Macro Events & News

Dr. Nektarios Michail HFM

FX News Today

Stocks in Asia traded mixed, amid lingering concerns over US-Sino trade relations and doubt whether the talks will bring sufficient progress to prevent another round of punitive tariffs.

Chinese equities rallied after returning from last week’s holiday, with small caps and stocks in the tech hub of Shenzhen rallying. The Hang Seng was up 0.46% as of 6:30GMT the CSI 300 up 1.62% and Shanghai and Shenzen Comp climbed 1.18% and 2.58% respectively.

Japanese markets were closed for a holiday, so Treasury futures won’t trade either until Europe opens.

Elsewhere in Asia bonds traded mixed with Australia outperforming as the ASX underperformed and dropped -0.17%.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He will meet Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and Trade Representative Lightizer in Beijing for high level talks this week.

Meanwhile the government in Washington may be heading for another shutdown, which is adding to caution in wider markets.

US futures are slightly in the red, while European futures moved slightly higher. The front end WTI future is trading at USD 52.22 per barrel.

Charts of the Day

Main Macro Events Today

Swiss CPI – The inflation rate in Switzerland is expected to have stood at 0.6% y/y in January, down from 0.7% y/y in December.

UK GDP and Production Data – UK GDP is expected to have stood at 1.4% y/y in the final quarter of 2018, compared to 1.5% y/y growth in Q3. Manufacturing production is expected to have declined by 0.7% y/y, compared to a decline of 1.1% y/y in November. Industrial Production is expected to have increased by 0.2% m/m, compared to a decline of 0.4% in November.

US Unit Labour Cost – US Unit Labour Cost growth are expected to have stood at 1.7% in 2018Q4, compared to 0.9% in the third quarter.

Support and Resistance

Author

Dr. Nektarios Michail

HFM

With more than 4 years of experience at the Central Bank of Cyprus where he obtained hands-on experience with real-life economics, Dr Nektarios Michail is a supporter of a balanced approach between science and art when it comes to

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.