The Euro witnessed a mixed start to the week, initially having received a boost following the weekend’s German SPD’s vote in favor of the coalition deal. However, the upside was short-lived as sentiment soured on the Italian election’s projected outcome of a hung parliament, with both the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and the far-right League party outperforming in the first exit polls.
Meanwhile, the US dollar found some love against the Antipodeans, as downbeat Chinese Caixin services PMI weighed down on both the Aussie and Kiwi. The USD/JPY pair, however, traded with sizeable losses amid risk-off market profile, reflected by negative Asian equities and Treasury yields.
Among the commodities, gold prices remained well bid near $ 1330 levels while both crude benchmarks also traded higher amid the Libyan Sharara oilfield shutdown news and ahead of the OPEC meeting with the US shale firms.
Main topics in Asia
European Politics in focus start of week: Italian election / German coalition risks
Italy’s ruling centre-left Democratic Party admits defeat - The Guardian
Berlusconi's right-wing coalition leads Italy's election: RAI state television
China's Caixin services PMI eases in Feb, misses expectations
Trump trade advisor sees business exemptions to tariffs - Reuters
New Zealand Treasury - there is still some spare capacity in the labour market
China to cut import tariff on auto, some consumer goods: NDRC - Bloomberg
Key Focus ahead
The European calendar sees a busy start to a fresh week, with the final services PMI reports from the Euro area economies due on the cards ahead of the UK services PMI and Eurozone Sentix Investor Confidence. Meanwhile, the US docket offers a set of services PMI reports from Markit and ISM ahead of the FOMC member Quarles speech.
EUR/USD bearish bets lose value despite prospects of hung parliament in Italy
GBP/USD looks weaker than ever ahead of UK services PMI release
Key events for the week ahead - Nomura
RBA to be a non-event this week, or? - Westpac
Australia Jan retail trade to reverse most of the previous fall - ANZ
Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page.
If not otherwise explicitly mentioned in the body of the article, at the time of writing, the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article and no business relationship with any company mentioned. The author has not received compensation for writing this article, other than from FXStreet.
FXStreet and the author do not provide personalized recommendations. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this information. FXStreet and the author will not be liable for any errors, omissions or any losses, injuries or damages arising from this information and its display or use. Errors and omissions excepted.
The author and FXStreet are not registered investment advisors and nothing in this article is intended to be investment advice.
Recommended content
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD stays below 1.1100, looks to post weekly losses
EUR/USD continues to trade in a narrow range below 1.1100 and remains on track to end the week in negative territory. Earlier in the day, monthly PCE inflation data from the US came in line with the market expectation, failing to trigger a reaction.
GBP/USD struggles to find a foothold, trades near 1.3150
GBP/USD stays on the back foot and trades in negative territory at around 1.3150 on Friday. The US Dollar holds its ground following the July PCE inflation data and doesn't allow the pair to stage a rebound heading into the weekend.
Gold retreats toward $2,500 ahead of the weekend
Gold stays under modest bearish pressure and declines toward $2,500 in the American session on Friday. The 10-year US Treasury bond yield edges higher toward 3.9% after US PCE inflation data, causing XAU/USD to stretch lower.
Week ahead – Investors brace for NFP amid Fed rate cut speculation
Here comes another NFP week, with investors eagerly awaiting the results as they try to discern the size and pace of the Fed’s forthcoming rate cuts. The weaker than expected July numbers triggered market turbulence, instilling fears about a potential recession in the US.
Easing Eurozone inflation to back an ECB rate cut in September Premium
Eurostat will publish the preliminary estimate of the August Eurozone Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices on Friday, and the anticipated outcome will back up the case for another European Central Bank interest rate cut when policymakers meet in September.
Moneta Markets review 2024: All you need to know
VERIFIED In this review, the FXStreet team provides an independent and thorough analysis based on direct testing and real experiences with Moneta Markets – an excellent broker for novice to intermediate forex traders who want to broaden their knowledge base.