September 7. Macroeconomic events of the day | September 7​​​​​​​

The US stock market is declining on Wednesday after the end of the Labor Day holiday weekend. Investors are waiting for new economic data and comments from representatives of the US Federal Reserve System this week.

The next Fed meeting will take place only at the end of the month, but some Fed officials are expected to speak this week, including Jerome Powell. The Fed's Beige Book (economic summaries of regional banks) will be published today.

Market participants expect that the US regulator will continue to raise the rate by another 0.75 percentage points to combat high inflation.

What should I pay attention to today:

The Fed's beige book.

The periodic report of 12 regional banks of the Federal Reserve will give an idea of what is happening in manufacturing, services and other business sectors, as well as consumer behavior. The beige book will be published at 18:00 GMT.

The decision of the Bank of Canada on the rate

Another interesting event of the day will be the meeting of the Board of the Bank of Canada. The regulator is expected to raise the refinancing rate from 2.5% to 3.25%. Such a sharp increase could lead to a steady increase in the Canadian dollar.

Eurozone GDP

Gross domestic product in the eurozone increased by 0.8% in the second quarter of 2022, which exceeded the growth of 0.6% according to the second estimate and was the highest growth rate in three quarters. Despite the current growth, the energy crisis in Europe continues to cause alarm, as the region is cut off from a key natural gas pipeline just a few weeks before the onset of cold weather.

September 8. Truss will freeze gas and electricity bills for two years​​​​​​​

The new British Prime Minister Liz Truss has revealed the details of her energy plan: from October 1 and for two years, energy prices will be frozen. Now the average annual gas and electricity bill will not exceed 2,500 pounds.

The envisaged measures will cost the UK budget about 150 billion pounds ($172 billion). At the same time, Trass has not yet announced exactly how this assistance program will be funded.

Given that the new Prime Minister is actively in favor of reducing taxes on the population and has repeatedly spoken out against the introduction of a tax on excess profits of companies, it can be assumed that covering the difference between real energy prices and the amount that will be charged to citizens will be at the expense of government loans. In the future, they will be paid over the next 10-20 years by adding to consumers' energy bills.

According to Truss, the new measures will save each household a thousand pounds. The country already has support measures in the form of a discount on energy bills in the amount of 400 pounds this winter, which was announced under the previous British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

September 9. The London Stock Exchange stopped trading after the death of Elizabeth II

Last night, the London Stock Exchange stopped trading after the news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II appeared. Trading should recover on September 9. In addition, the country's parliament, the government, as well as the legislative bodies of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have also suspended their work. 

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain has died at the age of 96, according to Buckingham Palace. Elizabeth became Queen in 1952, and this year she celebrated the 70th anniversary of her reign, the longest in the history of the country.

The new king of the country was the son of Elizabeth II, 74-year-old Prince Charles. The new British monarch will rule under the name Charles III.

The Bank of England announced that banknotes with the image of Elizabeth II will remain legal tender.

The British pound reacted to the news of the Queen's death by rising to the level of 1.1609. A little earlier, on the news about the deterioration of the Queen's physical condition, the British FTSE 100 index also started to grow, to the level of 7,382.60.

September 12. Economic events of the day | Great Britain

Monday started with a block of data from the UK – on the country's GDP and industrial production.

According to the country's national bureau of Statistics, the British economy grew by 0.2% in July, while analysts had forecast growth of 0.4%. It is noted that such a decrease was the result of a reduction in energy generation as a result of tariff increases in the country. In June, the UK economy shrank by 0.6%.

The volume of industrial production in July decreased by 0.3% compared to June. Analysts believed that the indicator would increase by 0.4%. In annual terms, industrial production increased by 1.1%, while experts expected an increase of 1.9%.

In June, industrial production decreased by 0.9% on a monthly basis, and increased by 2.4% on an annual basis.

In August, the Bank of England predicted that a recession would begin in the British economy at the end of this year, which would last until the beginning of 2024. Last week, the new Prime Minister of Great Britain, Liz Truss, announced a massive program of support for the population, promising to limit electricity and heating tariffs. It is reported that this program will cost the country's budget 100 billion pounds or more, which will further worsen its condition.

September 14. Oil declines on U.S. inventory data​​​​​​​

World oil prices are declining on Wednesday morning amid a significant increase in its reserves in the United States.

According to the American Petroleum Institute (API), commercial oil reserves in the country unexpectedly jumped by 6 million barrels. At the same time, analysts expected a decrease of 200 thousand.

The publication of the IEA report and statistics from the Ministry of Energy of the country is expected this evening. If the official report confirms the growth of reserves, oil quotes will continue their decline.

On Wednesday morning, Brent quotes are near the level of $92.50 per barrel, having declined from the area of $93.80. The cost of North American WTI oil hovers at $87 per barrel.

In addition to the data on reserves, the upcoming speech by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who is going to present a number of proposals to contain the oil crisis in her speech to the European Parliament, may have an impact on the dynamics of the market.

September 15. Ethereum has completed a long-awaited upgrade to its system​​​​​​​

Ethereum has completed an important long-awaited upgrade to its system – The Merge. It involves the transition of the altcoin from the Proof-of-Work protocol to Proof-of-Stake (PoS). This means that now the security of the blockchain will be provided not by miners, but by validators – users who have deposited and blocked their share of coins (stacking).

The main purpose of the update is to reduce the problems associated with the growth of the users number. The hard fork is aimed at increasing the speed, efficiency and scalability of the cryptocurrency network so that it can process more transactions and provide a higher level of protection.

The Merge has been in preparation for six years, and many consider it an important milestone in the history of cryptocurrency due to the potential material and ideological consequences. The update should show that a decentralized and public network can work in the most energy efficient way.

In addition, the transition to a new environmentally friendly Proof-of-Stake model will lead to a reduction in the impact on the environment. The new protocol will consume 99.95% less energy than the current mining model. Moreover, the transition of Ethereum to the Proof-of-Stake concept does not involve the use of video cards for mining. And this will lead to a further reduction in prices for graphics accelerators.

September 19. Bitcoin is aiming for 2020 lows

During Monday's trading, the bitcoin exchange rate dropped to $18,313 for the first time since the end of 2020. Pressure on the cryptocurrency is exerted by investors' withdrawal from risks before the meeting of the US Federal Reserve System scheduled for Wednesday.

Most analysts expect that the US regulator will raise the base interest rate by 75 basis points for the third time in a row, or even by 100 bp at once.

The current quote of the BTC/USD pair is $18,756.90. Since the beginning of this year, bitcoin has fallen in price by 60% and is currently trading at the level of December 2020.

In the current conditions, risk appetite remains extremely weak, and the entire crypto market is showing a decline following the fall of stock markets. Additional pressure on the market is being exerted by signals that the administration of US President Joe Biden plans to tighten regulation of the cryptocurrency industry.

It's not just bitcoin that is falling today. The cost of the second most popular cryptocurrency, Ethereum, is also declining and is at its lowest level since July. The current price of ether is $1,280. Last week, an update of the cryptocurrency software, called The Merge, was carried out on the Ethereum network. This update has transferred the ether blockchain to a new algorithm, which will dramatically reduce electricity consumption during mining.

September 22. The Bank of England raised the rate by 50 basis points to 2.25%​​​​​​​

Following the results of the September meeting, the Bank of England decided to raise the base interest rate from 1.75% to 2.25% per annum. This decision completely coincided with analysts' expectations.

Thus, the rate in the UK has reached its maximum since 2008. Experts note that the rate was raised following the results of the seventh meeting in a row, and the second meeting in a row the increase was 50 basis points.

All nine members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted unanimously for the rate increase. Moreover, five were in favor of a 50 bps rise, three were in favor of a 75 bps increase, and one voted for a 25 bps increase.

In addition, the leadership of the British regulator voted to begin reducing the volume of government bonds on the balance sheet of the central bank. Now the volume of government bonds at the disposal of the Bank of England will be reduced by 80 billion pounds over the next 12 months and will reach 758 billion pounds.

September 26. The yield of 10-year British government securities rose to the highest since 2008

Yields of British government securities are rising at the beginning of a new trading week: on Monday, the yield of ten-year bonds rose to 4.246% compared with 3.827% at the close of the market on September 23, which was the highest since 2008. The yield on two-year government securities rose to 4.418% from 3.911%.

The growth is supported by expectations that the Bank of England will have to sharply raise the rate, as the large tax incentives announced by the government last week will inevitably lead to a further increase in inflation.

On September 23, British Finance Minister Quasi Kwarteng announced a large-scale tax cut that will affect individuals and legal entities. It is expected that these measures will increase the budget deficit in the current financial year by more than 70 billion pounds. At the same time, the minister clarified that he does not exclude further tax breaks.

The stimulus measures of the new UK government will require an increase in the issuance of government bonds, which is one of the factors pushing down their value. 

Market participants expect the Bank of England to raise the base rate by 100 basis points at the November meeting. However, there is an opinion that the Central Bank may raise the rate until November, in an attempt to contain the fall in the national currency. An increase in interest rates may exacerbate difficulties in the economy, since the tightening of monetary policy reduces the disposable incomes of the population and leads to an increase in the cost of mortgages.

September 27. Iraq: oil may rise to $150 per barrel​​​​​​​

The price of oil on the world market may reach $150 per barrel in the coming months. This was stated by Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein in an interview on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

And there are significant risks here: if oil prices rise in winter, it will hit the economies of countries that do not produce oil. In addition to the seasonal factor of rising prices for hydrocarbons, the Iranian politician noted the impact of anti-Russian sanctions on the cost of oil.

On Tuesday, the commodity asset is steadily growing after yesterday's fall to the level of $82.46: the current Brent quote is $85.54 per barrel. The driver of growth is concerns due to a reduction in supply on the market.

Also, traders continue to monitor the gathering strength of Hurricane Jan in the Gulf of Mexico. Chevron Corp has already announced the suspension of the operation of two production platforms, the total production volume of which is about 120 thousand barrels per day. British BP also intends to close two platforms in the region, the production volumes at each of which exceed 100 thousand barrels per day.

In addition, the decision of the OPEC+ countries to reduce the volume of oil production, as previously repeatedly stated by representatives of the alliance, can support oil prices. In particular, in order to maintain prices at $90 per barrel, OPEC will need to reduce production by 1 million b/d. In the meantime, the organization can reduce production by at least 500 thousand b/s.

October 3. The pound rose sharply after the British authorities rejected the budget plan​​​​​​​

The pound jumped sharply on Monday after the British government announced the cancellation of a plan to reduce taxes for the rich, which was a shock to the market and scared investors.

British Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng said today that the government is ready to abandon the plan to abolish the 45% maximum income tax rate. Against this background, the pound reached $ 1.1263 in a pair with the US dollar.

Last Monday, the British currency fell to a record low of 1.0356. Investors were scared by the fact that tax cuts would spur inflation and lead to an even faster increase in the interest rate. And this will undermine the already struggling UK economy.

Several members of the ruling Conservative Party also opposed the tax reduction program. Citizens themselves also spoke out against it, judging by the results of public opinion polls.

Earlier, the International Monetary Fund also sharply criticized the new fiscal package, which includes the rejection of the planned increase in the social security tax rate and a reduction in the tax on the purchase of real estate below 250 thousand pounds. Representatives of the IMF said that this would contradict the tightening of the monetary policy of the Bank of England.

October 4. The Reserve Bank of Australia raised the base rate by only 25 bps​​​​​​​

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) unexpectedly reduced the pace of tightening its monetary policy, noting a deterioration in the global economic outlook. This time, the regulator raised the interest rate by only 25 basis points, to 2.6%. Most analysts expected an increase of 50 bps.

Recall that the RBA raised the rate by 50 bps in June, July, August and September in an attempt to slow down inflation, which may peak by the end of 2022 at about 8%.

«One of the sources of uncertainty is the prospects for the global economy, which have worsened recently,» said the head of the Australian Central Bank, Philip Lowe.

In addition, the RBA fears that the tightening of financial conditions will have negative consequences for consumer budgets and spending.

Earlier, the Australian central bank has already stated that it intends to slow down the pace of rate hikes at some point, as it expects a rapid weakening of inflation in 2023 along with falling commodity prices.

The Australian dollar reacted with a decline to the news about the rate: the AUD/USD pair fell to $0.6470 during trading on Tuesday, compared with $0.6514 at the close of the previous session.

October 6. Oil rose above the level of $94 per barrel​​​​​​​

Oil quotes on Thursday remain in the area of local highs reached after the announcement of the results of yesterday's meeting of OPEC+ ministers.

The organization decided to reduce quotas for oil production in November by 2 million b/s. Analysts note that this decision signals that Saudi Arabia and the alliance as a whole are striving to stabilize and support oil markets.

At the same time, it is noted that the actual decline in production will be less, since at the moment OPEC+ lags behind the maximum permitted production levels by about 3.6 million b/s. About 1.2 million b/d of the total under–production is accounted for by OPEC countries, and 2.4 million – by OPEC+ countries.

Yesterday, after the end of the ministerial meeting, Brent jumped to the level of $93.90 per barrel. Today, the asset continued to grow and reached $94.44 per barrel. The last time such price values were observed was in mid-September.

Additional support for the oil market was provided by data on fuel reserves in the United States. According to the Ministry of Energy of the country, commercial oil reserves decreased by 1.36 million barrels last week, while analysts predicted an increase of 1.8 million barrels.

Gasoline stocks decreased by 4.73 million barrels, distillate stocks – by 3.44 million barrels. Analysts expected a decrease in gasoline stocks by 1.1 million barrels and a drop in distillate stocks by 1.5 million barrels.

October 5. The New Zealand central bank raised its key rate to a seven-year high

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) has raised interest rates by 50 basis points to a seven-year high of 3.5%. The regulator also announced its readiness to further raise the rate in an attempt to contain stubbornly high inflation.

The central bank's decision coincided with analysts' forecasts. The current increase was the eighth since the beginning of the monetary policy tightening cycle, which started a year ago. RBNZ accelerated the step from 25 to 50 points in April and has now brought the rate level to the cyclical highs of 2014-2015.

It also became known that the monetary policy committee discussed an increase even by 75 bps, but eventually stopped at half a point.

«It remains appropriate to continue tightening monetary policy at the same pace to maintain price stability and ensure maximum employment,» said the representative of the regulator.

October 10. Gold is trading below $1700 amid a strengthening dollar​​​​​​​

At the beginning of the new trading week, the price of gold shows a steady decline: on Monday, the precious metal quotes fell below the psychological level of $ 1,700. The current price of gold is $1,673 per troy ounce.

Gold prices have been declining for the fourth consecutive session on the back of the strengthening of the US dollar, supported by strong data on the labor market. Friday's Non-Farm payrolls report showed that unemployment in September fell to 3.5% from August's level of 3.7%, although markets did not expect a change in the indicator. The number of people employed in non-agricultural sectors of the economy increased by 263 thousand, while analysts predicted an indicator of 250 thousand.

Such macro statistics reinforced expectations that the US Federal Reserve will continue to tighten monetary policy, which traditionally supports the dollar and restrains the price of gold.

The dollar index reached a more than 7-day peak (113.225), making gold more expensive for holders of other currencies.

Silver for December delivery lost 3.4% in price and fell to $19,538. Palladium prices fell to $2,216 per ounce, platinum fell to $899.

October 11. The yield on German government bonds has reached its highest in 11 years​​​​​​​

The yield on 10-year German government bonds rose to 2.346% per annum, which was the highest since 2011. The reason for the growth was the statements of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of the EU summit in Prague.

Scholz expressed support for the joint placement of debt obligations by the countries of the European Union in order to raise funds to help the members of the bloc in the fight against the energy crisis. The funds raised should be distributed between countries in the form of loans, not grants.

Such a position suggests that the German leadership is significantly changing its rhetoric. Previously, Germany resisted the idea of raising funds together with countries that the German authorities consider more wasteful financially.

The change of position came after Scholz was criticized for the announced plan to support the national economy by 200 billion euros due to the energy crisis. Some countries were outraged that this plan is aimed solely at supporting the German economy, without taking into account the interests of other EU countries. And this can cause an imbalance in the block.

October 17. The EM government bond market faces a crisis​​​​​​​

Analysts suggest that the authorities of countries with developing economies that have been actively borrowing on debt markets during a period of low rates are now facing an increase in debt refinancing costs. Experts fear that some Emerging markets may face a debt crisis similar to the situation in Asia in the 1990-s.

In the current period, the yield of government bonds of a third of the countries included in the EM Sovereign Dollar Debt Index exceeds the yield of US Treasuries by more than 10 percentage points. And this is already a generally accepted indicator of stress in the debt market. For example, the yield of government bonds of Kenya and Egypt exceeds the yield of U.S. government bonds by more than 10 pp, Argentina and Ghana – by more than 20 pp.

Earlier this week, the Finance Minister of Nigeria announced the attempts of the authorities to agree on the extension of the maturity of a number of bonds, stressing that we are not talking about Eurobonds. Some other EM countries intend to default and restructure their debt, as the growing debt burden leads to an outflow of investments and slows down the growth of economies.

A few years ago, many developing countries began to place bonds in local currencies en masse in an attempt to protect themselves from the risks associated with an increase in the cost of debt servicing in the event of a fall in the national currency.

However, over time, they have again increased activity in foreign capital markets against the background of extremely low interest rates in the United States and the eurozone. And in 2020, the volume of placements by developing countries of government bonds in dollars and euros reached a historic high and amounted to $747 billion.

October 18. Oil quotes are stuck in the range of $91-93 per barrel

For several days now, the oil market has been showing increased volatility in the range of $91-93 per barrel. The current price of Brent crude oil is $92.10 (yesterday's low of $91.40). North American WTI oil is trading near the level of $85.30 per barrel (yesterday's low is $84.30).

Today, the oil market is on the rise against the background of a local weakening of the US dollar, which is getting cheaper due to increased investor appetite for risk. At the same time, concerns about a potential recession in the global economy limit the growth of oil prices.

In addition, the downward pressure on oil prices continues to be exerted by concerns about the tightening of monetary policy of many major central banks of the world, aimed at curbing inflation. At the same time, China is expected to maintain a soft monetary policy to support the economy in the face of restrictions related to the coronavirus.

The market dynamics is also affected by the decision of OPEC+ to reduce oil production. As you know, in early October, the organization agreed to reduce production quotas by 2 million barrels per day, starting in November.

October 19. Oil started to rise after falling the day before

On Wednesday afternoon, oil prices accelerated their growth after falling to lows for more than 2 weeks the day before. This drop was caused by the news that the US presidential administration intends to sell some of the oil from the country's strategic reserves (15 million barrels) in response to OPEC+ decision to reduce oil production by 2 million barrels per day from November. 

The current price of Brent oil is $91.27 per barrel. WTI oil rose to $84.19 per barrel. The day before, Brent fell by 1.7%, and the price of WTI fell by 3.1%.

However, analysts believe that the current local gowth is a temporary phenomenon. The oil market will continue to be under pressure while the US sells off its reserves. It is expected that the American president may make a similar decision repeatedly this winter. 

The release of resources is aimed at curbing the rise in fuel prices at gas stations in the United States and for oil in the world as a whole. In total, it is planned to release 180 million barrels of «black gold». At the moment, the US strategic oil reserve is at the lowest level since 1984, which is about 400 million barrels of oil.

At the same time, the potential for growth remains in the oil market amid traders' concern about the supply. The fact is that the EU embargo on energy supplies from Russia comes into force in December, and the G7 countries continue to work on the ceiling of prices for Russian oil. These factors will eventually be able to support oil prices at sufficiently high levels.

October 20. France, Spain and Portugal will create Green Energy Corridor

French President Emmanuel Macron said at the EU summit in Brussels that France, Spain and Portugal intend to create a «green corridor» that will replace the MidCat gas pipeline and open access to the energy market of the European Union to the countries of the Iberian Peninsula.

The three countries intend to abandon the MidCat project and start working together to create a new gas pipeline that will be able to bring the Iberian peninsula out of isolation and create a green energy corridor between Portugal and Spain. It is also planned that the new gas pipeline will run through France to the rest of Europe.

Macron stressed that the aim of the project is to unite the energy networks of the EU countries and the soonest transition to green energy.

The new «green hydrogen pipeline» will also be able to transport gas needed by the European energy market due to the ongoing energy crisis.

The next meeting of the heads of state will take place on December 8 and 9 in Alicante at the Euromed summit, which will unite 9 Mediterranean EU states. There, France, Spain and Portugal will discuss the timing, investments, cost allocation and the amount of economic resources that will have to be used when creating a new project.

October 24. The yuan fell to the minimum of the global financial crisis of 2008

On Friday, the Chinese yuan paired with the US dollar collapsed to its lowest level since the global financial crisis of 2008 – the level of 7.2515, despite attempts by state-owned banks to stabilize the market. As you know, the country's state banks sold the dollar on the continental foreign exchange market to prevent a further fall in the yuan.

At the end of the week, the USD/CNY pair strengthened by 0.78%, as the growing dollar continues to push down the currencies of developing countries. In total, the currency pair has grown by 12.3% since the beginning of the year.

Analysts note that the decline of the yuan may continue against the background of the general strengthening of the US currency. Pressure on the yuan is also exerted by a significant difference between the monetary policies of the central banks of both countries: the United States shows no signs of abandoning tough rhetoric regarding rates, while the Chinese authorities are trying to support their economy with the help of soft monetary policy.

It is also worth noting that in an attempt to maintain the stability of its currency during the Communist Party Congress, the Chinese authorities continue to set a higher than expected average yuan exchange rate. Since the opening of the market, the People's Bank of China has set the average dollar-yuan exchange rate at 7.1186 against 7.1188 on Thursday.

Analysts clarify that the high fixing, relative to which the yuan can deviate by no more than 2% up or down, limits the potential for a decline in the Chinese currency. At the average rate on Friday, the range of fluctuations of the USD/CNY pair is 6.9762–7.2610, and today it has already come close to the upper limit of this range.

Crypto market scores gains. Experts foresee bullish rally​​​​​​​

Early on Wednesday, digital gold edged higher. At the moment of writing, BTC is seen hovering at $20,627.

Early on Wednesday, digital gold edged higher. At the moment of writing, BTC is seen hovering at $20,627.

According to CoinMarketCap, a website tracking the price of digital assets, bitcoin hovered between $20,348 and $19,261 yesterday. Overall, the coin added 5% on Tuesday.

This month, the flagship cryptocurrency used to consolidate in the $18,500–$20,300 range. However, in recent days experts noticed the potential formation of double support in the crypto market. Should bitcoin break through the mark of $20,300 and extend growth, along with noticeable trading volumes, this would be a clear bullish signal for BTC, analysts suggest.

Altcoin market

Ethereum, bitcoin's main rival, went up earlier today as well. At the moment of writing, ETH is seen trading at $1,485.

As for the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, all coins, except for XPR, traded in the green zone yesterday, with ether leading the way (+10.66%).

Last week, ETH was also the best performer among the 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, gaining 13.65%. Meanwhile, XRP, which lost 0.42%, was the list's worst performer.

This week, all the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization are scoring gains. At the same time, the former bearish resistance turned into important support for them. In light of those facts, many analysts forecast a bullish rally for popular coins in the crypto market in the next four months.

According to the world's largest virtual asset data aggregator, CoinGecko, over the past 24 hours, Aptos showed the worst performance, losing 4.98%, while the Toncoin coin showed the best results, gaining 23.10%, among the top 100 digital assets by market capitalization.

Last week, Axie Infinity (-16.19%) was the worst performer among the top 100 strongest digital assets, while Toncoin (+43.98%) showed the best performance.

Based on the CoinGecko data, the total crypto market capitalization exceeded $1 trillion on Wednesday morning. Yesterday, it grew by about 5%.

Since last November, when the daily crypto market capitalization was above $3 trillion a day ($3.08 trillion), it has more than tripled.

At the same time, the total trading volume of virtual coins over the past 24 hours reached $77.3 billion, with BTC (38.1%) and ETH (17.6%) seen as the main contributors.

De-dollarization or de-eurozation? Analysts consider both scenarios possible

Analysts have been discussing the possible ditch of the US dollar in foreign settlements for a long time. However, now, they do not exclude a similar scenario for the euro. Analysts are mulling over what could lead to such outcomes. They fear that in the near future the European currency will face the same challenges as the Us dollar. Currently, many countries are trying to replace the US dollar in mutual settlements.

Analysts pinpoint that the euro has more disadvantages than advantages. Settlements in the euro and its support are getting more expensive. According to the Eurobarometer, the euro is popular with 60% of the population. However, now many EU citizens are skeptical about the future of the euro. Some economists reckon that some EU states may leave the eurozone and ditch the euro.

Earlier, economists suggested a possible replacement of the US currency by many countries. However, the euro is now facing such a risk as well. De-eurozation looks quite feasible. However, the situation in the global financial market is unlikely to change in the near future, economists believe.

Currently, the authorities of many countries are trying to diversify their foreign exchange reserves to reduce dependence on the greenback. However, a sharp decline in the dollar share of international reserves looks unlikely as roughly 40% of the world's transactions are done in dollars.

The use of national currencies in international settlements spurs their demand and reduces dependence on the Fed's monetary policy. At the same time, the current geopolitical turmoil is fueling a rally of the US dollar as many countries prefer to keep the US currency in their reserves.

At the start of the week, the euro was trading almost at the same levels. On October 31, the EUR/USD pair was fluctuating near 0.9952, slightly below the previous pivot level of 0.9963.

Investors are now awaiting the release of the euro area's important macroeconomic report, namely GDP for the third quarter of 2022. According to preliminary estimates, from July to September, the economy declined slightly to 2.1%. In the second quarter of 2022, this figure totaled 4.1%.

The greenback has been rising for some time thanks to the Fed's hawkish stance. On November 2, the Bank of England and the Fed will hold their meetings. The Fed is widely expected to raise the key rate by 75 basis points to the range of 3.75-4%.

The Fed's key rate decision may significantly impact market sentiment. Some analysts believe that the regulator could switch to less aggressive tightening despite a 75 basis point rate hike. However, other analysts are certain that the regulator will hike the rate by 75 basis points at the next meeting scheduled for December 14.

At the February meeting in 2023, the watchdog is expected to increase the key rate by 25 basis points to 4.50-4.75%. Analysts suppose that three will be more 25 basis point rate increases next year. Such a scenario is bearish for the US dollar. The euro is also unable to regain long-term rise. Thus, it is recommended to buy the EUR/USD pair with a long-term target level above 1.0500.

Many economists are afraid that sentiment will become more bearish on the US currency. Last week, large traders initiated a sell-off of the greenback. As a result, the number of short positions during the week increased by 21%. If there are no positive fundamental favors, the greenback may drop lower.

Nevertheless, the US dollar remains the most popular currency, with close to 90% of all currency trades having the dollar as one leg of the transaction. It has been rallying for some time amid the Fed's aggressive tightening. In the last few months, the US dollar has reached multi-year highs against the euro, the pound sterling, the yen, and the yuan. It also took advantage of a recession in the eurozone as investors got rid of the euro in favor of the US dollar.

November FOMC meeting: what to expect and how to act

Today, what many are expecting will not happen: it is unlikely that the Federal Reserve will announce a change in the future course of its policy, so it is possible that we may repeat the summer scenario, when everyone was about to expect one thing from the FOMC, but everything turned out completely otherwise. Let's figure out what to expect and how best to act today.

Most likely, the US central bank will hold a fourth super-scale interest rate hike, and Fed Chairman Jerome Powell will repeat his pledges to fight inflation. But whether it will open the door for a possible rate cut in the future is a big question. The Federal Open Market Committee is expected to raise rates by 75 basis points on Wednesday, to a range of 3.75% to 4%, the highest level since 2008. By doing so, the central bank will continue its most aggressive tightening campaign since the 1980s.

During his press conference, Powell may emphasize that the Fed remains steadfast in the idea of fighting inflation, leaving open options for further aggressive rate hikes at a meeting in mid-December this year. However, the markets are already divided into two camps: some expect another rate hike of 0.75%, while others believe that the Fed will slow down and raise them by only 50 basis points.

As I noted above, Powell's July speech was misinterpreted by investors as a short-term policy reversal, in response to which the markets rallied, which softened financial conditions and reflected on bond yields. This made it more difficult for the Fed to contain prices, which forced Powell to return to a tough tone of statements again. With the latest CPI data coming out, the Fed needs to continue to maintain tight financial conditions to keep the economy cool, only to help stop price increases in the near future.

Another important point is that the expected move from the Fed today will take place less than a week before the midterm elections in the United States, where the main accusations from Republicans are based precisely on high inflation, which was allowed by the Democratic Party and US President Joe Biden. Last week, two Democratic senators urged Powell not to cause unnecessary pain to the economy by raising rates too high.

As for the statements made today after the meeting, the dollar's succeeding direction will depend on them. If promises of a "further increase" in interest rates persist, the US dollar will strengthen its position against the euro and the British pound, as well as other risky assets. If the promises are "slightly changed", for example, in order to show that the Fed is getting closer to the economy, then this may have a positive impact on stock markets and risky assets, which will pull up the euro and the British pound.

Most likely, the Fed will recall its plans to reduce its huge balance sheet. Economists predict that the balance will reach $8.5 trillion by the end of the year before dropping to $6.7 trillion in December 2024.

As for the technical picture of EURUSD, the bears actively counterattacked, which led to a new wave of decline. For growth, it is necessary to return the pair above 0.9900 and 0.9950, which will spur the trading instrument to growth towards 1.0000 and 1.0040. However, the upward prospects will depend entirely on the further reaction of buyers of risky assets to the Fed meeting. The breakthrough of parity has taken place, which, for now, allows us to keep the market at the mercy of the bears. An exit below 0.9850 will increase the pressure on the trading instrument and push the euro to a low of 0.9820, which will only aggravate the position of buyers of risky assets in the market. Having missed 0.9820, it will be possible to wait for new lows around 0.9780 and 0.9750.

As for the technical picture of the GBPUSD, although the pound is being corrected, it has already reached quite important levels. Now the bulls are focused on defending the support at 1.1500 and breaking through the resistance at 1.1550, limiting the pair's growth potential. Only a break of 1.1550 will return prospects for recovery to the area of 1.1610 and 1.1690, after which it will be possible to speak of a sharper upward spurt of the pound, to the area of 1.1730 and 1.1780. We can talk about the trading instrument being under pressure after the bears take control of 1.1500. This will deal a blow to the bulls' positions and completely cancel out the short-term prospects of the bull market. A break of 1.1500 will push the GBPUSD back towards 1.1440 and 1.1345.

Bullish sentiment in gold is growing​​​​​​​

Gold's bounce off a two-year low, followed by a nearly 3% gain on Friday, is creating solid bullish momentum among Wall Street analysts; however, some also point out that the precious metal still has some work to do to reverse the months-long downward trend.

The latest survey shows that market sentiment continues to improve and most market analysts expect prices to rise in the near future. Retail investors are also looking positively.

Bullish sentiment has been on the rise all week after gold prices ended October with their seventh straight monthly drop, the longest losing streak in 50 years.

Rising bond yields and the US dollar, which is at its highest level in 20 years, remain critical headwinds for gold; however, some analysts note that growing fears of a recession are driving demand for gold as a safe-haven asset.

Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank, said the US recession would force the Federal Reserve to end its tightening cycle before it reaches its 2% inflation target. He added that a stagflationary environment of low economic growth and high inflation would be bullish for gold.

However, in anticipation that gold prices will have enough momentum to rise, a return to $1,680 will simply return the market to neutral territory.

Christopher Vecchio, senior market analyst at DailyFX.com, said he is neutral on gold as he would also like to see an initial push above $1,680 leading to $1,730.

Last week, 20 market professionals took part in the Wall Street survey. Ten analysts, or 50%, said they are optimistic this week. Two analysts, or 10%, said they were bearish. Eight analysts, or 40%, said they were neutral about the precious metal.

As for retail, 520 respondents took part in online surveys. A total of 240 voters, or 46%, called for an increase in the price of gold. Another 169, or 33%, predicted a fall in prices. While the remaining 111 voters, or 21%, were in favor of a side market.

Friday's rally helped gold prices end the week positively.

Problems in the labor market adds to the recession fears. On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said 261,000 jobs were created in October, exceeding all expectations. However, some analysts believe that if you delve into the essence, you can see a growing weakness.

Along with rising bullish fundamentals for gold, many analysts note that the technical outlook has turned positive as well.

"Gold had been building a technical base above $1,620 support and appears to be starting to launch up off of there," said Colin Cheshinsky, chief market strategist at SIA Wealth Management.

He added that bond yields remain well above 4%, which would be a deterrent for gold. And the Fed continues to raise interest rates, and in these conditions, gold's rally may turn towards sales.

November 10. Amazon's market value has fallen below $1 trillion

Amazon became the first public company to lose $1 trillion in market value. On Wednesday, the company's shares fell 4.3% to $86.14, bringing its market value now to $879 billion. For comparison, back in July 2021, it was almost $1.9 trillion.

Analysts note that such a decline is almost equivalent to the loss of the market value of Google's parent company Alphabet, which now stands at about $1.13 trillion.

In 2022, Amazon shares lost about 48% of their value. The company's market value fell below the $1 trillion mark on November 1, a few days after the publication of the third quarter report and the forecast of the slowest growth in the fourth quarter in history.

Experts note that not only Amazon has suffered losses: due to rising inflation and other macroeconomic shocks, 5 other leading American technology companies have lost almost $4 trillion of their market value this year. The reason for this, analysts call the impoverishment of people's budgets, still high inflation and rising energy costs.