GBP/USD: strong prospects for continued growth
The GBP/USD trading instrument tends to grow within the framework of a stable medium-term upward trend, trading near the level of 1.2770.
This rise is reinforced ahead of the announcement of important US inflation data for December, which may affect the next steps of the US Federal Reserve System. Forecasts indicate a possible increase in the consumer price index from 0.1% to 0.2% monthly and from 3.1% to 3.2% in annual terms. In the event of such an increase, the Fed may delay the interest rate cut, which will strengthen the dollar's position against other currencies. However, it is expected that any correction will be moderate, as the market continues to believe in a change in monetary policy: experts foresee three rate cuts during the year, and participants in the futures market for federal funds predict up to five decreases.
- Resistance levels: 1.2890, 1.2939.
- Support levels: 1.2573, 1.2451, 1.2329.
Silver price Analysis
A correction is taking place in the precious metals market, more due to technical rather than fundamental reasons, as a result of which silver quotes stabilize at the level of 23.02.
By the end of the year, investors in the global market are liquidating their positions to review the balance of their portfolios. According to the report of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME Group), the volume of silver futures trading decreased by the end of the year to an average of 42.3 thousand positions, but in the first week of the new year it rose to 57.8 thousand contracts. A decrease in the volume of positions in the asset affects its price, which was seen at the beginning of the year: the price of silver fell from $ 24.3 per ounce to the current $ 23.02 amid the growth of the USDX, with which silver has an almost perfect inverse correlation, in January the index rose from 100,500 to 102,000 points.
Another technical factor influencing the fall in silver prices is the growth in the bond market, which is a competitor for metals due to their high reliability and low volatility. Over the past week, the yield on the leading 10-year government bonds increased from 3,809% to 4,000%, prompting some investors to choose them as an investment object.
- Resistance levels: 23.38, 24.10.
- Support levels: 22.70, 22.10.
Cryptocurrency Market Overview
This week, the Solana pair is showing an active recovery, reaching 105.55 today. The growth of quotations was facilitated by the approval by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of the launch of spot bitcoin ETFs.
Eleven new exchange-traded funds, including products from well-known investment giants such as BlackRock Inc. and Fidelity Investments, may be launched soon, perhaps even today. This will give investors easier access to cryptocurrencies and facilitate asset management, allowing them to purchase products that track BTC price changes in a similar way as it happens with stock and bond index funds, bypassing the need to visit cryptocurrency exchanges and open digital wallets.
Experts expect that the bitcoin ETF will attract about $ 30 trillion to the market, but they assume that the growth of investments will be gradual. This is confirmed by the moderate strengthening of the main cryptocurrency pairs, as the market has already anticipated this news and incorporated it into current prices. Meanwhile, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler noted that the approval of bitcoin ETFs does not mean that the regulator will stop considering digital currencies as securities.
- Resistance levels: 103.40, 119.35, 125.00.
- Support levels: 81.25, 69.40, 50.00.
Crude Oil Market Overview
During the Asian trading session, Brent Crude Oil is experiencing growth, trying to gain a foothold above the 77.20 mark against the background of a weakening US dollar before the publication of important inflation data.
The consumer price index is expected to increase from 3.1% to 3.2% per annum and from 0.1% to 0.2% monthly. The base index, excluding the cost of food and energy, is expected to adjust from 4.0% to 3.8% per annum, remaining at 0.3% monthly. On Friday, the information on inflation statistics will be supplemented with data on the producer price index for December: the indicator is expected to grow from 0.9% to 1.3% monthly and from 0.0% to 0.1% per annum, while the base indicator may decrease from 2.0% to 1.9%.
Oil prices also received support from data from the American Petroleum Institute (API) on commercial reserves, which decreased by 5,215 million barrels in the week of January 5, after a previous decrease of 7,418 million barrels, although analysts expected a decrease of only 1,200 million barrels. The report from the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA) was more moderate, showing an increase in inventories of 1.340 million barrels compared with an expected decrease of 0.675 million barrels and a previous drop of 5.503 million barrels.
- Resistance levels: 77.00, 78.00, 79.12, 80.00.
- Support levels: 76.05, 75.04, 74.00, 73.00.