Insights Archive

From a financial historian's perspective, 2020 will go down as one of the most active years in the modern era. A number of events sent the capital markets into a state of flux, namely the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Amid the presence of COVID-19 and subsequent economic shutdown, the world's currency, commodity, debt and equity markets experienced unprecedented volatility. Governments and central banking authorities took dramatic steps to stem the tides…

The Australian fires of 2019-20 brought acute environmental and economic damage to the continent. Following an extended period of abnormally dry, windy weather, Australia experienced one of its worst fire seasons on record. From September 2019 to January 2020, "bushfires" decimated an estimated 20 million acres, accounted for 25 human deaths and half a billion animal fatalities. Aside from being an environmental catastrophe, the economic implications stemming from the fires…

The early 2020 onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic posed a collection of unique financial and societal challenges. Extreme pricing volatility struck nearly every asset class including currencies, commodities and equities. Travel restrictions and prolonged quarantines made conducting business-as-usual impossible. For a majority of the world's citizens, everyday life was altered in ways unimaginable only a few months earlier. This included one of the world's time-honoured traditions, the 2020 Summer…

The early 2020 onset of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic brought chaos to the financial markets. From its initial detection in Wuhan, China to the outbreak's late-February global explosion, the virus unhinged markets worldwide. No asset class was spared from COVID-19's wrath, beit equities, commodities, bonds or currencies. In an attempt to mitigate the negative economic implications of the coronavirus, central banking authorities turned to aggressive monetary policies. Led by…

As soon as "leave" became the outcome of the 2016 U.K. Brexit Referendum, the future of trade between South Africa (SA), the United Kingdom (U.K.) and the European Union (EU) was thrown into flux. Upon the 31 December 2020 Brexit transition deadline passing, a new set of parameters will govern the multi-faceted commercial dynamic. South Africa's Trade Relations With The U.K. And EU South Africa's trade relationship with the EU…

On 30 October 2019, British Parliament approved a general election that was scheduled to take place 12 December 2019. This event could impact the pound's price because it could grant either the Labour or Conservative Party a majority, making it easier for the U.K. lawmakers to finalise Brexit with the European Union (EU). If Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party attains a majority in Parliament as a result of the…

The 29 October 2018 resignation of Angela Merkel as German Chancellor proved to be a destabilizing factor in the valuation of the euro (EUR). Subsequent volatility spiked as currency traders evaluated the future of the EUR as well as the entire eurozone.

FXCM Insights explores what could happen to global markets and currencies if Italy left the eurozone, a move that has been discussed by political parties within the country.

With no historical precedent, the U.S. Federal Reserve's unwinding process is a significant event in the financial sphere. Learn what it could mean for world markets at FXCM.

The Brexit initiative has been fraught with uncertainty. Find out if the June 2017 UK election will have an impact on the GBP and your trading strategy.