OCBC’s Sim Moh Siong and Christopher Wong expect the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to leave the Singapore Dollar (SGD) Nominal Effective Exchange Rate (S$NEER) policy unchanged at Monday’s meeting despite a modest rebound in core Consumer Price Index (CPI) to 1.6% year-on-year in June.
The EUR/JPY consolidates around 186.00, edges down by 0.06% amid a souring of risk appetite amid the escalation of the US-Iran war, and strengthens safe-haven assets like the Japanese Yen.
DBS Group Research economist Chua Han Teng argues that Malaysia’s financial markets reflect confidence in the country’s solid domestic fundamentals despite lingering Middle East geopolitical risks.
Commerzbank reports that South Korea’s advance Q2 GDP rose 0.6% quarter-on-quarter and 3.7% year-on-year, beating expectations. Robust AI-related semiconductor demand and resilient domestic spending underpin growth. The strong data support prospects of a further 25bp Bank of Korea hike in August.
The upcoming week will be dominated by monetary policy decisions from the Federal Reserve (Fed), Bank of England (BoE) and Bank of Japan (BoJ).
The New Zealand Dollar gains over 0.30% against the US Dollar on Friday. The pair is poised to test key resistance levels with the 50-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) at 0.5793, slightly below the 0.5800 figure.
OCBC’s Sim Moh Siong and Christopher Wong note that the Thai Baht (THB) is trading near its weakest level in more than a year against the US Dollar (USD), as volatile oil prices, a firmer USD and higher US yields weigh on the currency.
EUR/USD trades lower near the 1.1370 area on Friday, struggling despite stronger-than-expected Eurozone business-activity figures. The US Dollar Index (DXY) remains firmer near 101.50, offering limited support to the pair.
Gold price (XAU/USD) drifts higher on Friday as the Greenback stands firm, even as growing speculation that the US-Iran war may last longer than expected could, in the end, hurt the prospects of the yellow metal. The XAU/USD trades at $4,065, up 0.38%.
UOB Global Economics & Markets Research notes that Bank Indonesia kept its policy rate at 5.75%, opting to let earlier tightening filter through.
Silver (XAG/USD) edges higher on Friday as a pullback in Oil prices pushes US Treasury yields lower, while the US Dollar (USD) fluctuates near recent highs. At the time of writing, XAG/USD trades around $58.60, up 2.40% on the day.
The index that spent this week absorbing a war premium trades near 52,000 on Friday, around 325 points to the good side, on the strength of a wire report that its own three sources undercut in the same breath.
MUFG’s Lloyd Chan expects MAS to keep policy unchanged at the July meeting while maintaining a tightening bias, distinguishing between energy-driven and domestically generated inflation. Strong Singapore growth and a positive output gap justify tight settings.
Commerzbank’s Marco Stoeckle argues that the AI trade is at a crossroads, with ‘Mag 7’ euphoria fading and hyperscalers facing cash flow and leverage concerns. In contrast, semiconductor and memory stocks, tracked by SOX and KOSPI, saw hyperbolic gains before sharp drawdowns.
Scotiabank strategists Shaun Osborne and Eric Theoret say broad US Dollar (USD) gains are moderating as United States (US) yields retreat and risk appetite improves after a tech-led selloff.
Rabobank's Senior FX Strategist Jane Foley describes EUR/USD as wary after the July European Central Bank (ECB) meeting. Foley notes that the Euro (EUR) failed to gain support despite a hawkish ECB tone, while the Dollar benefits from safe haven demand and Federal Reserve (Fed) expectations.
The Pound Sterling advances by some 0.20% on Friday as Oil prices tumble, weighing on the US Dollar, while the US-Iran conflict signals a further escalation, which market participants ignored. Despite registering daily gains, the GBP/USD is poised to finish the week with losses of nearly 0.70%.
BNY’s Geoff Yu notes that Brent has retreated slightly below $100 but remains supported by renewed Middle East tensions, Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz disruptions, and Kazakhstan’s export halt. Institutional flows show high-conviction re-accumulation of energy exposure from a still-depleted base.
USD/CHF trades flat on Friday as a pullback in Oil prices weighs modestly on the US Dollar (USD) and US Treasury yields. However, the Middle East war and hawkish Federal Reserve (Fed) expectations keep an underlying floor under the Greenback.
Scotiabank strategists Shaun Osborne and Eric Theoret report the British Pound (GBP) is slightly higher versus the US Dollar (USD) but lagging most G10 peers.
USD/JPY edges lower on Friday, trading around 163.70, down 0.09% on the day at the time of writing, after hitting a fresh near 40-year high on Thursday.
Pakistan and Iran are exploring a possible path toward renewed negotiations with the United States (US) as part of a new diplomatic initiative supported by China, Reuters reported, citing several sources familiar with the discussions.
Lloyd Chan at MUFG highlights that Singapore’s June inflation data stayed benign, with modest upticks in headline and core CPI. MAS is expected to keep policy unchanged in July but retain a tightening bias.
TD Securities notes that the UK Composite PMI climbed back into expansion at 52.1 in July, led by Manufacturing strength and a Services PMI recovery to 51.8. Input cost inflation eased and business confidence hit its highest since February.
AUD/USD trades higher near the 0.6990 area on Friday, recovering from an earlier pullback as the US Dollar (USD) struggles to gain clear momentum following mixed United States (US) business-activity data.
Scotiabank strategists Shaun Osborne and Eric Theoret note the Japanese Yen (JPY) is slightly firmer versus the US Dollar (USD) but still underperforming most G10 currencies. USD/JPY trades near levels last seen in 1986, with limited resistance overhead.
MUFG’s Derek Halpenny highlights that rising US and global bond yields, elevated geopolitical risks and higher energy prices are supporting the US Dollar.
Brown Brothers Harriman’s (BBH) Elias Haddad reports that EUR/USD has recovered part of its recent slump but remains below 1.1400. A stronger-than-expected Eurozone July PMI and a hawkish hold from the ECB support the Euro, though higher Oil prices keep growth risks skewed lower.
EUR/USD pares earlier gains on Friday as the widening Middle East war and hawkish Federal Reserve (Fed) expectations keep the US Dollar (USD) pinned near recent highs.
USD/CAD trades around 1.4095 on Friday at the time of writing, up a modest 0.06% as the US Dollar (USD) retains a slight advantage following the release of solid US economic data, while the Canadian Dollar (CAD) remains pressured by weak domestic indicators and softer Oil prices.
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