Forex News

BoE’s Breeden: The main financial stability concern is a step change in agentic AI's cyber capabilities BoE Breeden: AI agents could amplify volatility and stress in markets

Oil prices were mixed on Tuesday as energy market participants closely monitored the potential for fresh talks between the U.S. and Iran in Qatar. International benchmark Brent crude futures with August delivery were last seen down 0.1% at $73.13 per barrel, paring earlier losses. The contract is on track to end June roughly $20 lower, or 21% lower than the ...

QATAR SAYS NO HIGH-LEVEL US-IRAN MEETING SCHEDULED IN DOHA Qatar: US, Iran "technical meetings" have not stopped.

The ECB Forum on Central Banking – the Sintra Forum – is an annual event organised by the European Central Bank and is held in Sintra, Portugal. It brings together central bank governors, academics, financial market representatives, journalists and others to exchange views on current policy issues and discuss the Forum’s key topic from a longer-term ...

This currency pair finally broke down to make a new long-term low last week, but the recovery this week means that we do not yet know if this was a decisive breakdown. In the Forex market, breakouts are often not decisive, and trends can be unreliable and hard to find. Having said that, this is one of the currency pairs that has historically shown some ...

According to preliminary estimates, in June 2026 the Italian consumer price index for the whole nation (NIC) was null compared with the previous month and +3.0% on annual basis (down from +3.2% in the previous month). The slight slowdown in inflation reflects the price dynamics of Unprocessed food (from +5.5% to +4.5%), of Services related to recreation, ...

German unemployment dropped by 1,000 in June, marking the best June performance for the labour market since 2021. It looks as if the gradual worsening of the labour market has paused. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.3%. A pause, not a reversal Over the last four years, German unemployment has risen by some 500,000. This ...

BOJ'S SATO: NEED TO WATCH BOTH DOWNSIDE RISKS TO GROWTH AND UPSIDE RISKS TO INFLATION BOJ'S SATO: MARKETS BASICALLY SET LONG-TERM RATE LEVELS, WHICH FLUCTUATE REFLECTING OVERSEAS, DOMESTIC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS AS WELL AS OVERSEAS YIELD MOVES

ECB's Wunsch: We know inflation is to be above target for some quarters ECB's Wunsch: We might need another hike. ECB's Wunsch: A quick ECB move doesn't necessarily mean a July move

ECB's Nagel: Inflation may stay significantly above our target. ECB's Nagel: Energy shock is still in the system. ECB'S NAGEL: TOO EARLY TO MAKE CALL ON RATE HIKES ECB's Nagel: I'm not concerned about debt markets

In June, the KOF Economic Barometer increases by 2.6 points to a level of 101.2 (after revised 98.6 in the previous month). On the production side, the positive developments are particularly apparent among the indicators within manufacturing. On the demand side, both the indicator bundles for foreign demand as well as for private consumption show a ...

A new Citi Research report from a team led by Global Chief Economist Nathan Sheets looks at pressures on the world’s supply chains caused by the Middle East conflict. While the U.S.-Iran interim deal has eased some key headwinds for the global economy, it’s too early to say that risks and challenges are behind us. As we explore in our new Macro-to-Micro ...

Over the course of a year, according to the preliminary estimate made at the end of the month, consumer prices are projected to rise by 1.8% in June 2026, following a 2.4% increase in May. This slowdown in inflation is attributed to the sharp decline in energy prices, particularly petroleum products, which are nevertheless expected to remain significantly ...

In May 2026, household spending on goods rebounded month-on-month (+0.5% in volume* after -0.5% in April). Energy consumption rose again (+2.3% after -3.2%), consumption of manufactured goods slowed (+0.1% after +0.4%), while food consumption remained stable (after -0.2%). In May 2026, household energy expenditures rebounded (+2.3% after -3.2% in April). ...

* #ECB CHIEF ECONOMIST PHILIP LANE SPEAKS ON BLOOMBERG TELEVISION *LANE: OIL MARKET HAS MOVED QUITE A BIT SINCE LAST DECISION *LANE: LET'S SEE HOW LOWER OIL PERCOLATES ACROSS THE ECONOMY *LANE: THERE HASN'T BEEN FAST RETHINKING OF INVESTORS, CONSUMERS *LANE: INVESTORS,…

According to preliminary figures from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), retail sales in Germany rose by 1.1% in real terms (price-adjusted) and by 1.0% in nominal terms (not price-adjusted) in May 2026 compared to April 2026, after adjusting for calendar and seasonal effects. Compared to the same month of the previous year, May 2025, sales ...

Import prices were 6.8% higher in May 2026 than in May 2025. This was the largest year-on-year increase recorded since December 2022 (+9.6% on December 2021). Compared with the same month a year earlier, the rate of change was +5.3% in April 2026, and +2.3% in March 2026. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that import prices in May 2026 ...

UK real gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to have increased by an unrevised 0.6% in Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2026, following a revised growth of 0.1% in Quarter 4 (Oct to Dec) 2025. In output terms, growth in the latest quarter was caused by an increase in all three sectors, with the largest contribution from the services sector, which grew by 0.8%. ...

The underlying UK current account deficit, excluding precious metals, narrowed to £15.1 billion, or 1.9% of gross domestic product (GDP) in Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2026; this is a change of £3.2 billion compared with the deficit of £18.2 billion in the previous quarter. The UK current account deficit, including trade in precious metals, narrowed by £5.0 ...

The head of the European Central Bank defended its June 11 rate hike as justified to ward off real inflationary pressures and said it wasn’t just a mere “insurance hike.” ECB head Christine Lagarde said Monday that without the quarter percentage-point increase, inflation could have lingered above the bank’s 2% target into 2028. “Some have characterized our ...

This post was meant to be a deep dive into the inflation data. Mostly, it still is. But this morning, the Supreme Court ruled in Lisa Cook's favor, blocking her removal from the Fed over unproven allegations. So monetary policy stays guided by data, like inflation, employment, and in the hands of the Fed, not the President. The same day's events also ...

Private consumption across Asia remained subdued in 2025, reflecting soft real income growth, cautious household sentiment, and the lagged effects of earlier monetary tightening. Recent declines in oil prices are a welcome relief, easing pressure on household purchasing power and supporting sentiment. At the same time, strong equity market gains - most ...

CNBC's Frank Holland is joined by Jim Bullard, former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, to discuss the Supreme Court's ruling that President Trump does not have the authority to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook from the central bank for now as well as what may be next for monetary policy.

China’s manufacturing activity picked up faster than expected in June buoyed by strong demand for high-tech exports amid global AI boom. The official purchasing managers’ index edged up to 50.3 in June, beating economists’ forecast of 50.1, returning to the expansionary territory above the 50-point threshold. The index stood at 50 in May. The ...

The yen was pinned at levels not seen since 1986 on Tuesday, stoking worries that a direct intervention from Tokyo was around the corner, while the dollar backed away from 13-month highs ahead of jobs data that could influence the U.S. rate outlook. The yen weakened to 162.27 per dollar in early trading, a 40-year low, with focus turning to Tokyo's next ...

Members observed that financial conditions abroad had eased somewhat since the previous meeting, in response to progress towards resolving the conflict in the Middle East. Expectations for central bank policy rates had generally declined, oil prices had fallen significantly and equity prices had risen in many countries. Members acknowledged the indications of a potential resolution of the conflict but noted the ongoing uncertainty over the final outcome and the implications for energy markets. Even after the recent easing in financial conditions, policy interest rate expectations across many advanced economies remained higher than before the start of the conflict in the Middle East. Members noted that the European Central Bank and Norges Bank had both raised interest rates to contain the second-round effects of higher oil prices and address broader concerns about above-target inflation. The US Federal Reserve and Bank of England – both of which had been expected by financial market participants before the conflict to have lowered their policy rates by now – had decided to maintain their policy rates. Financial market participants expected both to lift these rates later in 2026. More generally, financial markets continued to expect that many advanced economy central banks would tighten monetary policy before the end of 2026 in response to above-target inflation and concerns about the inflationary effects of the conflict. Bond yields in many advanced economies, including Australia, had unwound some of their earlier increase since the previous meeting. These falls were in response to both lower oil prices and the flow of economic data. However, yields had risen in the United States and Japan, reflecting stronger economic data. Short-term inflation compensation measures had generally eased but remained higher than before the onset of the conflict in the Middle East. Longer term market expectations for inflation had remained generally stable and consistent with central banks’ targets. The Australian dollar had depreciated a little since the previous meeting, in line with a decline in yield differentials (particularly against the United States) and a modest fall in commodity prices. The trade-weighted exchange rate nevertheless had remained comparable to its level at the onset of the conflict and broadly consistent with its estimated long-run equilibrium level. RBA: ONGOING WEAK PRODUCTIVITY MAY HINDER PROGRESS IN BRINGING INFLATION BACK TO TARGET ... RBA: WILL TAKE NECESSARY STEPS TO ENSURE PRICE STABILITY, INCLUDING POTENTIAL RATE HIKES ... RBA: Interest rates must remain restrictive to bring down excess demand pressures in the economy. RBA: Recent data varied, indicates economy slowing broadly as anticipated

The table below presents a summary of the latest financial aggregates statistics. table All growth rates for the financial aggregates are seasonally adjusted, and adjusted for the effects of breaks in the series. Data for the levels of financial aggregates are not adjusted for series breaks, and growth rates should not be calculated from data on the ...

Business confidence jumped 27 points in June to +37. Expected own activity rose 11 points from 25.6 to also be +37. Most of the lift in both preceded the sharp fall in oil prices mid-month. Reported past activity fell from 14.8 to 9.0. • Inflation indicators were softer. Inflation expectations eased from 3.63% to 3.36%, cost expectations fell from 90 to 85, ...

Japan Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara: always ready to take necessary action on forex

A former senior Bank of Japan official has said the central bank's next interest rate increase is likely to come before December, pushing back against the consensus view among economists that the BOJ will hold until the final month of the year. Kenzo Yamamoto, a former BOJ executive, told Bloomberg that the case for an earlier move rests on an underlying ...