US debt ceiling talk dominated markets this week as uncertainty kept investors cautious with so much debt fault risk around. Although most analysts see the actual chances of a US default as an unlikely outcome, it is still a tail risk markets have had to deal with all week. CAD inflation came in hot on Tuesday and this will be a concern for the Bank of Canada at its next meeting in early June. Oil prices are trying to find a base helped by the IEA’s forecast this week focusing on the tighter oil market that is still expected in the second half of 2023.

Other key events from the past week

Key events for the coming week

  • NZD: RBNZ rate meeting, May 24: The RBNZ is widely expected to hike interest rates by 25bps to 5.50% next week. However, will this be the last rate hike from the RBNZ before going on hold? Watch the AUDNZD pair next week.
  • Seasonal Insights: Is Visa set for end-of-year seasonal gains?
  • GBP: UK inflation data, May 24: Inflation data is now a major focus for the BoE after the last rate meeting. If inflation comes in higher than market expectations again next week then the GBP will likely gain as traders price in yet more hikes to come from the BoE on June 22.

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HYCM Lab is a financial analysis source that provides regular insights on how global news affects the markets including forex, commodities, stocks, indices, and cryptocurrencies*. Run by the HYCM team, it equips traders with everything needed to make informed trading decisions.