IC Markets Global – Asia Fundamental Forecast | 08 December 2025
What happened in the U.S. session?
U.S. markets in the overnight New York session traded in a broadly risk‑on tone, with equities edging higher, the dollar firm but off recent peaks, and rate‑cut expectations remaining the dominant macro driver. Price action was driven more by continued digestion of this week’s inflation and sentiment data than by a single blockbuster release, so moves were directional but not explosive.
What does it mean for the Asia Session?
Monday opens quietly with focus on China trade figures and Japan sentiment surveys, setting the tone for the week’s central bank actions, like the RBA and upcoming China CPI on Wednesday. Expect moderate volatility in CNY, JPY, and AUD crosses, with traders eyeing global USD flows ahead of the Fed on Wednesday. Position for data surprises, as recent upbeat export forecasts (e.g., +3.3% YoY) could counter slowdown fears.
The Dollar Index (DXY)
Key news events today
No major news event
What can we expect from DXY today?
The dollar is trading on the back foot into Monday, 8 December 2025, with DXY hovering just under 99 after a steady grind lower over the past month as markets lean toward Fed easing in 2026. Price action is orderly rather than capitulation, with EUR/USD supported near the mid‑1.16s and broader FX positioning cautious ahead of key Fed communication this week.
Central Bank Notes:
- The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voted, by majority, to lower the federal funds rate target range by 25 basis points to 3.75% — 4.00% at its October 28–29, 2025, meeting, marking the second consecutive cut following the 25 basis points reduction in September.
- The Committee maintained its long-term objectives of maximum employment and 2% inflation, noting that the labor market continues to soften, with modest job creation and an unemployment rate edging higher. In comparison, inflation remains above target at around 3.0%.
- Policymakers highlighted ongoing downside risks to economic growth, tempered by signs of resilient economic activity. September’s consumer price index (CPI) came in slightly below expectations at 3.0% year-over-year, easing inflationary pressure but still warranting vigilance amid tariff-driven price effects.
- Economic activity expanded modestly in the third quarter, with GDP growth estimates around 1.0% annualized; however, uncertainty remains elevated amid persistent global trade tensions and the U.S. government shutdown, which is impacting data availability.
- The updated Summary of Economic Projections anticipates an unemployment rate averaging approximately 4.5% for 2025, with headline and core personal consumption expenditures (PCE) inflation projections remaining near 3.0%, indicating a slow easing path ahead.
- The Committee emphasized its flexible, data-dependent approach and underscored that future policy adjustments will be guided by incoming labor market and inflation data. As in prior meetings, there was dissent, including one member advocating a more aggressive 50-basis-point cut.
- The FOMC announced the planned conclusion of its balance sheet reduction (quantitative tightening) program, intending to cease runoff in the near term to maintain market stability. Treasury redemption caps will remain steady at $5 billion per month, and agency mortgage-backed securities caps will remain at $35 billion.
- The next meeting is scheduled for 9 to 10 December 2025.
Next 24 Hours Bias
Medium Bearish
Gold (XAU)
Key news events today
No major news event
What can we expect from Gold today?
Gold starts Monday, trading above 4,200 per ounce in a bullish but consolidative structure, with intraday projections clustering around a 4,115–4,315 range. The metal is supported by a softer dollar and strong market conviction that the Fed is on the verge of cutting rates, even as traders trim some longs into key US data and next week’s policy decision. Technically, XAUUSD remains in an uptrend but is moving sideways beneath 4,250–4,300 resistance, leaving room for corrective dips within the broader 4,060–4,375 zone that many analysts see as opportunities to re‑enter the prevailing bullish trend.
Next 24 Hours Bias
Medium Bullish
The Australian Dollar (AUD)
Key news events today
No major news event
What can we expect from AUD today?
The Australian dollar is trading with a mildly positive bias into Monday, supported by softer USD sentiment and lingering speculation that the RBA may need to keep policy restrictive for longer, but price action still looks like an extended rally that is vulnerable to corrective pullbacks. Recent AUD/USD trade has been characterised by a steady climb, with the pair rising for multiple consecutive sessions and touching its highest levels since at least October as weaker US data and a softer dollar underpin the move.
Central Bank Notes:
- The Reserve Bank of Australia held its cash rate steady at 3.60% at the November policy meeting, citing persistent inflationary pressures and lingering uncertainties in both domestic and global outlooks. This is the third consecutive pause following the cut in August.
- Policymakers remain alert to renewed inflation momentum. After a temporary uptick in September’s CPI, trimmed mean inflation for Q3 stands at 3.0%, above the intended 2–3% band. The RBA now anticipates that core inflation will stay above target until at least mid-2026, delaying any hopes of further easing.
- Headline CPI climbed by 3.2% in the year to September 2025, driven by resilient housing (+2.5%) and insurance costs, while discretionary goods inflation is subdued. The transition to monthly CPI reporting from November will improve the accuracy of inflation tracking.
- Domestic demand remains firm, particularly in services and housing, while manufacturing and discretionary retail continue to lag. Household incomes have stabilized, but high borrowing costs and elevated rents are constraining consumption and risking a slowdown in Q1 2026.
- Labor market tightness persists, though job growth has moderated. Underutilization edged higher. Wage growth is plateauing, but weak productivity is keeping unit labor costs elevated—a medium-term risk that remains central to the Board’s narrative.
- The RBA highlights geopolitical tensions and volatile commodity markets as primary global risks, against a backdrop of modest upward revisions to world growth forecasts. The Board stresses that its stance remains “cautious and data-dependent,” with ongoing vigilance on inflation, labor, and spending trends.
- Monetary policy remains mildly restrictive, balancing progress on price stability against vulnerabilities in household demand and global outlook. Board communications reaffirm a dual mandate: price stability and full employment, while underscoring readiness to respond should risks materialize sharply.
- Analysts generally expect the cash rate to remain at current levels through early 2026, with only modest cuts possible later in the year if inflation moderates. The new monthly CPI release (first full edition Nov 2025) will be watched closely for timely signals on price trends.
- The next meeting is on 9 December 2025.
Next 24 Hours Bias
Medium Bullish
The Kiwi Dollar (NZD)
Key news events today
No major news event
What can we expect from NZD today?
NZD starts the week with a mildly constructive tone after holding above recent lows, but it remains constrained by a still‑stronger US dollar backdrop and a firmly established broader downtrend. With no major New Zealand releases on Monday itself, intraday direction is likely to follow USD moves, global risk appetite, and any surprises from Chinese data, while markets position for later‑week NZ indicators and further guidance on the post‑cut RBNZ path.
Central Bank Notes:
- The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) left the Official Cash Rate (OCR) unchanged at 2.25% at its 26 November 2025 meeting, following the widely anticipated 25-basis-point reduction from 2.50%, and signaled that policy is now firmly in stimulatory territory while keeping the option of further easing on the table if needed.
- The decision was again reached by consensus, with members judging that the cumulative 325 basis points of easing over the past year warranted a period of assessment, even as several emphasized a willingness to cut further should incoming data point to a more protracted downturn or renewed disinflationary pressures.
- Headline consumer price inflation is projected to hover near 3% in late 2025 before gradually easing toward the 2% midpoint of the 1–3% target band through 2026, supported by contained inflation expectations around 2.3% over the two-year horizon and an expected pickup in spare capacity.
- The MPC noted that domestic demand remains subdued but shows tentative signs of stabilisation, with softer household spending and construction only partially offset by improving services activity; nevertheless, policymakers still expect services inflation to ease as wage growth moderates and the labour market loosens further over the coming year.
- Financial conditions continue to ease as wholesale and retail borrowing rates reprice to the lower OCR, contributing to gradually rising mortgage approvals and improving housing-related sentiment, although broader business credit growth remains patchy and sensitive to uncertainty about the durability of the recovery.
- Recent data confirm that GDP momentum is weak but not deteriorating as sharply as earlier in 2025, with high-frequency indicators pointing to a shallow recovery from a low base and ongoing headwinds from elevated living costs and fragile confidence weighing on discretionary consumption and investment.
- The MPC reiterated that external risks remain skewed to the downside, particularly from softer Chinese demand and uncertainty around United States trade policy, but noted that a lower New Zealand dollar continues to provide some offset via improved export competitiveness and support for tradables inflation.
- Looking ahead to early 2026, the Committee maintained a mild easing bias, indicating that a further cut toward 2.00–2.10% cannot be ruled out if activity fails to gain traction or if inflation undershoots projections, but current forecasts envisage the OCR remaining near 2.25% for an extended period provided inflation converges toward target and the recovery proceeds broadly as expected.
- The next meeting is on 18 February 2026.
Next 24 Hours Bias
Medium Bullish
The Japanese Yen (JPY)
Key news events today
No major news event
What can we expect from JPY today?
The Japanese yen is trading firmer going into Monday, as markets price in a high probability of a Bank of Japan rate hike on 19 December and continue to unwind carry trades built on Japan’s former near‑zero rate regime. USD/JPY has retreated from recent highs around the mid‑155 area after a sharp multi‑month rally, with several analysts treating the latest pullback as evidence that a potential 2025 top may already be in place.
Central Bank Notes:
- The Policy Board of the Bank of Japan met on 30–31 October and, by a clear majority vote, decided to maintain its key monetary policy approach for the upcoming period.
- The BOJ will continue to encourage the uncollateralized overnight call rate to remain at around 0.5%, in line with the prior stance.
- The gradual quarterly reduction in monthly outright purchases of Japanese Government Bonds (JGBs) remains intact, with amounts unchanged from the previous schedule. Purchases are set to decrease by about ¥400 billion per quarter through March 2026, shifting to about ¥200 billion per quarter from April to June 2026, and targeting a ¥2 trillion purchase level for Q1 2027. The bank reaffirmed its intention to maintain flexibility, with readiness to respond if market conditions warrant an adjustment.
- Japan’s economy continues to show moderate recovery, primarily led by solid capital expenditures, although export growth and corporate activity remain restrained by external demand uncertainty and the ongoing effects of U.S. trade policies.
- Annual headline inflation (excluding fresh food) accelerated to 2.9% year-on-year in September, marking the first uptick in four months and staying above the BOJ’s 2% target. Broad-based inflation persists, with food and energy cost pressures, but wage growth continues to support household consumption. Input cost pressures from the earlier surge in imports eased slightly.
- Short-term inflation momentum could moderate as food-price hikes ease, though rent, healthcare, and service-sector price increases tied to labor shortages provide support. Firms and households maintain a gradual upward drift in inflation expectations.
- For the near term, BOJ projects growth below trend as external demand stays subdued and corporate investment plans remain cautious. Still, accommodative financial conditions and steady gains in real labor income will underpin domestic consumption.
- Over the medium term, as overseas economies recover and trade conditions normalize, Japan’s growth potential should improve. Persistent labor market tightness, higher wage settlements, and rising medium- to long-term inflation expectations are expected to keep core inflation on a gradual upward trajectory, converging toward the 2% price stability target later in the forecast horizon.
- The next meeting is scheduled for 18 to 19 December 2025.
Next 24 Hours Bias
Medium Bearish
Oil
Key news events today
No major news event
What can we expect from Oil today?
Oil is trading near recent two‑week highs, with WTI around 60 USD and Brent around 63–64 USD per barrel going into Monday, 8 December 2025, supported by geopolitical risks but capped by a persistent oversupply narrative. The overall tone is still bearish medium term, with analysts warning that a growing glut of crude on the water could pressure prices back toward the mid‑50s for WTI if demand disappoints.
Next 24 Hours Bias
Medium Bullish
