We’ve witnessed choppy price action across most major instruments during this week and the reason behind this type of price action is the increased level of uncertainty surrounding Europe, the United Kingdom and the US. With no tier-1 economic reports released over the past 4 days investors were not looking to make any major bets hence the lack of follow-through in most price swings.
We should expect a similar price action during today’s session even though there is a potential for a surprise depending on how the Euro-zone Finance Ministers’ meeting on Greece goes. We have little hope that any major decisions will be made today hence we shouldn’t expect any drastic changes but we should always be prepared for anything.
Yesterday the Single currency managed to pick up some more gains against the US Dollar and ended the day above the 1.0800 level. It might seem like there is a sense of optimism among traders about today’s FinMin meeting however a more careful analysis of the price action across all instruments will reveal that the climb was triggered from a short-covering attempt.
This means that traders preferred to close off some of their more aggressive pro-Dollar positions on the Euro ahead of the weekend allowing the likes of the Euro to move to the upside. Any sudden surprises in the form of a deal made today should drive the currency towards the 1.1000 level however we see limited chance for that.
A surprising performance from the Cable yesterday when the Retail Sales report was made public. The consumer report revealed that demand declined over the past month against expectations for a moderate rise but this didn’t seem to affect the Cable at all. The UK currency initially tried to break below the 1.5000 support floor but remained afloat and by the end of the day was trading between the 1.5000 and 1.5100 levels.
Quite a resilient reaction from the Cable that shows that traders are still backing the currency to do well in the short term. We still believe that the more medium term bias is pointing lower and based on the lack of any other UK-related reports we should see a further consolidation between 1.5000 and 1.5100 until the end of the trading week.
Economic Calendar
Recommended Content
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD remains above 1.0700 amid expectations of Fed refraining from further rate hikes
EUR/USD continues to gain ground on Thursday as the prevailing positive sentiment in the market provides support for risk-sensitive currencies like the Euro. This improved risk appetite could be attributed to dovish remarks from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Wednesday.
GBP/USD gains traction above 1.2500, Fed keeps rates steady
GBP/USD gains traction near 1.2535 during the early Thursday. The uptick of the major pair is supported by the sharp decline of the US Dollar after the US Federal Reserve left its interest rate unchanged.
Gold price struggles for a firm intraday direction, hover above $2,300
Gold price fails to lure buyers amid a fresh leg up in the US bond yields, modest USD uptick. A positive risk tone also contributes to capping the upside for the safe-haven precious metal. Traders, however, might prefer to wait for the US NFP report before placing aggressive bets.
Top 3 Price Prediction BTC, ETH, XRP: Altcoins to pump once BTC bottoms out, slow grind up for now
Bitcoin reclaiming above $59,200 would hint that BTC has already bottomed out, setting the tone for a run north. Ethereum holding above $2,900 keeps a bullish reversal pattern viable despite falling momentum. Ripple coils up for a move north as XRP bulls defend $0.5000.
Fed meeting: The hawkish pivot that never was, and the massive surge in the Yen
The Fed’s latest meeting is over, and the tone was more dovish than expected, but that is because the rate hike hype in the US was over-egged, and rate cut hopes had been pared back too far in recent weeks.