The United States dollar continues to face pressure at the beginning of European trading on Wednesday (May 21, 2025). As highlighted in the previous Macro Overview, the recent downgrade of the US credit rating by Moody’s has created additional strain on the dollar. With no major economic data releases today, this sentiment is likely to linger over the financial markets during tonight’s trading.
GOLD
Gold prices (XAUUSD) have managed to maintain their upward momentum into European trading, hovering near the daily high of $3,320.50 per troy ounce. The weakness of the dollar has allowed Gold to stay in positive territory.
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Additionally, the potential stalemate in US-Iran nuclear negotiations and the news of possible Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities have contributed to increasing demand for Gold as a safe haven asset.
These two factors are likely to continue influencing Gold’s movement during tonight’s trading.
Oil
Concerns over Israel’s potential military actions against Iranian nuclear facilities have raised fears about supply disruptions from the Middle East, which has allowed Oil to sustain its gains at the start of European trading.
Tonight’s release of oil inventory data in the United States could act as a significant market mover. According to forecasts from Trading Central, stockpiles for the week ending May 16 are expected to decline by 1.85 million barrels, compared to an increase of 3.5 million barrels the previous week. A more considerable decrease in stocks than anticipated could further bolster positive sentiment for Oil.
EURUSD
The EURUSD pair rose during the early European session, reaching a daily high of 1.13532. This represents an increase of 724 points (72.4 pips) compared to Tuesday’s closing prices, marking a potential three-day upward trend.
The rise in EURUSD indicates significant pressure on the US dollar. This sentiment is expected to continue influencing the EURUSD movement during the US trading session.
GBPUSD
The release of UK inflation data showing an uptick in April has propelled GBPUSD to 1.34685 in early European trading. This level is the highest since February 2022, although the pair later saw some profit-taking activity.
The inflation rate (CPI) for April was reported to have grown by 3.5% year-on-year (YoY), surpassing the forecast of 3.3% by Trading Central and the previous month’s rate of 2.6% YoY. Core inflation, which excludes food and energy prices, rose by 3.8% YoY, above the forecast of 3.5% and previous month’s 3.4%.
The increase in UK inflation strengthens expectations that the Bank of England is unlikely to reduce interest rates further in the near term, creating a positive sentiment for GBPUSD.
USDJPY
The USDJPY currency pair fell during early European trading, hitting a daily low of 143.455. Compared to Tuesday’s close, USDJPY is down nearly 100 pips.
The decline in USDJPY persists despite Japanese data showing decreased exports, which would typically exert negative pressure on the yen. The drop in USDJPY reflects severe pressure being faced by the dollar due to the credit rating downgrade. This sentiment is anticipated to keep influencing USDJPY’s movement during tonight’s trading.
Nasdaq
As noted in the previous Macro Overview, Nasdaq experienced profit-taking, pulling back to 21,243 at the start of the European session. This was a decrease of 176 index points from the close on Tuesday.
Previously, Nasdaq had continued its rise, approaching a three-month high and returning to a bullish market. This high position attracted profit-taking since Tuesday. The escalating geopolitical tensions between Israel and Iran may lead to further profit-taking actions during tonight’s trading.
