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Global Markets Unsteady as Central Banks Hold Rates and Geopolitical Tensions Escalate

The Bank of Japan and Federal Reserve maintain interest rate policies, while conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, Germany's fiscal expansion, and U.S. trade uncertainty roil investor sentiment.

A person eats near the Bank of England building in London, Britain, February 3, 2025. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo
Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
An electronic board displays Jakarta composite index at Indonesia Stock Exchange in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
A man is silhouetted beneath a screen displaying Japan's Nikkei share average in Tokyo, Japan March 4, 2025. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File photo

Overview

  • The Bank of Japan has kept its interest rate policy unchanged, with investors awaiting Governor Kazuo Ueda's briefing for signals on future hikes.
  • The Federal Reserve is expected to hold rates steady, with traders pricing in potential rate cuts later in the year as economic projections are released.
  • Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have killed over 400 people, breaking a two-month ceasefire and intensifying geopolitical tensions.
  • Germany's parliament approved a historic fiscal expansion aimed at economic growth and military strengthening, pushing the euro to a five-month high.
  • Gold prices remain near record highs as investors seek safe-haven assets in response to volatile markets and escalating global conflicts.