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2026-09-18 Friday

2026-09-22

14:00:00

Germany's August PPI year-on-year rate

Previous : 3% Forecast : 4.10%

Published Value 4.60%

Previous

14:00:00

Germany's August PPI month-on-month rate

Previous : 1.10% Forecast : 0.40%

Published Value 1.10%

Previous

13:34:33

[Tillis Again Urges Trump to Fire Hegses: He Must Go, Impeachment or Direct Replacement Are Both Fine] (1) North Carolina Republican Senator Tom Tillis, who voted to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegses, has again urged President Trump to fire the Pentagon chief following the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll. “He must go, whether through impeachment or the easiest way—the president replacing him directly—is fine,” Tillis told reporters on Thursday. (2) Driscoll resigned in late August after clashing with Hegses over firing senior Army leadership and other reforms within the department. (3) Kentucky Republican Representative Thomas Massey introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegses on Tuesday, citing his handling of the war with Iran and accusing him of violating his oath to “support and defend the U.S. Constitution.” (4) When asked whether Republicans should support the articles of impeachment, Tillis told reporters, “I will let the House do what it has to do. I think my assessment of Mr. Hegses is pretty clear.” (5) Tillis, who is not seeking re-election in November, has been one of the most vocal Republican critics of Hegses in the Senate. Earlier this month, he wrote on social media platform X, “I have never seen such incompetent management of brave men and women who serve our country.” He also accused Hegses of sidelining experienced officers and said the Pentagon needs a leader who can “retain and strengthen the talent in our military, not weaken it.” (6) Tillis urged the president to find a new leader for the Pentagon. Earlier this year, he told Politico that Trump fired Hegses on his “Christmas wish list” and believed the Pentagon chief misled Trump on the situation regarding the war with Iran.

13:16:12

[Hawky Fed and Middle East Situation Limits Dollar Decline, Gold Rebounds but Bullish Confidence Remains Weak] 1. Gold prices fluctuated higher in Asian trading on Friday, rising as much as 0.63% to $4369.38 per ounce, but remained below the weekly high reached the previous day. Despite attracting some buying for the second consecutive trading day, bullish sentiment was clearly weak. Recent declines in oil prices eased immediate concerns about runaway inflation, and further declines in US Treasury yields from multi-year highs put dollar bulls on the defensive, providing support for gold prices. However, the Fed's hawkish outlook provided a tailwind for the dollar, preventing traders from making aggressive bullish bets on non-interest-bearing gold. 2. On Wednesday, the Fed unanimously voted to raise interest rates for the first time since 2023, and the dot plot showed officials expect one more rate hike this year. Chairman Warsh emphasized the importance of stable consumer prices for US economic growth after the meeting, noting that inflation has been persistently high. Escalating tensions in the Middle East continue to support oil prices, exacerbating concerns about energy-driven inflation and reinforcing the prospect of further Fed tightening. 3. UOB analysts pointed out that the Fed's return to a rate hike cycle is reshaping the dollar's outlook. With the Federal Reserve expected to raise interest rates twice more, the narrowing of the US interest rate differential relative to G10 peers, which previously suppressed the dollar, may reverse and support the dollar in the future. The bank believes its previous cautious stance on the dollar is increasingly being challenged, and there are upside risks to the dollar's forecasts against G10 and Asian currencies. 4. According to the CME FedWatch tool, traders see a 54% probability of another rate hike at the October meeting and an approximately 88% probability of action in December. This, along with geopolitical uncertainty, provides a tailwind for the safe-haven dollar, thus limiting gold prices. In the latest developments, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated it struck a Togolese-flagged oil tanker attempting to illegally pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Furthermore, Trump indicated he is close to making a major decision on whether to resume large-scale attacks against Iran. 5. Therefore, it is prudent to cautiously await strong follow-through buying before betting on a further recovery in precious metals from the six-week low hit on Wednesday. Traders are currently anticipating secondary macroeconomic data such as US industrial production and capacity utilization rates to be released on Friday, as well as speeches by influential FOMC members, which will boost the dollar and provide impetus for gold prices during the North American session. Meanwhile, the market will also be watching the further developments of the Middle East crisis.

13:14:35

[Multiple US State Officials Push for Data Center Halt Order: Maryland Governor Says He “Will Absolutely Sign”] (1) Maryland Governor Wes Moore (Democrat) said Thursday that he would “absolutely sign” a statewide data center halt order bill if it were on the table, joining other governors and elected officials in calling for a freeze on new data center development. (2) Moore said in an interview that he would sign the bill, believing that local jurisdictions should have a say, but he has strict guidelines on state approval and state power. 13 of Maryland’s 24 jurisdictions have already implemented temporary bans, including Baltimore, Montgomery, and Prince George’s counties; residents strongly oppose the impact of data centers on housing and utility costs. Moore, who is running for re-election in November, urged data centers to be self-powered and comply with environmental regulations, essentially leaving the decision-making power to local officials. (3) At the federal level, Senator Martin Heinrich (Democrat of New Mexico) blocked a Republican-led bill on Thursday that would require states to consider having tech companies bear the increased electricity costs of their operations. Heinrich said that this is not enough, and Congress needs to pass truly binding legislation, not voluntary commitments or suggestions. (4) New Mexico gubernatorial candidate Deb Harland (Democrat) announced his support for the moratorium on the same day, emphasizing the environmental impact and calling for data centers to build their own renewable energy infrastructure to prevent the public from paying for soaring energy costs. (5) Texas Governor Greg Abbott (Republican) on Monday instructed the Texas Water Resources Development Commission to penalize data centers that fail to comply with the state's water requirements, or face criminal consequences and lose their licenses or renewals. (6) President Trump has stated that data centers must pay for their own water and electricity consumption, a growing bipartisan consensus; however, in July he criticized New York Governor Hozul's statewide freeze on data center development, saying that data centers are a huge win for states and communities that have them, and that the radical left should not be allowed to cause the United States to lose out on data centers, AI, and new technologies.

Real-Time Popular Commodities

Instrument Current Price Change

XAU

4363.68

20.16

(0.46%)

XAG

66.388

0.384

(0.58%)

CONC

92.09

-0.28

(-0.30%)

OILC

100.03

-3.16

(-3.07%)

USD

100.410

0.000

(0.00%)

EURUSD

1.1464

0.0002

(0.01%)

GBPUSD

1.3370

0.0005

(0.03%)

USDCNH

6.6927

0.0002

(0.00%)