With events in Europe less of a source of price action, all eyes were on the monthly US jobs report which saw a miss on the headline NFP reading, downward revision to the previous, weak net revision, disappointing earnings data and the fall in the unemployment rate was due to participants exiting the labour market and not as a result of job creation. Will the jobs report overall relatively disappointing this saw an instant bout of weakness in the USD as participants pushed back expectations of Fed rate lift-off with Fed Fund rates now indicating a higher probability of a rate hike by the Fed in 2016 (January 2016 - 66%), as opposed to 59% probability of a hike in December 2015 prior to the release. Probability of a rate hike in December 2015 now stands at 49%.
Aside from the jobs report, the SEK was weighed on after the Riksbank unexpectedly cut their interest rate by 10bps to -0.35% from -0.25%, QE extended by SEK 45bln and cut inflation expectations for 2015 & 2016. Elsewhere, UK Construction PMI (58.1 vs. Exp. 56.5) came out better than expected, leading to strength in GBP in the first half of the session.
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