After a strong rally into the New York close overnight, the USD is slightly lower in Asia. Federal Reserve presidents from four districts hit the wires and presented a unified front to attack any inkling that they were not focused on curbing inflation. The US Dollar found support after Fed speakers re-affirmed their hawkish stance.
The Fed hawks were Cleveland’s Loretta Mester, Chicago’s Charles Evans, San Francisco’s Mary Daly, and renowned rate hike cheerleader St. Louis’ James Bullard., who all commented that rate hikes would continue until inflation was subdued.
US Treasury yields surged at each turn, with the benchmark 10-year note trading 17- basis points higher, trading over 2.70%.
Real yields also increased after the commentary, somewhat weakening gold price, which is now trading around US$ 1,769 an ounce at the time of going to print after getting a boost following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s arrival in Taiwan.
The adverse effects of the visit remain unclear, with so many rumblings proceeding from China at a time that they are carrying out military drills, but market views make it seem like there is not much impact from her visit.
Crude Oil continues to decline ahead of today’s OPEC+ meeting. The American Petroleum Institute (API) reported a 2.165 million bbl build in US crude oil stocks for the week. The market will be expecting details from the Energy Information Administration’s report later today to see the level of changes in inventory there.