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Kiwi declines 2% following data

Economies.com
2023-05-12 19:41PM UTC

‏New Zealand dollar fell on Friday following data that bolstered the case for a pause in the central bank's monetary policies. 

 

New Zealand's inflation forecasts rose 2.79%, slowing down from the previous reading's 3.30%. 

 

On trading, the New Zealand dollar fell 1.7% against US counterpart to 0.6193 as of 20:38 GMT. 

 

Pound

 

Sterling fell 0.5% against dollar as of 20:39 GMT to 1.2450. 

 

Recent government data showed UK economy grew 0.1% in the first quarter of the year in line with expectations, while declining 0.3% in March as the services sector shrank. 

 

The Dollar

 

The dollar index rose 0.6% as of 18:59 GMT to 102.6, with a session-high at 102.7, and a low at 101.9.

 

CNBC sources said a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Congress leaders on the debt ceiling crisis was delayed to next week.

 

Such delay reflects the ongoing division between both sides as Republicans refuse an increase to the debt ceiling without spending cuts.

 

The White House has repeatedly warned from a catastrophic default crisis in upcoming months. 

Gold prices lose ground even as dollar strengthens

Economies.com
2023-05-12 18:11PM UTC

Gold prices stabilized on Friday as the dollar edged up against most major rivals, but the precious metal still received support from the US debt ceiling crisis.

 

Inflation Data

 

Recent government data showed US producer prices rose much slower than expected in April after a March contraction.

 

US producer prices rose only 0.2% in April in a monthly basis, below estimates of 0.3%. 

 

On a yearly basis, producer prices rose 2.3% last month, the slowest since early 2021, and below estimates of 2.5%. 

 

Core prices rose only 3.2% y/y, below estimates of 3.3%. 

 

Earlier data showed consumer prices rose 4.9% y/y in April, the lowest such level since April 2021. 

 

Debt Ceiling

 

CNBC sources said a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Congress leaders on the debt ceiling crisis was delayed to next week.

 

Such delay reflects the ongoing division between both sides as Republicans refuse an increase to the debt ceiling without spending cuts.

 

The White House has repeatedly warned from a catastrophic default crisis in upcoming months. 

 

Otherwise, the dollar index rose 0.6% as of 18:59 GMT to 102.6, with a session-high at 102.7, and a low at 101.9.

 

Gold spot prices fell 0.1% as of 19:00 GMT to $2,019.7 an ounce. 

Dollar scales two-week high on Fed remarks

Economies.com
2023-05-12 12:13PM UTC

Dollar rose in European trade on Friday for another session, scaling two-week high and on track for weekly gains following bullish remarks from Fed officials. 

 

Dollar was boosted on haven demand following new warnings from US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on the federal debt ceiling. 

 

The Index

 

The dollar index rose 0.2% to 102.24, the highest since May 2, after rising 0.6% yesterday, the third profit in four days and the largest since March 15. 

 

The dollar index is up 1% so far this week, on track for the first weekly profit in three days away from 13-month lows. 

 

Fed Remarks

 

Minneapolis Fed President Neil Kashkari said that US inflation remains much higher than the 2% target, while the labor sector maintains strength.

 

He said that an extended period of interest rate hikes and inverted yield curves could pressure banks even further, but might be necessary if inflation remained high.

 

Such remarks hit chances of a Fed rate cut in the second half of the year, making it more likely that interest rates will hold high through 2024.

 

Fed Rates

 

Such remarks maintained chances of a 0.25% rate hike by the Federal Reserve in June at 14%, while pricing for no change in policies stood at 86%. 

 

Yellen 

 

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen reiterated warnings that the government might be heading for a default due to a roadblock at Congress on raising the debt level.

 

She also noted the impact of such shenanigans on US national security and its standing worldwide.

Silver sharpens decline to five-week trough on industrial demand concerns

Economies.com
2023-05-12 11:34AM UTC

Silver prices declined in European trade for the third straight session, hitting five-week lows and on track for the largest weekly loss since October 2022 on concerns about industrial demand on the white metal.

 

Prices are also pressured by a stronger dollar following a spate of bullish remarks by Fed officials which hurt chances of a Fed rate cut this year. 

 

Silver Prices Today

 

Silver prices fell 1.8% to $23.74 an ounce, the lowest since April 3, with a session-high at $24.19 a barrel, after losing 4.8% yesterday, the second loss in a row, and the largest since February 2021. 

 

Weekly Trading

 

Silver prices are now down 7.5% so far this week, on track for the third weekly loss in a month, and the largest since October 2022.

 

Industrial Demand

 

Indices that track solar panels companies tumbled to seven-month lows as profits weaken, triggering concerns about demand on silver as these companies are among the highest consumers of silver in modern industries. 

 

Silver is a major component in solar panel manufacturing, with a large amount of silver used in such processes, amounting to 20 grams of silver to produce a single solar cell at one watt capacity. 

 

The amount of silver used depends of the type of solar cells and the technology involved, but overall the industry uses upwards of 150 tones of silver a year. 

 

Chinese Economy

 

Recent Beijing data showed consumer prices in China fell to two-year lows in April, while producer prices tumbled to three-year lows. 

 

Such disappointing data come as Chinese factories continue to suffer and reduce output, triggering concerns about performance in the second quarter of the year. 

 

The Dollar

 

The dollar index rose 0.1% today, maintaining gains for another session and almost surpassing one-week highs at 102.15 against a basket of major rivals. 

 

Minneapolis Fed President Neil Kashkari said that US inflation remains much higher than the 2% target, while the labor sector maintains strength.

 

He said that an extended period of interest rate hikes and inverted yield curves could pressure banks even further, but might be necessary if inflation remained high. 

 

Such remarks hit chances of a Fed rate cut in the second half of the year, making it more likely that interest rates will hold high through 2024. 

Frequently asked questions

What is the price of NZD/USD today?

The price of NZD/USD is $0.5950 (2025-07-15 18:45PM UTC)