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Daily Brief Archive

Explore our complete collection of market insights and commentary.

Hotter inflation used to lift the dollar; this week it sent investors into bonds instead
Friday, 16 October 2026 ∙ 9 min read
Hotter inflation used to lift the dollar; this week it sent investors into bonds instead

September's US producer prices rose 1.3% on the month, the steepest jump since March 2022, and retail sales beat forecasts too, yet the Dollar Index has slipped below 102 and ten-year Treasury yields fell about 13 basis

Hot US inflation lifted the dollar to an 18-month high, then a bond rally took it all back
Thursday, 15 October 2026 ∙ 10 min read
Hot US inflation lifted the dollar to an 18-month high, then a bond rally took it all back

September's US inflation report ran hot where it mattered, with core prices up 0.3% on the month, and for a few hours it did exactly what the market feared: the dollar index touched an 18-month high near 102.9, the ten-y

Missiles reached Aramco's headquarters, but today's US inflation print decides what the dollar does next
Wednesday, 14 October 2026 ∙ 9 min read
Missiles reached Aramco's headquarters, but today's US inflation print decides what the dollar does next

A Houthi missile reached Saudi Aramco's Dhahran headquarters on Tuesday evening and Brent rebuilt its premium overnight to trade at $106.26, but today's market belongs to a US inflation report. September's CPI at 13:30 B

A broken energy ceasefire pushed Brent back above $106, and the rand slipped back over 16.50
Tuesday, 13 October 2026 ∙ 8 min read
A broken energy ceasefire pushed Brent back above $106, and the rand slipped back over 16.50

Monday's oil relief lasted about a morning. Brent slipped below $103 in early Asian trade on the Russian diesel deal, then climbed to $107 as Russia kept striking Ukraine's energy infrastructure and Saudi Arabia reported

Houthi strikes on Riyadh met a Russian diesel deal, and oil chose the diesel
Monday, 12 October 2026 ∙ 9 min read
Houthi strikes on Riyadh met a Russian diesel deal, and oil chose the diesel

Oil spent the weekend weighing missiles against diesel, and diesel won. Houthi strikes on Riyadh's main airport and a drone attack on a tanker off Oman were outweighed by a US licence letting Russian diesel back onto wor

Trump's pre-election pledge cooled oil overnight, but nine tanker attacks in a week still set the floor
Friday, 09 October 2026 ∙ 9 min read
Trump's pre-election pledge cooled oil overnight, but nine tanker attacks in a week still set the floor

Oil spent yesterday pricing escalation and this morning pricing a promise. Brent jumped more than $5 to above $105 as attacks on nine tankers around Hormuz in a week stalled the recovery in Gulf exports and Hurricane Isa

A report of pre-midterm Iran strike options put Brent back above $102, and importers pay first
Thursday, 08 October 2026 ∙ 9 min read
A report of pre-midterm Iran strike options put Brent back above $102, and importers pay first

A report that Washington has asked for Iran strike options before next month's midterms put Brent back above $102 overnight, landing on top of Fed minutes in which every official backed September's hike and most expect a

Tuesday's relief rally is already fading, and tonight's ten-year auction decides whether it was only a pause
Wednesday, 07 October 2026 ∙ 9 min read
Tuesday's relief rally is already fading, and tonight's ten-year auction decides whether it was only a pause

Yesterday looked like relief. Brent slipped below $100, the dollar backed away from an 18-month high, Wall Street closed at a record, and both sterling and the rand rallied, with USD/ZAR finishing near 16.54 and GBP/USD

Ten-year Treasuries hit a 2002 high while stocks set records, and only one of them can be right
Tuesday, 06 October 2026 ∙ 9 min read
Ten-year Treasuries hit a 2002 high while stocks set records, and only one of them can be right

The 10-year Treasury yield touched 5.35% yesterday, its highest since April 2002, on the same day the Nasdaq closed at a record and the services ISM's prices gauge jumped to 74. Bond markets are pricing persistent inflat

Record fuel prices hit South Africa this week, and the rand has no cushion left
Monday, 05 October 2026 ∙ 9 min read
Record fuel prices hit South Africa this week, and the rand has no cushion left

Friday's 29,000 payrolls print should have been the dollar's worst news of the month, and for a few hours it was: Treasury yields fell, October hike odds collapsed to around one in five, and sterling and the rand both bo

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