|

Mnuchin: Very close to deal on COVID-19 stimulus bill

US Treasury Sec Mnuchin has explained that negotiators are very close to deal on COVID-19 stimulus bill trying to finish on Monday night. 

We have been witnessing the Republican and Democratic senators and Trump administration negotiators trying to find common ground on the coronavirus stimulus bill to no avail so far, 

"I think we're very close," Mnuchin told reporters, while shuttling between offices in the U.S. Capitol. "We're trying to finish it up tonight," he said.

Stimulus supporting a softer dollar?

Meanwhile, Credit markets were initially positive on the Federal Reserve news from overnight whereby the Central Bank has announced a broad set of initiatives designed to support the interest rate markets and businesses. The initiatives included open-ended purchases of treasury, agency and mortgage-backed securities, a new USD300bn fund to provide consumer and business credit flow, two facilities for large employers, support for the corporate bond market, Term Asset-Backed Security Loans to support consumer and business credit, and business lending programs to support SMEs.

The US dollar has stumbled in it northerly and higher bid trajectory on Monday and Tuesday, with a slightly less hectic FX market place. Deflationary pressures could be starting to be factored in by the markets, but the situation is highly fluid and trying to pick a top probably isn't the favoured trade at this time. However, the downside case for the dollar is compelling when considering the opened ended QE. 

Author

Ross J Burland

Ross J Burland, born in England, UK, is a sportsman at heart. He played Rugby and Judo for his county, Kent and the South East of England Rugby team.

More from Ross J Burland
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD risks a deeper drop below 1.1750

EUR/USD keeps its vacillating mood in place as the the NA session drwas to a close on Tuesday, hovering below the 1.1800 hurdle amid acceptable gains in the US Dollar. In the meantime, market participants and the FX galaxy are expected to closely follow President Trump’s SOTU speech around 2AM GMT.
 

GBP/USD regains 1.3500 and above

GBP/USD extends its advance for the third day in a row on Tuesday, this time retesting the area beyond the 1.3500 hurdle. Cable’s uptick comes despite decent gains in the Greenback and the dovish message from the BoE’s Bailey at the UK Parliament.

Gold appears offered around $5,150

Gold is giving back a good portion of the recent multi-day rally, receding to the $5,150 zone per troy ounce amid the decent bounce in the US Dollar and mixed US Treasuty yields. In the meantime, markets’ attention remain on upcoming comments from Fed speakers.

Australia CPI to highlight persistent price pressures, backing a hawkish outlook

Australia will release its key set of inflation figures for the month of January on Wednesday, with the Consumer Price Index expected to rise by 3.7%, slightly lower than the 3.8% in the last month of 2025.

The Citrini report: How a debatable AI narrative can shake Wall Street

That AI-related headline alone was enough to rattle investors.US stocks slid sharply on Monday after a widely circulated Citrini Research memo outlined a hypothetical “2028 Global Intelligence Crisis”, warning that rapid AI adoption could push US unemployment into double digits as early as by mid-2028.

XRP pressured by weak ETF flows and declining retail interest

Ripple (XRP) is edging lower, trading above its intraday low of $1.32 at the time of writing on Tuesday. The decline from its weekly opening of $1.39 reflects heightened volatility in the broader cryptocurrency market, accentuated by tariff-triggered uncertainty.