Business
Gold Climbs as Rate-Hike Bets Ease Ahead of Fed Decision
Gold rose for a fifth straight session on Wednesday as optimism over a U.S.-Iran peace deal curbed expectations for U.S. interest rate hikes, while investors awaited further details on the accord and the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting.
Spot gold climbed 0.3% to $4,341.12 an ounce by 0230 GMT, approaching a one-week peak reached on Monday. U.S. gold futures for August delivery climbed 0.2% to $4,361.10.
Details of a U.S.-Iran temporary deal to end the Middle East conflict are emerging, with U.S. President Donald Trump stating it would rule out a nuclear weapon for Tehran and a U.S. official suggesting it would allow Iran to sell oil once signed.
Oil prices stayed near a three-month low after news that Iranian petroleum could soon enter world markets, soothing inflationary fears.The decline in oil prices has taken some of the upward pressure off rates and dampened expectations for rate hikes. “But the rally (in gold) is losing some momentum with all eyes on the Fed’s monetary policy announcement,” Ilya Spivak, global macro head at Tastylive, said.
Investors now look to the U.S. Fed policy decision and statements scheduled later in the day, with rates largely expected to remain on hold. “This is the first FOMC meeting led by Kevin Warsh and traders still seem uncertain as to how he would balance a hawkish record, increasing inflation and pressure from a White House calling for a dovish pivot,” Spivak said.
Gold is not attractive when rates are high, because it does not pay interest.“Longer term, structural support for (gold) is expected to remain, underpinned by continued Asian demand and ongoing central bank buying as a hedge against geopolitical and policy risks,” Westpac analysts said in a research note.
Other precious metals also gained with spot silver up 0.3% to $70.38 per ounce, platinum rose 0.5% to $1,812.80 and palladium was up 0.3% at $1,355.65.
Business
PSX opens on a positive note, gains over 1,300 points in early trading
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) opened Tuesday’s trading session on a positive note, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index climbing more than 1,300 points.
The index surged to 164,368 points during early trading, reflecting a strong upward movement in the market.
In the previous session, the benchmark index had settled at 163,038 points.
The latest rally marks a positive start to the trading day, with the market gaining momentum after the previous session’s close.
Business
Petrol price rises by Rs1.54, diesel by Rs2.16 per litre
Pakistan latest change in government gasoline prices has caused an increase in petrol and high-speed diesel prices and the cost of both major petroleum products has been increased ahead of Tuesday (October 27).
An official statement released by the Petroleum Division stated that the petrol price has been hiked by Rs1.54 per litre while high speed diesel (HSD) has become costlier by Rs2.16 per litre.
The price of petrol will be Rs379.25 per litre after the modification, while the new price of high speed diesel has been fixed at Rs395.82 per litre. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has changed the ex-depot prices for October 27, 2026, and the revised rates have been calculated as per the petroleum pricing system of the government.
Business
Yen slips ahead of central bank bonanza, dollar firms on tech rebound
The Japanese yen eased against the US dollar on Tuesday, further eroding last week’s safe-haven gains, underpinned by a risk-on mood and a weaker euro ahead of key central bank meetings this week that will influence the global rates outlook.
The yen was 0.16% weaker at 157.73 per dollar, inching further away from the one-month high it touched last week ahead of the Bank of Japan policy decision later this week. The yen had lost ground on Monday too.
The BOJ is set to keep interest rates steady at 1.25% in a two-day meeting concluding on Friday, but signal its readiness to continue raising borrowing costs on mounting price pressures.
A key gauge of Japan’s service-sector inflation rose 3.7% in September from a year earlier, data showed on Tuesday, a sign of increasing price pressures that will likely keep the central bank on track for further interest rate hikes.
“We expect the BOJ will conclude that the underlying rate of consumer price inflation is at a level generally consistent with the 2% price stability target,” analysts at MUFG said in a note.
However, simply touching the target once is not enough, the analysts said, adding that the BOJ will now shift from a focus on the downside risks to inflation to a stance of monitoring risks in both directions.
The yen was among the best-performing major currencies last week, as AI jitters in the equity market spurred a haven rush into the currency.
Markets price slightly better-than-even odds of a December BOJ hike, so there is plenty of room for a rebound in the yen should Governor Ueda strike a hawkish note, said Ebury analysts in a note.
“We still favour another hike at the last meeting of the year, though whether the BOJ will be prepared to commit to that just yet is unclear.”
Apart from the BOJ, four other major central banks will announce policy decisions this week. The BOJ’s meeting follows that of the Fed, which is seen skipping a hike at its two-day meeting concluding on Wednesday.
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The European Central Bank is also set to keep rates unchanged at 2.5% on Thursday. New Zealand’s and Canada’s central banks are expected to raise rates this week.
DOLLAR FIRMS ON RISK-APPETITE REVIVAL
The dollar index held steady near a one-week high on Tuesday at 102.04 as a tech-led rebound on Wall Street revived appetite for risk, while investors await megacap earnings and the US midterm elections.
Risk appetite returned overnight after Anthropic’s IPO filing and Meta’s (META.O), opens new tab $95 billion equity plan rekindled the artificial intelligence trade.
The dollar was also underpinned by a weaker euro , which fell to a near two-week low against the greenback as worries over France’s fiscal health piled pressure on the single currency. The euro last fetched $1.1165, down about 1.4% this month.
A selloff in French government bonds that drove the country’s debt-risk premium to its highest since the 2011 sovereign debt crisis has rekindled concerns about financial stress across the euro zone.
The Brazilian real stabilised after it fell sharply against the US dollar after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won a historic fourth term on Sunday against Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
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