EUR/USD forms rectangle pattern as Omicron cases surge

The price of crude oil retreated on Monday as investors reflected on the surging number of Omicron cases and measures to contain the variant. Brent, the global benchmark, declined to $70.65 while the West Texas Intermediate price fell to $67. Many countries are now taking measures to slow the spread of the virus. For example, Germany has announced plans that will place limits on UK travelers. In addition to testing requirements, UK travelers will need to quarantine for ten days. There are also calls for the UK government to add more restrictions as the number of cases jumped.

Global stocks declined sharply today as worries of the Omicron variant converged with fears of hawkish central banks. In the United States, futures tied to the Dow Jones declined by more than 387 points while those tied to the Nasdaq 100 fell by more than 200 points. In Europe, the DAX, CAC 40, and Stoxx 50 declined by more than 1%. Investors believe that the rising Covid cases will lead to more supply chain disruptions. Some of the worst-performing stocks today were in the aviation, energy, and hospitality sectors. Meanwhile, the decision by Joe Manchin not to back Joe Biden’s flagship policy also contributed to the sell-off.

The New Zealand dollar was little changed after relatively positive trade numbers. According to the country’s statistics agency, imports rose from N$6.66 billion in October to N$6.75 billion in November. At the same time, exports rose from N$5.36 billion to more than N$5.86 billion. As a result, the country’s trade deficit widened to about N$864 million. These numbers revealed that New Zealand’s economy is doing well, with demand rising. 

NZD/USD 

The NZDUSD pair has been in a bearish trend in the past few weeks. It has managed to drop from a high of 0.7218 in October to the current 0.6717. On the four-hour chart, the pair has moved below the 25-day and 50-day moving averages. It has also moved below the key support level at 0.6735, which was the lowest level on December 7. Therefore, the pair will likely keep falling as the risk-off sentiment resumes.

XBR/USD

The XBRUSD pair declined to a low of 69.60 as worries of the rising number of Covid-19 cases jumped. The pair is still slightly below the chin of the double-top pattern at 72.30. It also moved below the 25-day moving average and is along the lower line of the Bollinger Bands. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) has moved to the oversold level. Therefore, the pair will likely keep falling in the near term.

EUR/USD

The EURUSD attempted to bounce back after falling to a multi-week low of 1.1232 last week. The pair has found a rectangle pattern that is shown in red. It is slightly above the lower line of this channel. It has also moved slightly below the 25-day moving average. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) has moved to the neutral level of 46. Therefore, the pair will likely remain inside this rectangle during the American session.