Trading news

AUD/JPY firmed modestly on Wednesday, climbing around 0.4% as the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) hawkish stance continues to underpin the Australian Dollar (AUD) side of the cross.

The RBNZ held the OCR steady as markets widely expected on Wednesday, but the tone was the market mover.

The RBA minutes released on Tuesday reinforced the hawkish tone set by Governor Bullock's post-decision press conference, noting that private demand is growing faster than expected and capacity pressures are greater than previously assessed.

ING’s Julian Geib outlines how Artificial Intelligence is reshaping real‑economy sectors in 2026. Data centre construction is booming but faces power and cost constraints, with EU building activity expected to recover.

United States API Weekly Crude Oil Stock: -0.609M (February 13) vs previous 13.4M

BNY’s EMEA Macro Strategist Geoff Yu reports that Latin American sovereign debt positioning in global portfolios has climbed to multi-year highs, with combined holdings in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru now above 2023 peaks.

United States Total Net TIC Flows down to $44.9B in December from previous $212B

United States Net Long-Term TIC Flows down to $28B in December from previous $220.2B

The Australian monthly employment report is scheduled for release on Thursday at 00:30 GMT, and market participants anticipate a modest increase in jobs in January.

Commerzbank’s Volkmar Baur highlights that South Africa’s unemployment has fallen to 31.4%, the lowest since the pandemic, but remains structurally very high. Employment growth lags population gains, and the labour force has shrunk as more people stop job hunting.

European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde may step down from her job earlier than her planned retirement in October 2027, according to a report by the Financial Times.

ING’s Frantisek Taborsky notes the Hungarian Forint is testing new highs as EUR/HUF trades near two-year lows ahead of expected NBH rate cuts.

Standard Chartered’s Madhur Jha and Ethan Lester highlight that around 80% of global trade moves via sea routes, with Asia, and particularly China, increasingly dominant in port rankings and liner shipping connectivity.

Silver (XAG/USD) trades with a positive tone on Wednesday, snapping a two-day losing streak as dip buyers step in to cushion the downside. At the time of writing, XAG/USD is hovering around $77.50, up over 5.5% on the day.

BNY’s EMEA Macro Strategist Geoff Yu notes that FX risk appetite and carry trades have stayed resilient despite weaker global equities, with investors adding to overheld high-yielders such as MXN, BRL and PLN, and some low-yielding Asia-Pacific currencies.

United States 20-Year Bond Auction down to 4.664% from previous 4.846%

Rabobank analysts highlight new US-linked investment projects under Japan’s large trade framework, including LNG and Oil infrastructure, as evidence Washington can steer partner capital into US real assets rather than just stocks or bonds.

Gold bounced sharply on Wednesday after falling more than 2% in the previous session, as traders positioned ahead of the FOMC minutes later today.

AUD/USD declines and trades around 0.7060 on Wednesday at the time of writing, down 0.25% on the day, as investors remain cautious ahead of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) minutes due later in the day and Australia’s employment data scheduled for Thursday.

The Japanese Yen (JPY) weakens against the US Dollar (USD) on Wednesday, with USD/JPY climbing nearly 0.78% as renewed demand for the Greenback underpins the pair. At the time of writing, USD/JPY is trading around 154.48.