U.K. sees ‘strong indications’ that Iran played role in air base incident

In an interview with Time Magazine, US President Donald Trump expressed a willingness to engage in negotiations for a deal with Iran, but emphasized his desire to achieve a "real deal." He also mentioned his satisfaction with the CEO of Anthropic, Amodei.

In the coming days, the United States is expected to replenish its strategic oil reserves. High interest rates are currently placing a greater strain on the economy than inflation. Interestingly, certain levels of inflation can actually aid in paying off debt.

Following the release of Trump's remarks, there was no immediate reaction observed in global markets or key assets. The US Dollar (USD) remains the official currency of the United States and a dominant force in international finance, accounting for over 88% of global foreign exchange turnover, averaging $6.6 trillion in daily transactions.

The USD has long been the world's reserve currency, replacing the British Pound after World War II. Unlike its past backing by gold, the USD is now controlled by monetary policy, primarily set by the Federal Reserve (Fed). The Fed has two key objectives: maintaining price stability (controlling inflation) and promoting full employment.

It primarily influences inflation through interest rate adjustments. When inflation is too high, the Fed raises rates, strengthening the USD. Conversely, when inflation is too low or unemployment is too high, the Fed may lower rates, weakening the USD.

In extreme cases, the Fed can print more money and implement quantitative easing (QE), a non-standard policy measure aimed at boosting credit in a stagnant financial system. QE involves the Fed increasing the money supply by purchasing US government bonds, primarily from financial institutions, effectively weakening the USD. The opposite process, quantitative tightening (QT), strengthens the USD by removing money from circulation.

Sagar Dua, a financial markets analyst, has been actively involved in the field since his college days. He holds a post-graduate degree in Commerce and has been training in market analysis through chart analysis. In the currency markets, AUD/USD is currently consolidating near a two-month low, trading in the mid-0.6900s amid a bullish USD.

October Fed hike expectations were tempered by October PCE data, though oil-driven inflation concerns continue to support elevated US bond yields. Meanwhile, Australia's trade surplus contracted sharply in August to AUD495 million. Despite slightly softer US PCE data, oil-related inflation risks continue to bolster the USD, supporting its value.

The USD/JPY pair is trading near the top of its weekly range, above 158.00, driven by oil-driven inflation risks keeping US bond yields high and the perceived benefits of US Dollar strength as a safe-haven asset. Broad US Dollar strength counteracts hawkish expectations from the Bank of Japan (BoJ) and potential Japanese intervention risks.

Despite a modest intraday rise in gold prices on Wednesday, the metal struggled to capitalize on the news, trading nearly unchanged throughout the European session. The underlying reason for this is the ongoing strength of the US Dollar, which often undermines demand for non-yielding assets like gold.

In the commodities market, the price of Hyperliquid (HYPE) fell by 2% at press time, trimming its 5% gains from the previous day due to easing institutional demand. Technical indicators suggest a mixed outlook for HYPE, currently capped below $90.

In the forex market, EUR/USD has fallen to its lowest level since May 2025, influenced by a combination of US Dollar strength, geopolitical uncertainties, and renewed concerns about Europe's exposure to higher energy prices. The pair is currently trading well below its January peak of 1.2082.