Currencies

Foreign exchange markets and global currency movements.

Coverage of currency markets including major pairs, central bank actions, interest-rate differentials, and geopolitical influences. This section highlights trends in FX markets that impact global trade, inflation, and cross-asset correlations.

Articles

311 total articles

BofA: Geopolitical Risks and Oil Support Dollar Heading into FOMC

BofA: Geopolitical Risks and Oil Support Dollar Heading into FOMC

Bank of America cautions that this week’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting is unlikely to materially change the dollar’s trajectory given the absence of anticipated policy moves. The bank says rising geopolitically-driven uncertainty and oil price pressure are the primary forces keeping the dollar supported, with currency moves likely to be he…

Rupee Slumps to Record Low as Oil Supply Fears Mount After Iran Incident

Rupee Slumps to Record Low as Oil Supply Fears Mount After Iran Incident

The Indian rupee sank to a fresh record low as investors reacted to higher crude prices and mounting worries about potential interruptions to oil and gas flows following Iran's effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The currency's decline reflects India's heavy reliance on imported energy and the prospect of higher import bills weighing on the…

Dollar Positioning Tightens as Investors Shift Toward Risk-Off Stance

Dollar Positioning Tightens as Investors Shift Toward Risk-Off Stance

A Bank of America FX and rates sentiment survey conducted March 6-11 among 39 global fund managers overseeing $632 billion shows a pronounced rebound in U.S. dollar positioning as geopolitical tensions and rising risk-off sentiment weigh on conviction across markets. Emerging market currencies have lost ground in both sentiment and positioning, whi…

Dollar Extends Rally as Iran Conflict Keeps Markets on Edge

Dollar Extends Rally as Iran Conflict Keeps Markets on Edge

The U.S. dollar maintained gains on Friday and is set for a second weekly increase since the onset of the Iran conflict, buoyed by safe-haven flows and the United States' status as a net energy exporter. The euro hovered near multi-month lows, the yen traded at levels that revive intervention concerns in Japan, and oil market disruptions prompted e…

Markets Appear to Overestimate Bank of England Hawkishness, ING Says

Markets Appear to Overestimate Bank of England Hawkishness, ING Says

ING warns that currency markets have become overly hawkish on Bank of England policy, with EUR/GBP closely tied to oil prices. Market pricing has driven two-year sterling swap rates up 50 basis points since the Iran-related conflict began, and ING says further sterling strength would be stretched unless traders start to price in a BoE rate rise. UB…

Asian Currencies Slip as Iran Conflict Pushes Oil Higher and Boosts Dollar

Asian Currencies Slip as Iran Conflict Pushes Oil Higher and Boosts Dollar

Asian currencies weakened broadly as ongoing hostilities involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran propelled oil prices higher and heightened concerns about energy-related economic disruptions. The dollar strengthened in Asian trading on safe-haven flows and growing bets on more persistent inflation, while upcoming U.S. PCE inflation data is in focus fo…

EUR/GBP Vulnerable to Upward Correction as Oil Slides Below $90

EUR/GBP Vulnerable to Upward Correction as Oil Slides Below $90

EUR/GBP has weakened roughly 1.5% since the onset of the Iranian conflict, driven by a hawkish repricing in sterling yields and the relative strength of equity markets. ING says the fall looks extended on short-term valuation measures and that oil trading under $90 could prompt a dovish reassessment of UK rate expectations, supporting a bounce in t…

Singapore dollar holds up as Asian currencies slide amid Iran-related tensions

Singapore dollar holds up as Asian currencies slide amid Iran-related tensions

Since the Iran conflict began, the Singapore dollar has depreciated far less versus the US dollar than the Asia-Pacific average, supported by Singapore's robust fiscal position and the Monetary Authority of Singapore's (MAS) emphasis on exchange-rate management to curb inflation. UBS strategists highlight the MAS's willingness to let the currency a…

Goldman Sachs Advises Short EUR/CHF as Inflation Hedge Linked to Oil Surge

Goldman Sachs Advises Short EUR/CHF as Inflation Hedge Linked to Oil Surge

Goldman Sachs recommends short positions in EUR/CHF as an effective hedge against inflation risks emanating from higher oil prices, citing the Swiss National Bank's hawkish stance and the franc's relative insulation versus other G10 currencies. The bank suggests options strategies to capture downside in EUR/CHF, while viewing USD/CHF as a less reli…

BofA Quant Models Point to Ongoing Dollar Strength

BofA Quant Models Point to Ongoing Dollar Strength

Bank of America’s quantitative models signal further U.S. dollar gains as option-market positioning, technical trend indicators and cross-asset regime analysis point to continued demand for the dollar as a relative safe haven. The bank also highlights the Canadian dollar as a notable opportunity while noting uneven investor conviction across time z…

Markets Reprice BoE Outlook as Oil Volatility Boosts Sterling

Markets Reprice BoE Outlook as Oil Volatility Boosts Sterling

The pound has strengthened after markets adjusted expectations for Bank of England policy in response to recent oil market volatility, according to ING. With UK inflation already above the BoE's 3% target and hawkish policymakers present at the central bank, sterling’s yield curve has seen significant repricing. The persistence of the energy shock …

Pound’s Unexpected Strength Defies Domestic Headwinds

Pound’s Unexpected Strength Defies Domestic Headwinds

The British pound has strengthened against the dollar over the past month despite domestic economic challenges, with Bank of America attributing the move to shifts in terms of trade, portfolio positioning and energy-sector flows rather than a sudden improvement in underlying fundamentals. Analysts note a break in the historical relationship between…

BofA Flags Yen Pressure From Elevated Oil and Divergent Policy Stance

BofA Flags Yen Pressure From Elevated Oil and Divergent Policy Stance

Bank of America warns that sustained high crude prices, combined with a divergence between the Bank of Japan's wait-and-see approach and the tightening tendencies of the Federal Reserve and some European central banks, is weighing on the Japanese yen. The research note highlights Japan's reliance on Middle Eastern crude, political pressure for stim…

UBS Advises Selling EUR/ZAR Upside as Rand Strength Persists

UBS Advises Selling EUR/ZAR Upside as Rand Strength Persists

UBS recommends selling upside exposure in the EUR/ZAR pair above 20.50 over a one-month horizon, citing heightened implied volatility and a set of supportive factors underpinning the South African rand. The bank notes the currency's resilience is driven by precious metal gains, favorable yield differentials, attractive valuation and structural refo…

BofA Sees Upside for EUR/NOK as Positioning and Rate Expectations Shift

BofA Sees Upside for EUR/NOK as Positioning and Rate Expectations Shift

Bank of America has recommended a tactical buy on the euro versus the Norwegian krone, citing crowded short positioning in the pair and a view that Norway's interest-rate outlook could shift. The bank's metrics show EUR/NOK short exposure is high based on a one-year volatility lookback, and its base case assumes no prolonged conflict involving Iran…

UBS Sees Buying Window in AUD/USD Following Risk-Driven Pullback

UBS Sees Buying Window in AUD/USD Following Risk-Driven Pullback

UBS has advised taking a long position in the Australian dollar versus the U.S. dollar at 0.6990, setting a profit target at 0.75 and a stop-loss at 0.68. The bank says the recent depreciation in AUD/USD - linked to heightened risk-aversion - creates an entry point. UBS points to widening short-term interest rate differentials between Australia and…

Dollar Climbs as Middle East Conflict Intensifies; Markets Eye U.S. Payrolls

Dollar Climbs as Middle East Conflict Intensifies; Markets Eye U.S. Payrolls

The U.S. dollar eased slightly on Friday but remained poised for its largest weekly advance since November 2024 as the widening conflict in the Middle East boosted demand for safe-haven assets. Traders pared some positions ahead of U.S. payrolls data due later in the session. Currency moves were also influenced by rising energy costs and regional e…