Forex Market Update Asia Session: Quiet Majors, ETH Leads

Session brief Neutral bias Oct 21, 2026, 00:36 UTC

Daniel TanAsia-Pacific Market Analyst · ForexR analyst

At 00:30 UTC the Asia session is still open: the dollar is mixed, Ethereum is up 1.97%, and gold at 4119.27 sits under its daily pivot ahead of today's UK CPI at 06:00 UTC.

Asia Session Snapshot

At 00:30 UTC the Asia session is still open, and London opens at 07:00 UTC. The dollar does not point one way. USD/JPY is up 0.12% and USD/CAD is up 0.06%, while EUR/USD is down 0.08% and GBP/USD is down 0.03%. AUD/USD is up 0.15%. Those changes conflict, so the dollar bias stays neutral.

Leadership sits outside the quiet majors. Ethereum is up 1.97%, the Nasdaq 100 is up 0.48%, and Bitcoin is up 0.43%. Gold is down 0.14%, while WTI crude is up 0.28% with the daily trend and the four-hour trend both up.

Sterling, the Euro and the Yen

GBP/USD at 1.33733 sits between the daily pivot at 1.33606 and R1 at 1.34257, with S1 at 1.33127 underneath. The daily trend is mixed and the four-hour trend is up. Daily RSI is 56.5, the five-day change is 0.9%, and 14-day ATR is 75.7 pips.

A break above R1 at 1.34257 would clear that resistance while price is still above the daily pivot. A move back below the daily pivot at 1.33606 would invalidate the path and leave S1 at 1.33127 as support. On this pivot map the pivot is the invalidation, not the trigger.

Today's UK inflation cluster is still ahead at 06:00 UTC. High-impact CPI year over year has a previous reading of 3.1 and an estimate of 3.4. CPI month over month has a previous reading of 0.5 and an estimate of 0.3. Core CPI year over year has a previous reading of 2.6 and an estimate of 2.7. Medium-impact retail and producer prices share that time, and the estimates are not results.

EUR/USD at 1.12264 is between S1 at 1.12064 and the daily pivot at 1.12332, so the pivot is still overhead and R1 at 1.12627 is further resistance. The daily trend is down and the four-hour trend is up. A break below S1 at 1.12064 would extend the daily downtrend. A move back above the daily pivot at 1.12332 would invalidate that downside path.

USD/JPY at 158.332 is between the daily pivot at 158.178 and R1 at 158.55, with S1 at 157.776. The daily trend is mixed and the four-hour trend is up. AUD/USD at 0.70119 is between the daily pivot at 0.69956 and R1 at 0.70218. USD/CAD at 1.40656 is between S1 at 1.40228 and the daily pivot at 1.40662, with a down four-hour trend.

Gold, Oil and Crypto

Gold at 4119.27 is between S1 at 4102.8 and the daily pivot at 4129.06. Both the daily trend and the four-hour trend are down, and the five-day change is -1%. A break under S1 at 4102.8 would take gold through that support. A recovery through the daily pivot at 4129.06 would invalidate that path, with R1 at 4146.55 still above as resistance.

WTI at 98.215 is between the daily pivot at 98.005 and R1 at 100.972, with S1 at 94.971. Both trends are up and the five-day change is 4.65%. Oil is firmer on those figures while gold is softer, and nothing here proves one caused the other.

FX Street and FXEmpire coverage clusters on gold beside rate-hike discussion, while Forexcom coverage clusters on sterling and dollar-pair price action. That newsflow is discussion only. It does not establish why these Asia prints moved.

At the October 20 close, the 3-month yield was 4.26%, the 2-year yield was 4.79%, up 2 basis points versus October 19, and the 10-year yield was 5.12%, down 3 basis points. The 2s10s spread stood at 33 basis points. Those yields are context, not proof of the Asia moves.

Ethereum at 2452.46 is up 1.97%, between the daily pivot at 2432.13 and R1 at 2490.11, with S1 at 2394.15. Both trends are mixed. A push through R1 at 2490.11 would clear resistance above the daily pivot. A move back below the pivot at 2432.13 would invalidate that and bring S1 at 2394.15 into view. Bitcoin at 83083.94 is up 0.43%, between its daily pivot at 82380.26 and R1 at 83682.02.

The Nasdaq 100 at 29799.2 is up 0.48% and already above R1 at 29738.4, so the daily pivot at 29470 and S1 at 29227.9 sit below. A slip back under R1 at 29738.4 would return the index inside the pivot ladder. Both trends are mixed.

Today's Calendar and the Bottom Line

Every item on the economic calendar below falls today. London has not opened.

• Today, 04:15 UTC: ECB's Lane speech, euro area, medium impact.
• Today, 06:00 UTC: UK CPI year over year, high impact, previous 3.1, estimate 3.4; CPI month over month, previous 0.5, estimate 0.3; core CPI year over year, previous 2.6, estimate 2.7.
• Today, 06:00 UTC: medium-impact RPI year over year, previous 3.4, estimate 3.9; RPI month over month, previous 0.6; PPI output month over month, previous 0.7, estimate 0.7; core PPI output year over year, previous 2.7; core PPI output month over month, previous 0.3.
• Today, 07:15 UTC: ECB's Nagel speech, medium impact.
• Today, 08:00 UTC: ECB's Cipollone speech, medium impact.
• Today, 10:00 UTC: German Buba Monthly Report, medium impact.

The dollar bias stays neutral because the pair changes do not agree. Ethereum, up 1.97%, is the standout gain, gold remains under the daily pivot at 4129.06, and WTI remains above the daily pivot at 98.005. Clearance of R1 at 1.34257 on GBP/USD would take that pair through first resistance, and a return under the daily pivot at 1.33606 would remove the path. For gold, a break under S1 at 4102.8 would extend the downtrends, and a move back above the daily pivot at 4129.06 would cancel that view.