FX update: USD ticks up

Stuart Cowell HFM

EUR/USD, H1

The Dollar has picked up moderately amid a backdrop of geopolitical risk. While pro-democracy protests continued in Hong Kong’s central business district, reports came in that Beijing has expanded the scope of its Hong Kong security law to cover organisations as well as individuals. It will go before the Chinese parliament this week where it’s expected to be ratified into law. The US has threatened counter measures if the law comes into effect, and the EU has signalled it will be giving a “robust” message to China on the issue. The Hang Seng and main Chinese equity indices underperformed, with losses of 0.9% and 0.3% respectively. Other markets in Asia-Pacific mostly fared better, buoyed by reopening economies and positive developments on the vaccine/treatment front with regard to the Covid-19 coronavirus. Japan’s Nikkei closed with a 0.7% gain, though both South Korea’s KOPSI and Australia’s ASX traded flat. The S&P 500 closed on Wall Street yesterday with a 1.2% gain, and futures of the index are up over 0.5%, though off highs.

In the Forex realm, the narrow trade-weighted USDIndex inched up to a high of 99.21, up from yesterday’s 24-day low at 98.90. EURUSD concurrently ebbed to a 1.0951 low, down from yesterday’s six-day high at 1.0997. USDJPY edged out a five-day low at 107.36, which marked the base of a sub 30-pip range. The commodity currencies traded with little direction, consolidating recent gains. AUDUSD settled in the mid 0.6600s, below the 11-week high that was clocked yesterday at 0.6676. USDCAD traded a narrow range in the upper 1.37s, above yesterday’s 10-week low at 1.3755.

Front-month WTI oil prices are softer today after yesterday hitting an 11-week high at $34.81. The IEA said that the pandemic crisis is causing the biggest fall in global energy investment in history. The weekly EIA inventories will be published tomorrow (Thursday) following the Memorial Day holiday on Monday. Gold markets tanked yesterday under the key daily support at $1725, and today are testing $1705 and bringing the psychological $1700 level back into play once again.

Author

Stuart Cowell

HFM

With over 25 years experience working for a host of globally recognized organisations in the City of London, Stuart Cowell is a passionate advocate of keeping things simple, doing what is probable and understanding how the news, c

EUR/USD hits two-day highs near 1.1820

EUR/USD picks up pace and reaches two-day tops around 1.1820 at the end of the week. The pair’s move higher comes on the back of renewed weakness in the US Dollar amid growing talk that the Fed could deliver an interest rate cut as early as March. On the docket, the flash US Consumer Sentiment improves to 57.3 in February.

GBP/USD reclaims 1.3600 and above

GBP/USD reverses two straight days of losses, surpassing the key 1.3600 yardstick on Friday. Cable’s rebound comes as the Greenback slips away from two-week highs in response to some profit-taking mood and speculation of Fed rate cuts. In addition, hawkish comments from the BoE’s Pill are also collaborating with the quid’s improvement.

Gold climbs further, focus is back to 45,000

Gold regains upside traction and surpasses the $4,900 mark per troy ounce at the end of the week, shifting its attention to the critical $5,000 region. The move reflects a shift in risk sentiment, driving flows back towards traditional safe haven assets and supporting the yellow metal.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP rebound amid risk-off, $2.6 billion liquidation wave

Bitcoin edges up above $65,000 at the time of writing on Friday, as dust from the recent macro-triggered sell-off settles. The leading altcoin, Ethereum, hovers above $1,900, but resistance at $2,000 caps the upside. Meanwhile, Ripple has recorded the largest intraday jump among the three assets, up over 10% to $1.35.

Three scenarios for Japanese Yen ahead of snap election

The latest polls point to a dominant win for the ruling bloc at the upcoming Japanese snap election. The larger Sanae Takaichi’s mandate, the more investors fear faster implementation of tax cuts and spending plans.

XRP rally extends as modest ETF inflows support recovery

Ripple is accelerating its recovery, trading above $1.36 at the time of writing on Friday, as investors adjust their positions following a turbulent week in the broader crypto market. The remittance token is up over 21% from its intraday low of $1.12.