Recently, US Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman advocated for rate cuts for the remainder of 2025, citing labour market challenges overriding inflation concerns. Meanwhile, China’s July CPI and PPI figures were released, with Nvidia and AMD set to contribute 15% of their China chip sales revenue to the US for export licences. Despite Japan’s market closure for a holiday, US equity index futures saw slight gains.
In other US news, military preparations for potential deployment in Washington were noted as Japanese markets remained shut, resulting in reduced liquidity. The US dollar showed marginal weakening, with FX pairs trading within narrow ranges. Asian stocks experienced modest gains, with Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 up by 0.28%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng up by 0.26%, and Shanghai Composite rising by 0.5%.
Cryptocurrency and Market Movements
As BTC/USD surpassed US$121K and ETH/USD reached its highest level since December 2021, US bond trade saw limited activity. Reports about Nvidia and AMD’s export tax agreement with the US government gained wider attention. The markets continue to anticipate further developments in trade and interest rate policies.
With Fed Governor Bowman now calling for rate cuts at every remaining meeting this year, the market’s focus has clearly shifted from inflation to a weakening labor market. This pivot suggests traders should consider positioning for lower short-term interest rates, potentially using options on SOFR futures. The dovish signal is a strong tailwind for equity indices, making call options on the Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 look attractive.
We must remember the long and stubborn inflation fight the Fed waged through 2023 and 2024, holding rates at multi-decade highs. That battle now seems to be won, but at a cost to the job market, which is now the Fed’s main worry. With the US unemployment rate having ticked up from its lows below 4% last year, Bowman’s comments confirm that the central bank’s pain threshold for job losses has been reached.
Impact of Nvidia and AMD Agreement
The news about Nvidia and AMD paying a 15% revenue share to the US for China sales was expected to hit tech hard, but it did not. The fact that Nasdaq futures climbed on the news shows that the prospect of lower interest rates is far more important to the market right now. This suggests implied volatility on these specific tech names might decrease, as a major political uncertainty is now resolved.
China’s economic data continues to paint a bleak picture, with flat consumer prices and falling producer prices signaling persistent weak demand. The liquidation of another property developer, China South City, confirms the housing crisis is far from over. This ongoing weakness in our largest trading partner could pressure the Australian dollar, especially with the Reserve Bank of Australia also expected to cut rates this week.
The struggles in China’s property market are a continuation of a trend we have watched unfold for years, beginning with the defaults of giants like Evergrande back in 2023. These new deflationary statistics and developer failures reinforce a long-term bearish view on the region’s industrial demand. Therefore, traders might see this as an opportunity to purchase puts on currencies and commodities closely tied to Chinese growth.
Amid these major economic shifts, geopolitical tensions and market-specific stories are adding volatility. The ongoing war in Ukraine and new tensions with Iran suggest holding some portfolio protection, like VIX calls, remains a prudent strategy. Meanwhile, the powerful rally in Bitcoin and Ether, which has sent Ether to its highest price since late 2021, shows that a separate bull market is running in the crypto space, rewarding momentum-based strategies.
