Market News

Asian shares advanced on Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve expressed optimism about the economy, virtually cementing the case for a year-end rate hike.

The Greenback mostly shrugged off the FOMC statement as the central bank kept rates on hold as expected. Dollar traders appear more interested in the announcement of the tax plan and next Fed Chair head.

Oil rose to its highest since mid-2015 on Wednesday as data showed OPEC has significantly improved compliance with its pledged supply cuts and Russia is also widely expected to keep to the deal.

The dollar climbed on Wednesday, nearing a 3 1/2-month high against the yen, as investors focused on a policy decision from the U.S. Federal Reserve later in the day as well as any progress on President Donald Trump’s tax reform plans.

Sterling jumped to a 4-1/2 month high against the euro on Wednesday after British manufacturers reported robust growth for October.

Upbeat earnings reports helped drive global stock markets to record highs on Wednesday, as investors turned their focus to a U.S. Federal Reserve meeting.

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives will delay the release of long-awaited tax legislation by one day until Thursday.

The Loonie took hits across the board when Canada’s monthly GDP reading came in the red while pound traders seem excited to have their positions ready for a BOE hike.

Canada is at a “crucial” spot in the economic cycle and faces a number of significant uncertainties, Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz said on Tuesday.

Catalonia’s ousted leader Carles Puigdemont agreed on Tuesday to a snap election called by Spain’s central government when it took control of the region to stop it breaking away.

Oil prices settled higher again on Tuesday, notching a monthly gain of more than 5 percent, but analysts warned that bullish sentiment could boost export levels.

Swiss prosecutors are seeking a court ruling that would make it easier to convict whistleblowers for breaking the country’s bank secrecy law wherever they are in the world, legal documents show.

European shares were at a 5 1/2-month high and Italian bonds were set for their best month in over two years on Thursday, before the release of data expected to underscore the robust improvement in the euro zone’s economy.

Gold prices were largely unchanged on Tuesday after the Bank of Japan kept its monetary policy steady, with investors shifting their attention to other central bank meetings and economic events due this week.

Asian session trading mostly took cues from the previous session’s risk aversion but Kiwi took a harder hit on another bearish FinMin remark.

China and Hong Kong stocks eased on Tuesday morning, with investor risk appetite curbed by a sharper-than-expected slowdown in China’s factory activity as well as weakness on Wall Street.

Large players trimmed their net bearish positions on USD even further. And the latest COT report reveals that USD took ground from ALL its peers, but the yen was particularly vulnerable.

The dollar set a one-week low against the yen on Tuesday as investors turned cautious after U.S. President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager was charged with money laundering in the federal probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

The Greenback took hits today thanks to a combination of profit-taking and risk aversion due to Trump’s Fed Chair pick and Mueller’s investigations.

New Zealand’s trade minister said on Tuesday that it may be too late to make significant changes to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) after his new Labour-led government said last week it would seek to renegotiate the agreement.