New York Open Briefing: Wednesday, September 23, 2026
The New York session opens with European equities trading lower, reflecting a cautious tone. The DE40 is down -1.18% and the UK100 is down -0.64%. Gold, XAUUSD, has also seen a move lower by -0.60%. The US30 is down -0.35%. In currency markets, the USD has been the strongest performer over the last 24 hours, up +0.51%, while AUD is down -0.17% and GBP is down -0.18%. This aligns with AUDUSD down -0.50% and GBPUSD down -0.34%.
Recent data releases include Germany’s 30-Year Bond Auction at 3.8%. From South Africa, Core CPI y/y came in at 4.1% against a consensus of 4.8%, while CPI y/y was 4.4% compared to a 3.7% consensus. Hong Kong’s CPI y/y was 1.7%, slightly below the 1.8% consensus. The risk meter currently stands at +0.15, indicating a slightly risk-on but near-neutral sentiment. Retail books show disagreement by 20 points on both USDJPY and GBPUSD.
Looking ahead, the SARB Interest Rate Decision is due at 13:00 UTC, with the previous rate at 7%. Later, at 14:05 UTC, Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Barr is scheduled to speak. High-impact EIA Crude Oil Stocks Change data for the USD is expected at 14:30 UTC, with a consensus of 0.895M.
Traders will be closely watching the EIA Crude Oil Stocks Change data this afternoon.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Biggest moves since the previous session | DE40 -1.18%, UK100 -0.64%, XAUUSD -0.60% |
| Currency strength, 24h | USD strongest at +0.51%, NZD weakest at -0.29% |
| Risk meter | +0.15 (mildly risk-on) |
Scheduled this session (High and Medium impact)
| Time | Ccy | Event | Impact | Consensus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13:00 UTC | ZAR | SARB Interest Rate Decision | Medium | – |
| 14:05 UTC | USD | Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Barr Speech | Medium | – |
| 14:30 UTC | USD | EIA Crude Oil Stocks Change | High | 0.895M |
| 14:30 UTC | USD | EIA Cushing Crude Oil Stocks Change | Medium | -0.018M |
| 15:45 UTC | EUR | Germany Bbk Executive Board Member Mauderer Speech | Medium | – |
| 17:00 UTC | USD | 5-Year Note Auction | Medium | – |
| 01:30 UTC | AUD | Australia Employment Change | High | 22.5K |
| 01:30 UTC | AUD | Unemployment Rate | High | 4.5% |
Times are UTC. This brief describes measured market state and the published schedule. It is not financial advice and nothing in it is a trade recommendation.