S&P 500 — US Large Cap Index
FTSE 100 — UK Blue Chips
Euro Stoxx 50 — Eurozone Leaders
DAX 40 — German Equities
CAC 40 — French Market Index
Nikkei 225 — Japan Benchmark
Hang Seng — Hong Kong Index
Shanghai Composite — China Mainland
ASX 200 — Australian Market
TSX Composite — Canada Index
Nifty 50 — India Large Cap
STI Index — Singapore Market
KOSPI — South Korea Index
Bovespa — Brazil Equities
JSE Top 40 — South Africa Index
IPC Index — Mexico Market
- EUR/USD climbs as the US Dollar weakens ahead of the Fed’s anticipated interest rate hold.
- Traders price in an unusually high 30.5% chance of an immediate rate hike, signaling rare policy uncertainty.
- The ECB is expected to deliver a rate hike in September.
EUR/USD holds ground for the second successive day, trading around 1.1390 during the Asian hours on Wednesday. The US Dollar (USD) struggles against the Euro (EUR) as investors are closely monitoring the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) upcoming policy decision, where the central bank is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged.
Traders are currently pricing in a 30.5% chance of an immediate rate hike, an unusually high level of uncertainty so close to a policy announcement. Looking further ahead, markets are also factoring in a 76.6% probability of a rate increase in September, reinforcing expectations that borrowing costs could remain elevated for longer.
The US Dollar (USD) may find support amid renewed hostilities in the Middle East, which have reignited geopolitical tensions, keeping investor focus firmly on inflationary risks and the broader interest rate outlook in the United States (US).
Geopolitical risk escalated sharply after the IRGC launched a surprise ballistic missile strike targeting a US military base in Jordan at approximately 5:45 PM ET. US Central Command reported that defense systems successfully intercepted all incoming missiles, preventing casualties and structural damage. Believed to be a direct countermeasure to recent US strikes against Iranian naval assets, the incident triggered immediate retaliation; CENTCOM subsequently executed precision airstrikes in Iraq aimed at neutralizing Iran-backed groups planning operations against US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure.
The European Central Bank (ECB) unanimously kept interest rates on hold at 2.25% on July 23, but strongly signaled a September rate hike. Leadership revealed that several Governing Council members pushed for an immediate increase, warning that sustained high energy prices risk driving up broader inflation through second-round effects.
