|

Chart of the Week: Commodity currencies in focus, bears in control

  • Commodity currencies are on the backfoot for the open. 
  • AUD/USD bears seek a break of interim support. 

With the Federal Open Market Committee and headlines regarding the Delta variant, the week ahead will be an important one from both a fundamental and technical perspective.

The watchlist for swing trading FX is heating up as volatility picks up from multi-month lows amidst broad US dollar strength:

With the US dollar smile theory also in play (net dollar value is long for the first time since the pandemic began), the commodity complex is set for a bumpy ride.

This leaves the commodity currency vulnerable, especially the Aussie, considering central bank divergences.

AUD/USD technical analysis

AUD/USD is facing headwinds across the time frames, from the monthly all the way down to the 4-hour chart. 

On a monthly basis, the price has broken the monthly old resistance turned support, and the Japanese candlestick is on the path to close bearish at the end of this month:

From a weekly perspective, the candle closed bearish last week ending July 23, which leaves scope for a downside continuation in the days ahead:

On a daily perspective, the price has corrected 50% from the prior bearish impulse near 0.7390 and bears are looking for an imminent optimal short entry point on the lower time frames:

The 4-hour chart shows that the price is on the verge of breaking support below the 21 four-hour Exponential Moving Average (EMA) and, according to the FXStreet Technical Confluence Detector, below various strong confluences that would also be expected to act as resistance:

The FXS Technical Confluences Detector is an in-house tool, developed by FXStreet experts, that allows you to identify those price levels where congestion of indicators like moving averages, Fibonacci levels and pivot points occur. Knowing where these congestion points are located is very helpful as it allows the trader to see these areas of support and resistance easily.

This tool is customizable so you can choose the asset selectors and the time frame that is more suitable for your trading operations.

Other correlated pairs on the watchlist

Meanwhile, we can see similar developments in NZD/USD and AUD/JPY:

AUD/JPY daily chart

NZD/USD daily chart

Premium

You have reached your limit of 3 free articles for this month.

Start your subscription and get access to all our original articles.

Subscribe to PremiumSign In

Author

Ross J Burland

Ross J Burland, born in England, UK, is a sportsman at heart. He played Rugby and Judo for his county, Kent and the South East of England Rugby team.

More from Ross J Burland
Share:

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to our Terms and conditions.

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD drops to daily lows near 1.1630

EUR/USD now loses some traction and slips back to the area of daily lows around 1.1630 on the back of a mild bounce in the US Dollar. Fresh US data, including the September PCE inflation numbers and the latest read on December consumer sentiment, didn’t really move the needle, so the pair is still on course to finish the week with a respectable gain.

GBP/USD trims gains, recedes toward 1.3320

GBP/USD is struggling to keep its daily advance, coming under fresh pressure and retreating to the 1.3320 zone following a mild bullish attempt in the Greenback. Even though US consumer sentiment surprised to the upside, the US Dollar isn’t getting much love, as traders are far more interested in what the Fed will say next week.

Gold makes a U-turn, back to $4,200

Gold is now losing the grip and receding to the key $4,200 region per troy ounce following some signs of life in the Greenback and a marked bounce in US Treasury yields across the board. The positive outlook for the precious metal, however, remains underpinned by steady bets for extra easing by the Fed.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP pare gains despite increasing hopes of upcoming Fed rate cut

Bitcoin is steadying above $91,000 at the time of writing on Friday. Ethereum remains above $3,100, reflecting positive sentiment ahead of the Federal Reserve's (Fed) monetary policy meeting on December 10.

Week ahead – Rate cut or market shock? The Fed decides

Fed rate cut widely expected; dot plot and overall meeting rhetoric also matter. Risk appetite is supported by Fed rate cut expectations; cryptos show signs of life. RBA, BoC and SNB also meet; chances of surprises are relatively low.

Ripple faces persistent bear risks, shrugging off ETF inflows

Ripple is extending its decline for the second consecutive day, trading at $2.06 at the time of writing on Friday. Sentiment surrounding the cross-border remittance token continues to lag despite steady inflows into XRP spot ETFs.