October 9th, London Update: Global Markets and Geopolitical Briefing

The Financial Source Podcast

Show Notes — Current Market & News Briefing (Thu, 9 Oct 2025, Europe Open)

Focus: FX, commodities, trade/tariffs, geopolitics
Excluded: Equities, fixed income (unless tied to FX), crypto

FX

• USD: Firm carry from prior session.
• EUR: Modest rebound off ~1.16 as France signals new PM path and possible budget by year-end; uncertainty still a drag.
• JPY: Steady after earlier slide; markets digest soft wage data and watch for official pushback on FX pace.
• GBP: Slightly higher after brief dip below 1.34; few new domestic drivers.
• NZD/AUD: NZD retraces part of post-RBNZ slump after -50 bp cut; AUD buoyed by constructive regional tone.

Commodities

• Gold: Pulls back from ATHs but holds near $4,000/oz on lingering policy/geopolitical risk.
• Oil: Fractionally softer on Gaza ceasefire headlines; tempered by China’s post-holiday demand returning.
• Metals/Energy: Copper firmer as Chinese markets reopen; UK system operators confident on winter gas/power supply.

Trade, Tariffs & Tech Policy

• US–EU: Brussels wary that fresh US demands could hollow out a budding trade understanding; Washington frames as “reciprocal, fair, balanced.”
• China: New rare-earth export controls from Dec 1—licenses for dual-use items; stricter rules for military end-users.
• North America: Canada cites “meeting of minds” with US on steel/auto and scope for bilateral deals alongside USMCA.

Geopolitics

• Middle East (Gaza): Mediators say terms agreed for phase-one ceasefire—hostage-prisoner exchange and initial Israeli pullback; cabinet approval and implementation steps expected imminently.
• Taiwan/China: Taipei warns of intensified hybrid warfare (cyber, AI-enabled ops, gray-zone pressure) by China.
• Russia–US: Moscow signals tougher line on plutonium agreement obligations; strategic-stability rhetoric elevated.

Sign-off: Watch whether the Gaza ceasefire holds, the dollar’s tone vs. EUR/JPY, gold’s grip on $4k, oil as China demand normalizes, and the policy ripple effects from rare-earth controls and US–EU trade posture.