[MARKET ANALYSIS] FX markets are flat ahead of key data releases this week, while participants await a widely-expected RBA rate hike

Newsquawk StaffPublished 29 Sept 2026, 02:59 UTC

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03:14

[MARKET ANALYSIS] Asia-Pac stocks are mostly lower following recent upside in oil and yields amid conflicting geopolitical headlines

02:43

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Baghaei says media reports about the content of consultations with the Qatari mediator are baseless speculation, noting such accounts have no basis in reality and no discussion of the details of the issues took place

02:39

[MARKET ANALYSIS] FX markets are flat ahead of key data releases this week, while participants await a widely-expected RBA rate hike

02:15

[MARKET ANALYSIS] T-note futures trade sideways after recent upside in yields ahead of this week's key data

02:06

South Korea's Finance Minister says closely monitoring the bond market and will conduct treasury bond buyback if bond yields rise excessively

On the Newsquawk feed at 02:39, 20 minutes before this page.

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DXY: Flat

Trades little changed overnight after ultimately gaining yesterday in choppy trade alongside higher US yields and a slew of conflicting geopolitical headlines, while there were also some Fed comments, including from Cook, who expects to see continued inflation pressure in the coming months from AI and the Middle East conflict, while she also noted signs of broadening pressure in inflation data.

EUR/USD: Flat

Remains contained after marginally softening on Monday, with some headwinds amid comments from ECB's Lagarde that she views a measured response as appropriate to keep inflation in check and that they remain in the middle path for monetary policy that was laid out earlier this year, while more ECB speakers are scheduled today.

GBP/USD: Flat

Lacks direction following its recent choppy mood amid several BoE comments and reports that UK PM Burnham is expected to edge Labour closer to rejoining the EU and will signal the end of the pensions triple lock in his conference speech today.

USD/JPY: Flat

Conforms to the humdrum mood across the FX space amid a lack of tier-1 data from Japan and despite jawboning from Japanese Finance Minister Katayama, who stated that they exchanged views on FX trends with US Treasury Secretary Bessent on Friday and agreed to bolster cooperation, while she also stated that they believe the undervalued yen, in general, is problematic.

Antipodeans: AUD/USD Flat / NZD/USD +0.2%

Rebounded from an early decline but with AUD/USD constrained after weaker-than-expected Household Spending data and as participants await a widely-expected RBA rate hike today.

Context

Pre-event consolidation of this kind is the standard pattern ahead of a well-telegraphed central bank decision: with a hike broadly anticipated, the currency reaction has historically hinged not on the move itself but on the statement's guidance on whether further tightening follows, and fully-priced decisions have often produced sell-the-fact reversals in the currency even when delivered as expected. The watch item is therefore the RBA's language on the path rather than the rate, plus any vote split, since a priced-in hike with hawkish guidance tends to extend AUD gains while a dovish delivery unwinds the positioning built in advance. The jawboning from Tokyo fits a familiar sequence in which verbal escalation on yen weakness precedes any actual intervention, and the cooperation framing with the US Treasury matters because joint endorsement has historically been the precondition that gives such rhetoric more weight. Elsewhere, the flat majors ahead of tier-one US data reflect the usual compression of ranges into event risk, with front-end yield differentials the transmission channel once the prints land. The ECB and BoE commentary reiterating existing paths is the kind of reaffirmation that typically moves little unless it shifts the perceived centre of gravity on the respective committees.

FX · last 90 days

Recent headlines that moved markets

FX/29 Sept · 18:00 UTC

Fed's Williams (voter) says sees no need for urgency after Sept rate hike.

- DXY, after we published−0.2%

FX/29 Sept · 05:32 UTC

[PRESS CONFERENCE] RBA Governor Bullock says inflationary pressures to last longer than expected; inflation is driven by domestic capacity pressures; Board will raise rates again if needed.

AUD/USD, after we published−0.6%

FX/28 Sept · 07:56 UTC

Japanese FX Official Mimura says they are closely watching to see if markets take the clear message they are giving at face value. Not satisfied with or reassured by recent JPY action.

Following the commentary USD/JPY, after we published−0.5%

FX/24 Sept · 07:30 UTC

Swiss SNB Interest Rate Decision 0.00% vs. Exp. 0% (Prev. 0.00%); Willing to be active in the foreign exchange market as necessary to ensure appropriate monetary conditions (prev. "increased willingness").

Market, after we published+0.6%

FX/23 Sept · 16:46 UTC

The Trump administration is preparing a plan to ban exports of diesel for 90 days, despite splits inside the administration and with the oil industry, in a bid to bring down energy prices, reports Politico citing sources.

DXY, after we published+0.1%

FX/17 Sept · 11:00 UTC

STATEMENT: BoE holds rates at 3.75%, as expected; votes 6-3 (exp. 6-3), with Greene, Mann and Pill voting for a 25bps hike; APF gilt sales to be paused until April 2027.

Market, after we published−0.4%

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