How major events affect FX & Gold
- Rate decisions (Fed, ECB, BoE, BoJ, SNB, BoC, RBA) — Hawkish tone = stronger currency; dovish = weaker. Gold tends to drop when yields rise.
- Inflation (CPI) — Hot CPI → stronger USD/GBP/EUR; soft CPI → weaker. Gold reacts inversely to USD and real yields.
- Labor market (NFP, Unemployment, UK Jobs Report) — Strong jobs = currency support. Initial spikes can whipsaw; trend often sets after a few minutes.
- PMI/ISM — Leading growth signals; strong prints support currencies. UK Services PMI is often key for GBP volatility.
- GDP/Retail Sales — Better growth = stronger currency. GBP reacts to UK GDP & retail strongly, CAD to oil-linked sales, AUD to China demand.
- Central-bank speeches — Guidance shifts reprice markets instantly. BoE commentary often sparks GBP swings.
- Risk sentiment — Risk-off boosts CHF/JPY, supports gold; risk-on can weigh on them while lifting AUD/GBP.