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Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf: A bilateral ceasefire or negotiations is unreasonable.A spokesperson for the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that they will seek clarification regarding the terms of the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran.On April 9th, Federal Reserve officials weighed different scenarios for the U.S. economy following the outbreak of war with Iran, including scenarios requiring interest rate cuts and scenarios potentially requiring rate hikes. The minutes of the March FOMC meeting, released Wednesday, showed that most officials were concerned that the war could impact the labor market, necessitating lower interest rates. At the same time, many officials also emphasized the risks of inflation, which could ultimately require a rate hike. The minutes showed that an increasing number of officials recommended including related wording in the post-meeting statement, mentioning the possibility of a rate hike under certain conditions. The minutes stated: "Some participants believed that there were good reasons to include a two-way description of future interest rate decisions in the post-meeting statement to reflect that raising the target range for the interest rate might be appropriate if inflation persists above the target level." Following the March meeting, several Fed policymakers indicated a preference for keeping interest rates unchanged while assessing the impact of the war. Overall, policymakers response to the war reflects their concern about the risks of their dual mandate. The minutes stated, "The vast majority of participants believed that both upside risks to inflation and downside risks to employment remained at high levels, and most participants noted that these risks had increased as the situation in the Middle East developed." At the March meeting, Federal Reserve officials maintained the benchmark policy rate in the range of 3.5% to 3.75%.Federal Reserve meeting minutes: The economic outlook of Federal Reserve staff projected that economic activity would be weaker than expected at the January meeting.Federal Reserve meeting minutes: War may slow the decline in inflation as expected.

USD/CAD declines to 1.3500 on firmer Oil prices, BoC concerns over US inflation, and Fed Minutes

Daniel Rogers

Apr 10, 2023 14:35

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The USD/CAD maintains losses close to 1.3500, shattering a four-day winning trend, as traders brace for key Easter Monday data/events on major bourses. However, the recent decline in the Loonie-U.S. dollar exchange rate may be due to the increase in the price of WTI petroleum oil, Canada's primary export. In contrast to the recent increase in ardent Fed forecasts, the Bank of Canada's (BoC) dovish bias poses a challenge to pair sellers.

 

After increasing for three consecutive weeks, WTI crude oil prices gain 0.61 percent intraday near $80.00. Recent increases in the price of black gold may be due to geopolitical concerns surrounding China and Taiwan. In addition to the supply cut by OPEC+ and the faltering US dollar, the energy benchmark is sustained by the supply cut by OPEC+ and the weakening US dollar.

 

However, the US Dollar Index (DXY) has fallen for three consecutive weeks and is under pressure near 102,000.

 

Fears of higher Fed rates versus inaction from the Bank of Canada (BoC) grew after the upbeat US Jobs report versus the lack of significant positives in the March Canadian jobs report.

 

As a result, the CME's FedWatch Tool indicates a 69% chance of a 0.25 basis point rate hike in May, up from 55% prior to the US employment report.

 

Canada's headline Net Change in Employment increased to 34.7K in March from 21.8K in February, compared to the market consensus of 12K, while the Unemployment Rate came in at 5% versus the analysts' estimate of 5.0%. During the specified month, the Participation Rate decreased to 65.6% from the expected and previous rate of 65.7%. In addition, the average hourly wage fell 5.2% year-over-year in March, down from 5.5% in February.

 

In contrast, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) increased by 236K in March, the lowest increase since January 2021 (considering revisions), compared to the expected 240K and the previous 330,000. Additionally, the unemployment rate fell from 3.6% to 3.5%, while the labor force participation rate rose from 62.6% to 62.6%. The annual wage inflation rate decreased from 4.6% to 4.2%, below market expectations of 4.3%.

 

Futures on US equities ended higher, but yields remain under pressure ahead of the crucial BoC monetary policy meeting, US inflation, and Fed Minutes. Given the dovish concerns from the Bank of Canada (BoC) and the likely hawkish comments in the FOMC Minutes, the USD/CAD may see additional gains, barring any unexpected developments.


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