Sydney Open Briefing: Thursday, October 22, 2026
The Sydney session opens with a generally positive sentiment from overnight trading, as US equities closed higher. The USTEC gained +0.50%, the US30 rose +0.44%, and the US500 was up +0.28%. Gold, XAUUSD, also saw an increase of +0.29%. European markets were mixed, with the DE40 up +0.16% while the UK100 declined -0.23%. The Risk Meter stands at +0.09.
Recent EIA data releases showed notable figures. Crude Oil Imports Change was 0.837M, above the 0.462M consensus. Gasoline Production Change came in at 0.518M against a 0.145M consensus, and Distillate Fuel Production Change was 0.043M compared to a -0.02M consensus. Heating Oil Stocks Change also surprised at 0.652M versus 0.205M consensus. The Refinery Utilization Rate Change was -0.1%, and Refinery Crude Oil Daily Inputs Change was 0.034M.
Looking at currency performance over the last 24 hours, the AUD is the strongest, up +0.28%, followed by the NZD at +0.20%. The EUR is the weakest, down -0.16%, with the USD also declining -0.12%. Crowd positioning shifts include the XAUUSD book moving 15pt toward short. On USDJPY, the book flipped from 59% short to 51% long, and on AUDUSD, it shifted from 51% long to 54% short.
Upcoming events for the session include New Zealand’s CPI q/q and CPI y/y at Wed 21:45 UTC. Consensus for CPI q/q is 0.8%, down from the previous 1.5%, while CPI y/y consensus is 5.1%, up from 4.1%. The BOK Monetary Policy Board Meeting is also scheduled for Thu 01:00 UTC. The New Zealand CPI releases will be a key focus for traders in the early Sydney session.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Biggest moves since the previous session | USTEC +0.50%, US30 +0.44%, XAUUSD +0.29% |
| Currency strength, 24h | AUD strongest at +0.28%, EUR weakest at -0.16% |
| Risk meter | +0.09 (mildly risk-on) |
Scheduled this session (High and Medium impact)
| Time | Ccy | Event | Impact | Consensus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21:45 UTC | NZD | New Zealand CPI q/q | High | 0.8% |
| 21:45 UTC | NZD | CPI y/y | Medium | 5.1% |
| 01:00 UTC | KRW | BOK Monetary Policy Board Meeting | Medium | – |
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.