SNB to keep rates on hold this Thursday – Reuters poll

Dhwani Mehta FXStreet

According to the latest Reuters poll of 40 economists, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) is expected leave the benchmark interest rates unchanged when it announces its quarterly monetary policy assessment on Thursday.

Key Findings:

40 said the SNB will keep rates on hold.

SNB would stick with a target range of minus 1.25 percent to minus 0.25 percent for the three months London Interbank Offered Rate, as it has for the last three-and-a-half years.

A negative interest rate of 0.75 percent on sight deposits held by commercial banks over a certain value - one of the tools used by the SNB to stem demand for the franc - is also expected to be retained.

Earliest change to the LIBOR target range was expected to come towards the end of this year, the view of UBS, while the median consensus was for the tail end of 2019.

Author

Dhwani Mehta

FXStreet

Residing in Mumbai (India), Dhwani is a Senior Analyst and Manager of the Asian session at FXStreet. She has over 10 years of experience in analyzing and covering the global financial markets, with specialization in Forex and commodities markets.

EUR/USD keeps the rangebound trade near 1.1850

EUR/USD is still under pressure, drifting back towards the 1.1850 area as Monday’s session draws to a close. The modest decline in spot comes as the US Dollar picks up a bit of support, while thin liquidity and muted volatility, thanks to the US market holiday, are exaggerating price swings and keeping trading conditions choppy.

GBP/USD trades with negative bias, eyes 1.3600 ahead of UK jobs data

The GBP/USD pair trades with a negative bias for the second straight day, though it lacks bearish conviction and holds above the 1.3600 mark through the Asian session on Tuesday. Traders now look forward to the release of the UK monthly jobs report, which will influence the British Pound and provide some impetus to the currency pair.

Gold sticks to a negative bias below $5,000; lacks bearish conviction

Gold remains depressed for the second consecutive day and trades below the $5,000 psychological mark during the Asian session on Tuesday, as a positive risk tone is seen undermining safe-haven assets. Meanwhile, bets for more interest rate cuts by the Fed keep a lid on the recent US Dollar bounce and act as a tailwind for the non-yielding bullion, warranting caution for bearish traders ahead of FOMC minutes on Wednesday.

AI Crypto Update: Bittensor eyes breakout as AI tokens falter

The artificial intelligence (AI) cryptocurrency segment is witnessing heightened volatility, with top tokens such as Near Protocol (NEAR) struggling to gain traction amid the persistent decline in January and February.

US CPI is cooling but what about inflation?

The January CPI data give the impression that the Federal Reserve is finally winning the war against inflation. Not only was the data cooler than expected, but it’s also beginning to edge close to the mystical 2 percent target. CBS News called it “the best inflation news we've had in months.”

XRP steadies in narrow range as fund inflows, futures interest rise

Ripple is trading in a narrow range between $1.45 (immediate support) and $1.50 (resistance) at the time of writing on Monday. The remittance token extended its recovery last week, peaking at $1.67 on Sunday from the weekly open at $1.43.