The peace talks regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, held on Wednesday, did not yield any results. Initiated by US President Donald Trump, the negotiations were notably absent of Ukrainian representatives.
This absence suggests that the conflict between the two nations may continue for an indefinite period, impacting financial market sentiment yesterday and affecting trading on Thursday (February 20, 2025).
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GOLD
The failure of the initial negotiations led to Gold (XAUUSD) reaching an all-time high of $2,946.85 per troy ounce yesterday. Following this peak, Gold experienced some profit taking and concluded trading on Wednesday at $2,933.07 per troy ounce.
In today’s trading, Gold has rebounded to $2,945.32 per troy ounce, edging close to breaking its previous record once again. This movement reflects a positive sentiment towards Gold, largely triggered by the unsuccessful peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Moreover, the price increase of Gold is bolstered by expectations from central banks around the globe to further acquire this precious metal as a reserve asset, particularly as uncertainties loom over the global economy, especially concerning trade war risks.
This sentiment is likely to influence Gold’s movement during the European trading session.
OIL
Oil prices have registered a three-day increase, closing at $72.10 per barrel on Wednesday. The unsuccessful Russia-Ukraine peace talks have contributed to this rise in Oil prices.
Yesterday, Oil reached a high of $72.89 per barrel before retracting after the United States confirmed it would resume discussions with Russia and as U.S. stocks saw an uptick.
Both factors are creating a negative sentiment that could pressure Oil prices during the European trading session.
EURUSD
The collapse of the initial peace negotiations exerted pressure on EURUSD, causing a decline of 234 points (23.4 pips) to 1.04221. EURUSD has recorded declines for two consecutive days.
Today’s European session may see movement in EURUSD driven by the release of Germany’s Producer Price Index (PPI) data at 14:00 WIB. Forecasts from Trading Central indicate that PPI for January is anticipated to rise by 1.1% year-on-year (YoY), higher than the previous month’s 0.8% YoY.
If the data released exceeds forecasts, it could generate a positive sentiment for EURUSD.
GBPUSD
Similar to EURUSD, this currency pair is also feeling the strain from the failed peace negotiations initiated by the United States. GBPUSD fell by 277 points (27.7 pips) to 1.25851.
However, GBPUSD remains close to a two-month high, benefiting from positive data releases related to economic growth and labor market performance that exceeded expectations. Such data may indicate that the Bank of England (BoE) is unlikely to cut interest rates anytime soon.
This sentiment is expected to continue impacting GBPUSD’s movement during the European session.
USDJPY
USDJPY plummeted in Wednesday’s trading and continued its decline this morning. The currency pair reached 150.450, dropping 1.019 points (101.9 pips) to its lowest point in ten weeks.
Both the US dollar and yen are considered safe-haven assets; however, this time, the yen is outperforming. As March approaches, marking the end of Japan’s fiscal year, numerous companies, institutional investors, and financial institutions are repatriating funds from abroad, thereby strengthening the yen’s exchange rate.
This sentiment will likely influence USDJPY’s movement during the European trading session.
Nasdaq
On Wednesday, the Nasdaq exhibited volatility near its all-time high of 22,318 reached the previous day. This elevated position has the potential to trigger profit-taking activities.
Furthermore, the lack of progress in the Russia-Ukraine peace talks suggests that the conflict is unlikely to conclude in the near future, which undoubtedly casts a negative sentiment over the stock index.
