U.S. Halts Dollar Shipments to Iraq, Suspends Military Cooperation to Pressure Disbanding of Iran-Backed Militias

Five Central Banks to Hold Policy Meetings This Week; Monetary Decisions Expected to Drive Markets

Gate News message, April 27 — Five major central banks—the Bank of Japan, Bank of Canada, U.S. Federal Reserve, Bank of England, and European Central Bank—will hold policy meetings this week, with monetary policy decisions expected to be the primary market driver, according to Asger Wilhelm

U.S. Treasury Yields Rise Amid Middle East Tensions; Fed Rate Decision Looms This Week

Gate News message, April 27 — U.S. Treasury yields climbed during Asian trading hours on April 27, with the 2-year yield rising 2.3 basis points to 3.798% and the 10-year yield gaining 1.4 basis points to 4.323%, according to Tradeweb data. Persistent Middle East tensions kept oil prices elevated, w

Australian Dollar Hits 1-Year High Against Singapore Dollar

The Australian dollar reached its strongest level against the Singapore dollar in a year as of April 24, 2026, trading at approximately 0.9112 Australian dollars per Singapore dollar, just below a one-year high of 0.9152 reached on April 17, according to Bloomberg data. The currency strength is

Iran Mandates Hormuz Strait Transit Fees Must Be Paid in Iranian Rial

Gate News message, April 27 — Ibrahim Azizi, chairman of Iran's Islamic Parliament's Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy, said on April 26 that transit fees for the Strait of Hormuz must be settled in Iranian rial, Iran's official currency. Azizi also stated that vessels and cargo

Powell presides over his final FOMC, with Waller taking over a $6.7 trillion balance sheet

The Chair of the Federal Reserve (Fed), Jerome Powell, will host his final press conference for the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) on April 29 (Wednesday) to conclude his eight-year tenure as chair. After President Trump’s nominee, Kevin Warsh, takes over, he will face a policy environment of a 6.7 trillion dollar Fed balance sheet and a rebound in inflation.

Powell’s final dance? Middle East conflict pushes inflation higher; the Fed is expected to hold steady this week

This week, central banks around the world announced their interest-rate decisions, and the market expects the Federal Reserve to keep rates unchanged. The conflict in the Middle East has escalated; shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been disrupted, pushing up energy and raw material prices and increasing global inflation pressure. As a result, central banks are taking a cautious wait-and-see approach. The estimated U.S. GDP is 2.2% annualized, and PCE has risen, indicating that economic resilience and inflation are coexisting. The market generally believes that the Fed will maintain interest rates. Powell may be hosting for the last time during his tenure, and the Warsh appointment path is also affected by the DOJ incident.