The RBA kept all monetary policy settings. Oil rises amid the breakdown of negotiations between Israel and Hamas

The Dollar Index stabilized above 105 on Tuesday as investors continued to assess the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy outlook in light of the central bank’s recent comments. New York Fed Chairman John Williams said decisions on interest rate cuts will be made based on incoming data. At the same time, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Chairman Thomas Barkin expressed confidence that inflation will fall to 2% as the full effect of a rate hike materializes. Markets estimate the odds of a 25 bps rate cut at 10% at the June 12 FOMC meeting and 34% at the July 31 meeting.

ECB Chief Economist Lane said the latest Eurozone data gives him confidence that inflation is returning to the ECB’s 2% target, raising the likelihood of a first interest rate cut in June. ECB Governing Council spokesman Simkus said he expects the ECB to cut interest rates three times this year, starting with a planned move in June. These are strengthening factors for European indices.

WTI crude oil prices rose to $79 a barrel on Tuesday, extending gains from the previous session, as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas appeared to have stalled. Hamas agreed to the mediators’ ceasefire proposal on Monday, but Israel said the terms did not meet its demands. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has supported oil prices amid concerns it could disrupt crude supplies from the region. On the demand side, Saudi Arabia raised official selling prices for its crude oil sold to Asia, Northwest Europe, and the Mediterranean in June amid forecasts of strong oil demand this summer.

Asian markets were mostly rising on Monday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 (JP225) was not trading yesterday, China’s FTSE China A50 (CHA50) added 1.50% for the day, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HK50) was up 0.55% for the day and Australia’s ASX 200 (AU200) was positive 0.70%.

Hong Kong stocks fell to 18,480 in morning deals on Thursday, falling for the first time in 11 sessions due to losses in most sectors, particularly technology, consumer discretionary, and financials. Traders profited after the Hang Seng Index hit its highest level in 8 months. Vigilance was also heightened ahead of several key data releases from China this week, including April trade and inflation data.

As expected, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) left the money rate unchanged at 4.35% at its May meeting. The central bank kept borrowing costs unchanged for the fourth consecutive meeting, acknowledging that the return of inflation to target is unlikely to be smooth. The Council added that it needs to make sure prices move towards the 2-3% range while remaining vigilant on upside risks and reiterated that it would neither rule in nor rule out anything as it would rely on data and risk assessment. In doing so, the RBA will keep an eye on the global economy, domestic demand trends, and the inflation and labor market outlook. The ASX 200 (AU200) hit a one-month high on the back of the decision.