Michael Patra appointed deputy governor of RBI for a three-year term
By Ritu, Capital Sands Michael Debabrata Patra, 59, has been appointed the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) deputy governor for three years. The post fell vacant after Viral Acharya resigned on July 23 last year. Patra, as executive director of the central bank, was the principal advisor to the Monetary Policy Department since July 2012. […]
Pound on Longest Losing Streak Since May on BOE Easing Talk
By Ritu, Capital Sands The pound extended its decline to the longest run in eight months as speculation of an imminent Bank of England interest-rate cut increased. Sterling fell as much as 0.3% against the dollar to $1.2955. Credit Agricole SA pointed out that more than half of the members of the bank’s Monetary Policy Committee are […]
Asian Markets Rise as U.S. Drops China’s Currency Manipulator Label
By Ritu, Capital Sands Asian stocks rose in morning trade on Tuesday after the U.S. dropped China’s currency manipulator label, saying that it has made “enforceable commitments” not to devalue the yuan. China’s Shanghai Composite inched up 0.1%, while the Shenzhen Component gained 0.3%. “China has made enforceable commitments to refrain from competitive devaluation, while promoting transparency and accountability. […]
Sterling Slips vs Dollar, Euro as Vlieghe Fuels Rate Hopes
By Ritu, Capital Sands The dollar opened the week stronger against the pound sterling and the Japanese yen, but weaker against the euro, with markets still unsettled by the weak labor market report on Friday. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies, was effectively unchanged at 97.130. However, that masked a 0.5% rise for […]
Economic Calendar – Top 5 Things to Watch This Week
By Ritu, Capital Sands U.S. and China to bury the trade hatchet Chinese Vice Premier Liu He will visit Washington to sign the Phase 1 trade deal with the U.S. on Wednesday, which will deescalate the trade war between the two sides. But no deadline has been set for the next phase of talks to begin […]
USD/JPY Technical Analysis: Weekly close beyond 109.70/75 will be a call to bulls
By Ritu, Capital Sands USD/JPY trades positive near the two-week high, on a five-day winning streak. Bullish engulfing on the weekly chart confronts 109.48/52 resistance confluence. 200-week SMA adds to the resistance. USD/JPY takes the bids to 109.55 during the initial trading session on Friday. In doing so, the pair registers a bullish candlestick formation on the […]
China’s Vice Premier Liu to sign U.S. trade deal in Washington next week
By Ritu, Capital Sands China’s Vice Premier Liu He, head of the country’s negotiation team in Sino-U.S. trade talks, will sign a “Phase 1” deal in Washington next week, the commerce ministry said on Thursday. Liu will visit Washington on Jan. 13-15, said Gao Feng, spokesman at the commerce ministry. Negotiating teams from both sides […]
Safe-haven currencies retreat as U.S., Iran seen defusing crisis
By Ritu, Capital Sands The Japanese yen and Swiss franc retreated on Thursday as the United States and Iran backed away from the brink of further conflict in the Middle East. U.S. President Donald Trump responded overnight to an Iranian attack on U.S. forces with sanctions, not violence. Iran offered no immediate signal it would […]
Oil Prices Up After Iran Attacks Two U.S.-Iraqi Airbases, Sparking More Conflicts
By Ritu, Capital Sands Oil prices jumped on Wednesday in Asia after Iran attacked two U.S.-Iraqi airbases in response to a U.S. airstrike that killed a top Iranian general last week, sparking worries of intensifying conflict in the Middle East. Overnight, the Pentagon said missile strikes were launched from Iran and targeted the Ayn al-Asad […]
Swiss franc holds gains, yen steady as traders eye Iran
By Ritu, Capital Sands The Swiss franc held gains against the dollar on Tuesday as traders sought save-havens amid heightened anxiety about potential Iranian retaliation to a U.S. drone strike that killed its most prominent military commander. The yen, another safe-haven currency, pulled back from a three-month high versus the dollar, but sentiment remains fragile […]