Forex Today: Inflationary pressures becoming a global headache

Valeria Bednarik FXStreet

What you need to know on Thursday, January 20:

Demand for the American dollar eased on Wednesday, with the currency edging lower against most major rivals. Losses were limited across the FX board, with gold outstanding amid rallying beyond $1,840 a troy ounce, its highest since last November.

US Treasury yields inched higher at the beginning of the day to reach fresh 2-year highs but ended the day lower. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury note peaked at 1.902% and currently stands at 1.83%. Fears that inflation will force central banks into tighter monetary policies regardless of economic growth led the way.

Meanwhile, stocks traded with a sour tone in Asia but were up during London trading hours, pushing Wall Street’s futures up. US indexes lost momentum through the session, ending the day mixed and not far from their opening levels.

The EUR/USD pair recovered towards the current 1.1340/50 price zone after Germany confirmed inflation at a multi-decade high of 5.3% in December. GBP/USD trades around 1.3620 after UK inflation posted a whopping 5.4% YoY by the end of 2021.

The aussie advanced vs the greenback, ending the day around 0.7230, while the USD/CAD ended the day little changed in the 1.249’ price zone.

Safe-haven currencies were little changed vs their American rival, with USD/JPY trading marginally lower around 114.25.

Risk-off persists heading into the US Federal Reserve’s monetary policy announcement next week, with investors turning cautious ahead of the event. Volatility may decrease while the dollar may remain under mild pressure.

Crude oil prices kept rallying. The black gold reached levels that were last seen in September 2014, with WTI currently trading at $85.90 a barrel.

Australia will publish inflation and employment-related figures early on Thursday, while later into the day, the Turkey Central Bank will announce its monetary policy decision.

Crypto.com hits two-month lows as selling pressure accelerates

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Author

Valeria Bednarik

FXStreet

Valeria Bednarik was born and lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her passion for math and numbers pushed her into studying economics in her younger years.

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