As a trader, choosing the right leverage level can have a significant impact on your trading results. Two of the most common leverage options are 1:30 and 1:500. But how do you decide which one is right for you?
To understand the difference between 1:30 and 1:500 leverage, let's take the example of trading 1 lot of EUR/USD. With 1:30 leverage, a trader would...
After a brief period of calm following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, Credit Suisse disclosed "material weaknesses" in their financial reporting controls and ongoing customer outflows, setting off another bout of instability across global assets. Credit Suisse's biggest investor, Saudi National Bank, also noted that it could not offer more financial support...
Over the past few days, we have seen the second and third largest bank failures in US history. A question remains whether we have seen the last of these failures and what other ripple effects could occur.
In the currency markets, the dollar index dropped below 104, reaching a three-week low for the third consecutive session. Signature and Silicon Valley Bank's...
The USD/CAD might be a popular pair to trade this week with the Bank of Canada (BoC) releasing its latest interest rate decision at the exact same time that US Federal Reserve Chairman begins the second day of his Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to Congress. These events coincide at 10am Wednesday (EST).
The Bank of Canada is expected to maintain its interest...
Forex Alert: Fed Officials' Six-Hour Speech Marathon
Will the numerous appearances of US Federal Reserve officials rock the market during the closing hours of this trading week?
Over the course of six hours leading up to the market's closing this week, we will hear from Lorie K. Logan (Dallas Fed), Raphael Bostic (Atlanta), Michelle W. Bowman (Board of...
The new governor of the Bank of Japan, Kazuo Ueda, is currently in the spotlight as traders attempt to determine how closely he will adhere to his predecessor's ultra-loose monetary policies. Despite inflation in Japan reaching a 40-year high, Japanese interest rates have remained unchanged, causing the yen to weaken considerably over the past year. In his...
The gold-silver ratio is a key metric that traders use to assess the relative value of gold and silver. The ratio is calculated by dividing the price of gold by the price of silver and is used to determine whether one of these precious metals is under or overvalued. Effectively, the ratio tells you how many pieces of silver you could purchase for one piece of...
We have learned that almost all US Federal Reserve officials backed a 25-basis-points rate hike at the last FOMC meeting held on January 31 to February 1.
Only a few officials favored a larger 50-basis-points hike at the meeting or said they "could have supported" it. Even so, many more dovish sentences were spoken in the latest meeting than compared to the...
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand will deliver its second interest rate decision of 2023. The decision is release on Wednesday 2pm NZDT (Tuesday 8pm EST) What makes this interesting is that the country has just been hit by Cyclone Gabrielle which has reportedly caused more than NZ$12 billion worth of damage to infrastructure and private property. As such, some...
A beautiful amount of volatility entered the market after the release of the US inflation data a few hours ago. Some large wicks presented in the GBP/USD which eventually tested and rejected at 1.2121 to the downside. Although, the more interesting wicks occurred exactly at the time of the release, with the market feeling out a high of 1.2270 and a low of 1.2150....
It is prudent to examine the strength of the US dollar against the pound in the lead up to two very important inflation data reports. First is the US inflation data due on Wednesday morning at 2.30 am (NZDT). And second is the UK’s inflation data on Wednesday night at 8.00 pm (NZDT). The annual US inflation rate to January 2023 is expected to fall to about 6.2%...
The cryptocurrency market is largely decentralized, in theory, meaning that no single entity or group controls it. However, there are many individuals and organizations in the market that have significant influence and followers, who they can use to manipulate cryptocurrency prices. Some of the most prominent crypto influencers include:
Vitalik Buterin: Vitalik...
The EUR/USD exchange rate is hovering just above $1.07, close to a nine-month high of $1.1034 reached last week. This is due to the European Central Bank's (ECB) hawkish stance, as ECB board member Isabel Schnabel has stated that the recent interest rate hikes by the ECB have had little effect on inflation. The ECB has raised interest rates by 50 basis points at...
The Japanese yen has fallen past 132.50 per dollar (from 129.00 last Friday), reaching its lowest point in four weeks following reports that the government is considering Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Masayoshi Amamiya as the next central bank leader.
Amamiya is seen as the most dovish of the potential candidates, putting an end to hopes of the BoJ normalizing...
GBPJPY has consolidated in the daily chart since the start of the year, following a steep decline in December. The price for GBPJPY keeps bouncing on the major area between 161.800 resistance and 156.300 support on the daily timeframe. There is also a minor consolidation between 161.800 and 160.600. This minor consolidation area is highlighted between the 50-EMA...
Is it too early to say that Bitcoin has entered a bullish trend? The weekly timeframe suggests that the overall trend might no longer be bearish considering the current price of Bitcoin has broken the upper line of the downward trend line.
A factor that could prevent Bitcoin from moving higher is that it is approaching the 200 EMA period, which could be a strong...
The S&P 500 is headed for its best January since 2019, when it gained nearly 8%. So far, the market index is up ~5.0% this year, following a 19% loss last year. But this rally might have paused for the time being, as the Federal Open Market Committee begins its 2-day meeting. After which, the Federal Reserve is expected to hike its interest rate by 25 basis...
The AUD/NZD is an interesting pair to examine after the release of each country’s respective inflation reports yesterday.
In New Zealand, the annual inflation rate remained steady at 7.2%, prompting investors to forecast that inflation in the country has peaked, and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand can slow the pace of interest rate hikes moving forward, inducing...
