Ireland’s consumer confidence rose to 61.2 in December, up slightly from 61 the previous month. This modest increase suggests a cautious optimism among consumers regarding the economic outlook.<\/p>\n
In other updates, the EUR\/USD stabilised near 1.1650 before the US Nonfarm Payrolls report. December’s job gains were forecasted at 60,000, slightly down from November’s 64,000, potentially influencing the Federal Reserve’s policy decisions.<\/p>\n
The GBP\/USD pair remained around 1.3430, with the Relative Strength Index at a neutral 51.9. Despite a day of subdued trading, signs point to a potential pullback if the RSI dips below 50.<\/p>\n
Gold maintained a position under a crucial resistance just shy of $4,500, with future movements tied to US Nonfarm Payrolls data. Meanwhile, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple managed to maintain their key support levels, raising hopes for short-term recovery.<\/p>\n
Ripple experienced a third day of decline, trading lower amid heightened cryptocurrency market volatility. Following a peak at $2.41, it faced substantial profit-taking activity.<\/p>\n
We’re looking at a 2026 with clearer skies after the major shifts of 2025, a year where many expected a much harder landing for the economy. The recent minor uptick in Irish consumer confidence to 61.2 mirrors this cautious stability we see across Europe. However, with the VIX, a key measure of market fear, holding just below 20, the market is pricing in the potential for sudden turbulence.<\/p>\n
All eyes are on the upcoming US Nonfarm Payrolls report, which is the main event traders are positioning for. The market consensus is for a modest 60,000 job gain, which would confirm the cooling trend we saw in the final quarter of 2025. Given that last year’s average monthly gain was closer to 110,000, a number below expectations could significantly increase bets on a Fed rate cut and put pressure on the dollar.<\/p>\n
With EUR\/USD hovering near 1.1650 and GBP\/USD stuck below 1.3450, we see low implied volatility ahead of the jobs data. This presents an opportunity for derivative plays like straddles or strangles, betting on a significant price move in either direction once the numbers are released. A weak NFP report would likely send EUR\/USD through its recent resistance, while a surprisingly strong number could validate the Fed’s cautious stance.<\/p>\n
Gold remains a critical hedge, battling resistance just under the $4,500 level in a market still nervous about persistent inflation, which we saw tick up to 3.8% in the latest CPI reading. The upcoming Supreme Court ruling on presidential tariff powers adds a layer of political uncertainty that supports holding long positions. A weaker dollar post-NFP would be the immediate catalyst needed for a breakout above this key psychological barrier.<\/p>\n
This holding pattern is visible across asset classes, with major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin also finding key support after a mid-week rejection. The core strategy for the coming weeks should be centered on volatility rather than direction. Selling options to collect premium might seem attractive in this quiet market, but the number of upcoming catalysts suggests buying volatility at these subdued levels could provide a much better risk-reward profile.<\/p>\n
Create your live VT Markets account<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0start trading<\/a>\u00a0now. <\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Irish consumer confidence edges higher; markets await US jobs data; crypto shows resilience despite Ripple’s slump.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":17023,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-live-updates"],"acf":{"acf_article_selection_author":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38679"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38679\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}