Forex Today: Markets digest Japan election shock and await key US data
Here is what you need to know on Tuesday, February 10:
Japanese stocks surged to record highs on Monday, as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) basked in a historic election victory. The LDP secured 316 out of 465 seats in Sunday's election, the first time a single party has won a two-thirds lower house majority since Japan's parliament was established in its current form in 1947.
The Japan Innovation Party, the LDP's coalition partner, won in 36 more constituencies, taking its combined total to 352 seats.
The US Dollar Index (DXY) declines and is trading near the 96.9 level as investors adopt caution ahead of the release of key economic data delayed by the partial government shutdown. The United States (US) will publish the January Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report on Wednesday, followed by Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures on Friday.
US Dollar Price Today
The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies today. US Dollar was the strongest against the British Pound.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | -0.79% | -0.51% | -0.76% | -0.65% | -1.06% | -0.60% | -1.13% | |
| EUR | 0.79% | 0.27% | 0.02% | 0.13% | -0.27% | 0.18% | -0.35% | |
| GBP | 0.51% | -0.27% | -0.26% | -0.18% | -0.55% | -0.11% | -0.62% | |
| JPY | 0.76% | -0.02% | 0.26% | 0.09% | -0.30% | 0.17% | -0.39% | |
| CAD | 0.65% | -0.13% | 0.18% | -0.09% | -0.40% | 0.07% | -0.47% | |
| AUD | 1.06% | 0.27% | 0.55% | 0.30% | 0.40% | 0.46% | -0.07% | |
| NZD | 0.60% | -0.18% | 0.11% | -0.17% | -0.07% | -0.46% | -0.54% | |
| CHF | 1.13% | 0.35% | 0.62% | 0.39% | 0.47% | 0.07% | 0.54% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the US Dollar from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the Japanese Yen, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent USD (base)/JPY (quote).
USD/JPY falls to near the 155.80 price region, trimming back all its last week's gains after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s landslide victory in the General Elections held on Sunday.
GBP/USD rises and trades near the 1.3680 level. Markets eye the United Kingdom (UK) flash Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to be released on Thursday.
USD/CAD is trading near the 1.3560 price zone, nearing a two-week low with no Canadian data on the horizon.
Gold is trading near the $5,064 price region, surging by over 2% in the day.
What’s next in the docket:
Tuesday 10:
- US December Retail Sales.
Wednesday 11:
- China January Consumer Price Index (CPI).
- US Nonfarm Payrolls.
Thursday 12:
- UK flash Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Q4).
Friday 13:
- RBNZ Inflation Expectations (Q1).
- Swiss January CPI.
- Eurozone flash GDP (Q4).
- US January CPI.
Gold FAQs
Gold has played a key role in human’s history as it has been widely used as a store of value and medium of exchange. Currently, apart from its shine and usage for jewelry, the precious metal is widely seen as a safe-haven asset, meaning that it is considered a good investment during turbulent times. Gold is also widely seen as a hedge against inflation and against depreciating currencies as it doesn’t rely on any specific issuer or government.
Central banks are the biggest Gold holders. In their aim to support their currencies in turbulent times, central banks tend to diversify their reserves and buy Gold to improve the perceived strength of the economy and the currency. High Gold reserves can be a source of trust for a country’s solvency. Central banks added 1,136 tonnes of Gold worth around $70 billion to their reserves in 2022, according to data from the World Gold Council. This is the highest yearly purchase since records began. Central banks from emerging economies such as China, India and Turkey are quickly increasing their Gold reserves.
Gold has an inverse correlation with the US Dollar and US Treasuries, which are both major reserve and safe-haven assets. When the Dollar depreciates, Gold tends to rise, enabling investors and central banks to diversify their assets in turbulent times. Gold is also inversely correlated with risk assets. A rally in the stock market tends to weaken Gold price, while sell-offs in riskier markets tend to favor the precious metal.
The price can move due to a wide range of factors. Geopolitical instability or fears of a deep recession can quickly make Gold price escalate due to its safe-haven status. As a yield-less asset, Gold tends to rise with lower interest rates, while higher cost of money usually weighs down on the yellow metal. Still, most moves depend on how the US Dollar (USD) behaves as the asset is priced in dollars (XAU/USD). A strong Dollar tends to keep the price of Gold controlled, whereas a weaker Dollar is likely to push Gold prices up.
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