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The Bank of Japan is expected to leave policy ucnahged today.

As is always the case with Bank of Japan meetings there is no set time for the statement. Experience suggests 0230 to 0330 GMT ( 2230 – 2330 US Eastern time) is a reasonable time to expect it. What is known re timing is that Ueda’s press conference will begin at 0630 GMT (0230 US Eastern time).

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at www.forexlive.com.

Good morning, afternoon and evening all. Any charts, technical analysis, trade ideas, thoughts, views, ForexLive traders would like to share and discuss with fellow ForexLive traders, please do so:

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at www.forexlive.com.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) is scheduled to report its Q1 2025 earnings after the market closes today, Wednesday, April 30.​

Earnings Expectations

• Earnings Per Share (EPS): Analysts anticipate an EPS of $5.21, representing an 11% increase from $4.71 in Q1 2024.

• Revenue: Projected at $41.36 billion, marking a 13% year-over-year growth from $36.45 billion

Key Focus Areas

• Advertising Revenue: Advertising constitutes approximately 97% of Meta’s total revenue. Analysts are closely monitoring the impact of recent U.S. tariffs, especially given that over 10% of Meta’s ad revenue is derived from China-based advertisers.

• AI Investments: Meta is investing heavily in artificial intelligence, with capital expenditures projected between $60 billion and $65 billion for 2025. The company recently introduced the Llama 4 series of AI models and launched the Meta AI app, aiming to enhance user engagement across its platforms. ​

• Reality Labs: The division responsible for Meta’s metaverse initiatives, Reality Labs, has accumulated approximately $50 billion in losses since 2020. Investors are keen to see if Meta will implement cost-cutting measures or provide updates on the division’s future direction. ​

Stock Performance

• Year-to-Date: META shares have declined by approximately 7.44%.

• From February 2025 all time High at $740.91: The stock has dropped about 35.24% from its peak to the low for the year on April 21

• Recent Rebound: There has been a modest recovery of around 12.90% from the recent lows.

• Moving Averages: The stock is currently trading below its 200-day moving average at $578.68 and its 50-day moving average at $587.95.​

This article was written by Greg Michalowski at www.forexlive.com.

The number of markets where even an entry-level home costs $1 million has nearly tripled since 2020.

The WSJ reports that Republicans are looking at a proposal that the Biden administration had floated: Limiting the deductibility of corporate salaries above $1m.

The move would raise around $20 billion per year, which still leaves a huge funding cap.

Bessent said this week that Republicans are looking to pass the bill before July 4, later than the initial Memorial Day push.

This article was written by Adam Button at www.forexlive.com.

The headliners for earnings after the close today are Meta and Microsoft and whatever they deliver on earnings will be critical for those stocks and the Nasdaq. More broadly, I’ll be looking for a few things:

1) Indications on AI capex, including from Qualcomm

2) Any guidance around the strength of the consumer, though we got some very strong comments from Visa yesterday and they have better data than anyone. Someone like Cheesecake Factory could have something to say, as that’s a sensitive category.

3) CP might have some insight on the freight market

4) Energy companies could offer clues on capex, given low oil prices

Meta is right after the close and MSFT is scheduled for 4:15 pm ET.

This article was written by Adam Button at www.forexlive.com.

The price of WTI crude oil futures settled at $58.21. That’s down -$2.21 or -3.7%.

The low price today reached $57.94. The high price was at $60.39. The price traded to the lowest level: back to April 9. The settlement is the first below 60 since April 8. The lowest close this year was at $58.15, just below this level.

There are a number of different reasons for the decline including:

• Concerns that U.S. tariff policies are slowing global growth and may push the U.S. economy into recession.

• U.S. Q1 GDP contracted by 0.3%, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis—well below the expected 0.8% growth and a sharp reversal from 2.4% growth in Q4 2024.

• Consumer confidence has plummeted, with the index hitting its lowest level since 1990, signaling widespread concern among households.

• Private sector hiring sharply missed expectations, with the ADP Employment Report showing just 62,000 new jobs in April—far below the 134,000 forecast and down from 147,000 in March.

• OPEC+ is adding significant new supply, with 411,000 barrels/day set to return to market in May and more likely in June as the group unwinds its 2.2M bpd voluntary cuts.

• Saudi Arabia is signaling readiness for a “prolonged period of low prices”, aiming to regain market share and retaliate against countries like Kazakhstan and Iraq for overproducing.

The only positive today was that

• Oil inventories unexpectedly declined, with the EIA reporting a 2.7M barrel draw last week vs. expectations for a 0.39M barrel build, but the bullish signal was overshadowed by broader macro and supply-side pressures.

Looking at the daily chart, the low price for the year – are going back to February 2021 reached $55.15 on April 7. There is no below support between the current level and that level.

This article was written by Greg Michalowski at www.forexlive.com.

Investors and consumers are growing skeptical that Trump can execute a series of bilateral trade agreements in time to avoid crippling U.S. imports and exports.

The NASDAQ index saw sharp selling in the first hour of trading today, dropping nearly 500 points to a session low of 16,959.53. At the lows, the index was nearing key support from the 200-hour moving average (currently at 16,940) and the rising 50-hour moving average (around 16,959). Buyers stepped in at those levels, halting the decline and sparking a rebound.

The recovery has since pushed the index above a key swing level at 17,238.24, shifting the focus back to the 50% retracement of the move down from the December 2024 all-time high. That midpoint stands at 17,494.31. Yesterday, the index briefly moved above this level but failed to hold the gains into the close.

Near-term risk now sits at 17,238.24. Stronger support remains at the 50-hour and 200-hour moving averages. A break below both would shift control back to sellers and undermine the bullish momentum.

This article was written by Greg Michalowski at www.forexlive.com.