Currencies

Foreign exchange markets and global currency movements.

Coverage of currency markets including major pairs, central bank actions, interest-rate differentials, and geopolitical influences. This section highlights trends in FX markets that impact global trade, inflation, and cross-asset correlations.

Articles

743 total articles

Billions in FX Options Reach Wednesday Expiry Across Major Currency Pairs

Billions in FX Options Reach Wednesday Expiry Across Major Currency Pairs

Several large foreign-exchange option contracts totalling billions of dollars are scheduled to expire on Wednesday, concentrated across major pairs including EUR/USD, USD/JPY, USD/CAD and GBP/USD. The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation data show multiple strikes with substantial notional amounts, and further sizeable expiries are scheduled for…

Citi Links Yen Weakness to Robust Japanese Equity Gains

Citi Links Yen Weakness to Robust Japanese Equity Gains

Citi attributes recent selling of the yen to strong Japanese equity prices that prompt rebalancing and hedging flows from both domestic and foreign investors. The bank says only earlier monetary tightening by the Bank of Japan or direct yen purchases by the Ministry of Finance would halt the currency's decline, and it identifies ¥165 per dollar as …

Asian FX Mostly Muted as Dollar Holds Ahead of Fed Rate Cues

Asian FX Mostly Muted as Dollar Holds Ahead of Fed Rate Cues

Most Asian currencies traded in narrow ranges as the dollar steadied ahead of Federal Reserve minutes that could offer further guidance on U.S. interest rates. The Japanese yen showed modest strength after wages rose for a fifth consecutive month in May, yet it stayed near lows last seen four decades ago, keeping intervention risk in focus. Broader…

South African rand steadies as market focus turns to upcoming Fed minutes

South African rand steadies as market focus turns to upcoming Fed minutes

The South African rand was largely unchanged against the U.S. dollar on Monday as market participants awaited the Federal Reserve's minutes due later this week for additional signals on interest-rate policy. With limited domestic releases scheduled, the currency's moves reflected external developments, including remarks from Fed Chair Kevin Warsh a…

Bank of Israel Lowers Benchmark Rate to 3.50% as Shekel Strength Looms Large

Bank of Israel Lowers Benchmark Rate to 3.50% as Shekel Strength Looms Large

On Monday the Bank of Israel trimmed its benchmark interest rate to 3.50% from 3.75%, marking a second consecutive reduction and returning policy rates to levels not seen since late 2022. The move matched the median projection in a Bloomberg survey and reflected the central bank's assessment that a strong shekel and moderate inflation expectations …

Pound Pauses as Dollar Holds Firm Ahead of Fed Minutes

Pound Pauses as Dollar Holds Firm Ahead of Fed Minutes

Sterling traded close to flat on Monday while the euro weakened more notably, as traders positioned for Wednesday’s Federal Reserve minutes - the first under Chair Kevin Warsh. The dollar is drawing support from expectations of higher U.S. rates rather than any single economic release, and market attention is focused on whether the Fed’s minutes wi…

Eurozone Bond Yields Steady as Germany’s 10-Year Pulls Back from Two-Week Peak

Eurozone Bond Yields Steady as Germany’s 10-Year Pulls Back from Two-Week Peak

Eurozone government bond yields largely stabilized on Monday. Germany’s 10-year Bund retreated slightly from a two-week high, the 2-year note was unchanged, and markets showed caution ahead of U.S. Federal Reserve minutes and a string of European economic releases and central bank remarks. Falling Brent crude and softer-than-expected Eurozone infla…

Pound Strengthens as Dollar Falls on Soft U.S. Jobs Print

Pound Strengthens as Dollar Falls on Soft U.S. Jobs Print

Sterling and the euro rose on Friday after a weaker U.S. payrolls report sent the dollar lower. GBP/USD traded near $1.3360 and EUR/USD pushed to around $1.1455 as investors reassessed expectations for Federal Reserve tightening. Market participants are watching upcoming Fed commentary and a slate of U.S. economic releases ahead of the July 14 cons…

Germany’s 2-Year Yield Edges Up After Sharp Rally to Multi-Month Low

Germany’s 2-Year Yield Edges Up After Sharp Rally to Multi-Month Low

Germany's two-year government yield rose modestly to 2.51% after plunging to its lowest level since mid-April in a sharp rally. The broader bond market has stabilised following a pronounced slowdown in U.S. payroll growth, cooler-than-expected euro zone inflation for June and signs of reduced energy-driven inflationary pressure amid diplomatic prog…

Rand Firms After Weak U.S. Jobs Report; Oil Retreats on Strait of Hormuz Talks

Rand Firms After Weak U.S. Jobs Report; Oil Retreats on Strait of Hormuz Talks

The South African rand strengthened on Thursday after the U.S. dollar weakened following softer-than-expected U.S. employment data. Risk-sensitive assets gained as oil prices eased on reports of diplomatic progress over the Strait of Hormuz, while South Africa's main equity index rose.Market moves reflected a global reaction to U.S. macro data and …

Citi flags technical break in EUR/GBP as pair slips below 0.86

Citi flags technical break in EUR/GBP as pair slips below 0.86

Citi reports that EUR/GBP has fallen beneath the 0.86 threshold in a technical breakdown. The bank points to the absence of sustained overseas buying of UK gilts, as indicated by its Real Money flows, and warns that option skew may be shifting in favour of EUR/GBP puts. Citi views gilt flows as the primary determinant of the pair's direction and sa…

U.S. Restarts Some Dollar Air Shipments to Iraq, Iraqi Officials Say

U.S. Restarts Some Dollar Air Shipments to Iraq, Iraqi Officials Say

U.S. air shipments of physical U.S. dollars to Iraq have resumed, two aides to Iraq's prime minister told the New York Times. The move comes after Washington halted a roughly $500 million cash transfer in April and suspended portions of its security cooperation with Baghdad. Those suspensions remain in effect, and U.S. government departments did no…

Asian FX Edges Narrow as Dollar Holds Near 13-Month High; U.S. Payrolls Awaited

Asian FX Edges Narrow as Dollar Holds Near 13-Month High; U.S. Payrolls Awaited

Most Asian currencies traded with little movement as the dollar remained close to its strongest levels in over a year. Markets are focused on U.S. nonfarm payrolls for further guidance on monetary policy after hawkish comments from the Federal Reserve chair heightened expectations of at least one rate increase this year. Country-specific moves incl…

BofA closes EUR/GBP short but still sees room for sterling gains

BofA closes EUR/GBP short but still sees room for sterling gains

Bank of America has closed a short EUR/GBP position opened in May, taking a 0.60% euro gain as the pair approached the 0.86 area. The trade was implemented via a three-month zero-premium risk reversal and was closed because rising political uncertainty in the U.K. reduced the near-term risk/reward. Despite the exit, the bank retains a medium-term v…