Trade Reviews

Professional and technical analysis on products and past trades

UK industrial activity strengthens beyond expectations; GBP/USD climbs

Strong UK industrial production figures surpassed forecasts, boosting GBP/USD to $1.3520. However, persistent inflation and mixed economic indicators highlight uncertainty surrounding future Bank of England monetary policy decisions.

Week ahead: Inflation, central banks and the yen could set the tone for global markets

This week left investors with fewer easy answers. The ECB tightened policy again as energy prices complicated Europe's inflation outlook. U.S. inflation refused to cool cleanly enough for the Fed to relax. Treasury yields climbed even after Washington expanded bond buybacks, while the yen staged one of its strongest rallies in months.

Euro falls despite ECB's hawkish policy stance

The European Central Bank (ECB) raised interest rates to 2.65% amid inflationary risks stemming from the Middle East. However, the euro fell against the US dollar as rising US Treasury yields and expectations of Federal Reserve rate hikes favoured the greenback.

USD/JPY outlook: Yen is strengthening as BoJ rate hike expectations rise

The yen is strengthening again, but this time the market has more than intervention to trade. Expectations of another Bank of Japan rate hike are giving the currency a fundamental reason to stay stronger. After touching a 40-year low near 164 in late July, the USD/JPY plummeted to a 7-month low near 153.

Brent crude surges above $100 as US-Iran tensions intensify

Brent crude has surged past $100 per barrel as military escalation between the US and Iran, alongside disruptions to Middle Eastern maritime corridors, has renewed concerns over global energy supply risks.

U.S.-Venezuela oil deal reshapes supply as Iran keeps WTI near $95

The U.S. has secured a major position in Venezuela's oil sector, with Washington gaining a 35% stake in NABEP, guaranteed access to 20% of its production at cost and first-refusal rights over the rest. The agreement covers more than 65 billion barrels of proven reserves across 17 fields.

Copper reaches new all-time high amid growing AI industry expansion

Copper futures have reached an all-time high of $6.82 per pound, underpinned by surging demand from artificial intelligence data centres and escalating supply-chain concerns linked to prospective US trade tariffs.

Euro falls amid a sharp slowdown in Eurozone retail sales

The Euro fell to $1.1613 as Eurozone retail sales growth slowed sharply to 0.6% year-on-year (YoY) in July. Concurrently, heightened expectations of a restrictive monetary policy stance by the US Federal Reserve further reinforced the currency’s depreciation.

Week Ahead: Inflation takes center stage again

This week brought a sharper shift in expectations for the ECB, RBNZ and BOJ, while the renewed U.S.-Iran fighting pushed oil back above $90 and kept inflation risks alive. Next week, the focus moves to the ECB meeting, U.S. PPI and CPI, and UK GDP. These releases will matter less for the headline numbers than for what they mean for the next move in interest rates.

GBP/USD rises following accelerating UK services PMI

The GBP/USD pair rose to $1.3525 after the UK Services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) expanded to 52.5 in August, supported by growth in service output and reduced expectations of an interest rate hike by the US Federal Reserve.