New Zealand treasury revises peak jobless rate forecast at 9%

Omkar Godbole FXStreet Contributor

New Zealand's treasury now sees the unemployment rate peaking at 9% versus the previous forecast of 10%.

Some private economists, however, think the jobless rate would rise to 10% this year due to the coronavirus-induced economic slowdown. More than 45,000 people have registered for an unemployment benefit since March 20, according to stuff.co.nz

Treasury's revised peak unemployment forecast has so far failed to move the needle on NZD/USD. The pair is currently trading largely unchanged on the day near 0.6425.

Author

Omkar Godbole

FXStreet Contributor

Omkar Godbole, editor and analyst, joined FXStreet after four years as a research analyst at several Indian brokerage companies.

EUR/USD tumbles below 1.1800 as Middle East turmoil drives US Dollar demand

The EUR/USD pair falls to near 1.1770 during the early Asian session on Monday, pressured by a renewed US Dollar demand. The Greenback gathers strength against the Euro as the conflict across the Middle East is heightening traders' anxiety, boosting the safe-haven currencies.

GBP/USD trims losses, retests 1.3460

After briefly challenging its key 200-day SMA near 1.3440, GBP/USD now manages to regain some balance and revisit the 1.3460 zone on Friday. Cable’s pullback comes as the selling pressure on the Greenback gathers traction, reigniting some recovery in the risk-linked space.

Gold jumps over 2% toward $5,400 after US, Israel attack Iran

Gold is on fire at the start of the week, a widely expected move, as investors seek harbor in the traditional store of value, following the continued US and Israel attacks on Iran. The bright metal opened with a bullish gap of about $17 and rallied toward the $5,400 level as Asian traders hit their desks and reacted negatively to the weekend news of the Middle East conflict, rushing for cover in Gold.

Iran escalation: Quick thoughts on markets

Markets are likely to open the week with risk-off, with declines led by airlines, cyclicals and trade-exposed names, while energy, defense and “strategic” sectors may be relatively steadier.

Oil at a critical breakpoint: Will geopolitics trigger the next major move?

The week ahead blends two powerful forces: moderating economic momentum and increasing geopolitical tension. While US and Eurozone data suggest steady but unspectacular growth, rising friction between the US and Iran is injecting a fresh risk premium into energy markets.

Starknet unveils strkBTC, shielded Bitcoin transactions on Ethereum Layer 2

Starknet, the Ethereum Layer 2 network developed by StarkWare, today announced strkBTC, a wrapped Bitcoin asset that introduces optional shielding while preserving full DeFi composability.