The financial markets experienced significant volatility during Tuesday’s trading session, with investors’ attention focused on the upcoming Jackson Hole Symposium in the United States, scheduled from August 21 to 23.
This major event could trigger substantial market movements, especially as several central bank governors, including Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, are expected to give speeches. Investors are looking for hints regarding the long-term outlook on interest rates from the Fed.
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These sentiments are likely to impact market movements during the European trading session on Wednesday (August 20, 2025), alongside the release of key inflation data from the UK (Consumer Price Index/CPI) and Germany (Producer Price Index/PPI). Here are the details from Trading Central:
- UK CPI (year-on-year/July) at 13:00 WIB; forecast 3.8% vs previous 3.6%
- Core UK CPI (year-on-year/July) at 13:00 WIB; forecast 3.8% vs previous 3.7%
- German PPI (year-on-year/July) at 13:00 WIB; forecast -1.4% vs previous -1.3%
GOLD
Gold prices (XAUUSD) fell by US$17.15 or 171.5 pips to US$3,315.38 per troy ounce during Tuesday’s trading session. Prior to this decline, gold prices had risen to US$3,345.22 per troy ounce before reversing.
Prices were pressured ahead of the Jackson Hole meeting in the US, where global central bank leaders will convene. Powell is expected to speak at this event, and there are concerns that he may not adopt a dovish stance, contributing to pressures on gold prices nearing US$3,300 per troy ounce.
These sentiments are likely to affect gold movements during the European trading session.
OIL
Oil prices (CLS10) continued to decrease for three consecutive days, closing at US$61.98 per barrel on Tuesday. Compared to Monday’s close, oil dropped by US$0.6, having lost nearly US$2 over the three-day period.
The decline in oil prices on Tuesday was influenced by the outcomes of a positive meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This development has reduced the likelihood of sanctions on Russia’s energy sector, diminishing the global supply disruption risks and negatively affecting oil prices.
EURUSD
The EURUSD exchange rate dipped slightly to 1.16442 during Tuesday’s trading session, despite having previously surged to 1.16930. The US dollar showed strength ahead of the Jackson Hole meeting due to indications that the Fed may be cautious in cutting interest rates following the September monetary policy announcement. This dynamic weighed on the EURUSD.
In the European trading session, the EURUSD could face further downward pressure if the German PPI data is released lower than the forecast of -1.4%.
GBPUSD
The strengthening US dollar has fueled further profit taking actions on GBPUSD during Tuesday’s trading, leading to a two-day decline. GBPUSD closed Tuesday’s session at 1.34865, down 110 points (11 pips).
GBPUSD has the potential to recover in today’s trading in response to the release of UK CPI data. If the data shows a higher result than the forecast, market participants may grow more confident that the Bank of England (BoE) will not cut interest rates in the near future, providing a positive sentiment for GBPUSD.
USDJPY
The USDJPY pair fell by 183 points (18.3 pips) to 147.593 during Tuesday’s trading session. In today’s trading, USDJPY has been quite volatile, ranging between 147.423 and 147.816 in response to data releases from Japan.
Exports were reported to have decreased by 2.6% year-on-year (YoY) in July, slightly worse than the forecast decline of 2.5% according to Trading Central. On the other hand, Japanese machinery orders surged by 7.6% YoY, exceeding the forecast of 5.4% YoY.
This mixed release has led to volatility in USDJPY, with a tendency for a rebound in the European trading session.
NASDAQ
The Nasdaq index plummeted by 315 points to 23,471 during Tuesday’s trading, marking a five-day decline. The drop in technology sector stocks has been the key factor behind Nasdaq’s fall.
There is potential for the downward trend to continue due to profit taking, given that the Nasdaq has surged significantly this year, breaking all-time high records multiple times.
