamechanger for the Bank of England

Food inflation plunged in January, but service sector price pressure is proving stickier. We continue to expect Bank of England rate cuts in March and June. The latest UK inflation read is a mixed bag for the Bank of England, but we doubt it drastically changes the odds of a March rate cut.

Sui extends sideways action ahead of Grayscale’s GSUI ETF launch

Sui is extending its downtrend for the second consecutive day, trading at 0.95 at the time of writing on Wednesday. The Layer-1 token is down over 16% in February and approximately 34% from the start of the year, aligning with the overall bearish sentiment across the crypto market.