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Euro flatlines near 1.1450 amid renewed Hormuz hostilities
The EUR/USD pair holds steady around 1.1445 during the early Asian session on Friday. Traders continue to digest the developments surrounding the Middle East conflicts. The preliminary reading of the Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index for July will be published later on Friday.Â
Iran tells Houthis to close Red Sea oil route if US hits power network — Reuters
Iran has asked Yemen’s Houthi militia to stand ready to close the Red Sea oil route if the United States (US) strikes Iranian power infrastructure, posing a potent new threat to global energy supplies, Reuters reported on Thursday.
Gold tumbles to eight-month low below $4,000 as Middle East tensions reinforce US rate hike bets
Gold price (XAU/USD) falls to near an eight-month low around $3,975 during the early Asian session on Friday. The precious metal extends its downside as rising tensions in the Middle East raise inflation concerns and reinforce expectations of elevated US interest rates.
Fed’s Jefferson: Current policy is well positioned to respond, based on incoming data
Federal Reserve (Fed) Vice Chair Philip Jefferson said that the current policy stance should support the job market and allow inflation to resume decline toward 2% as tariff effects and energy prices pass through, Reuters reported on Thursday.
South Korean Won: BoK hike and semiconductor volatility – BNY
BNY’s Geoff Yu highlights a hawkish 25bp hike by the Bank of Korea (BoK) to 2.75%, with guidance that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and core inflation will exceed earlier forecasts.
The Japanese Yen is boxed between a floor it hates and a ceiling nobody trusts
Dollar-Yen has spent the week doing almost nothing at the most dramatic level in four decades.
Crude Oil watches the region catch fire and still cannot clear its ceiling
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Crude Oil is fading about one percent to just below $79.00 after a third consecutive failure at the $80.00 handle, where the 50-day Exponential Moving Average sits just above the figure and refuses to yield.
The Australian Dollar stalls exactly where everybody said it would
The Australian Dollar is going nowhere with great precision, with AUD/USD flat on the session and pinned to the 0.7000 handle for a fourth consecutive day.
The British Pound Sterling gets a new Prime Minister and an old problem
Sterling is enduring its heaviest session of the month, with GBP/USD fading around half of one percent to just below 1.3500 after the week's advance stalled short of 1.3550 for a second consecutive day.
GBP/JPY Price Forecast: Retreats from 18-year high, struggles at 220
The GBP/JPY retreats some 0.34% on Thursday after the pair reached a new 18-year high of 219.62 on Wednesday. Nevertheless, at the time of writing, the cross-pair retreated to 218.80, down 0.34%, as the Yen recovers some ground.
Chinese Yuan: Upside bias toward 6.7600 against US Dollar – UOB
United Overseas Bank’s (UOB) Quek Ser Leang and Lee Sue Ann highlight that USD/CNH downside momentum continues to build after the pair slipped to 6.7653. Intraday, there is a chance of testing major support at 6.7600 while staying below 6.7780.
South Korean Won: Hawkish BoK and equity correction support – BBH
Brown Brothers Harriman’s (BBH) Elias Haddad notes the Korean Won (KRW) is outperforming, supported by a hawkish 25 bps Bank of Korea (BoK) hike to 2.75% and expectations that growth and core inflation will exceed 2026 projections.
Thai Baht: Overvaluation points to weakness against US Dollar - MUFG
MUFG’s Lloyd Chan notes that softer US inflation data has weakened the Dollar and lowered Fed rate hike expectations, but USD/THB has still broken above 33.50.