Reactive trading and news trading - the strategies that are based on your interpretation of the events - are always a hot topic. While it is popular among cryptocurrency enthusiasts, who may have access to the best first-hand knowledge about the coins they are trading, it may be not the best strategy when trading Forex.
In this post, SimpleFX will introduce you to a currency pair that may suit traders that want to make decisions based on technical analysis, not news. In this case, you want to avoid the drama and forex mainstream. You don't want to trade pound sterling among the Brexit turmoil. You want volatility, strong trends with no prolonged consolidations on relatively high volumes - a choppy market trading sideways.
There is a currency pair that shares these features - it's AUD NZD called within forex lingo Aussie/Kiwi.
Both currencies are considered risk-on. This combination helps you avoid situations where a big economical or political event blows-up the strategy you built on the technical analysis. If you are trading a risk-on currency - like the Australian dollar or New Zealand dollar - against a risk-off currency that is considered a safe investment in times of high uncertainty - such as Japanese yen - you are prone to unexpected situations.
Trading two risk-on currencies at the same time make your trading strategy more robust.
On the other hand, both Australia and New Zealand have been able to stay away from the global headlines. There's hardly ever a top breaking news story about these markets.
As for the currency pair itself, it has all the qualities a day trader looks for. It is highly volatile (although not the most volatile pair there is, which may expect the relatively low popularity of Aussie/Kiwi).
As you can see in the 1D chart below AUD NZD trends strongly. There are very short sideways drifts in the pair, and most often you can identify them clearly as consolidation periods due to a lower trading volume.
AUDNZD is showing some serious volatility. Source: SimpleFX WebTrader
Strong trends are much easier to trade. Nevertheless, many forex traders choose pairs that are very tricky. Just take a look at the very popular EURUSD. You can see very long periods where the market is undecided and it is very difficult to make money trading at this time frame. These sideway trends are not obvious consolidations, so it's even more difficult to implement any trading strategy effectively.
The volatility is quite strong since the two currencies although in the same region don't correlate much. Being relative neighbors the two economies are perceived more like rivals big institutional investors can choose from.
One last but not least feature of the Aussie/Kiwi pair is the early timezone. If you are trading daily candlesticks from Europe, the Americas, Africa or the even Middle East, the news that may affect your strategy come very early in the cycle. You can adjust your positions if anything unexpected happens, which makes it an even more comfortable forex instrument for traders that want to focus on technical analysis rather than reactions to the news.
Trading EURUSD can be very tricky
Because of all the above characteristics, AUD NZD is a good pair to test your trading system, since there are not many external events that may blow up your otherwise sound trading strategy.
Trading in the products and services of SimpleFX may result in losses as well as profits. In particular trading in leveraged products, such as but not limited to, cryptocurrency, foreign exchange, derivatives and commodities can be very speculative. Losses and profits may fluctuate both violently and rapidly.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD off highs, back to 1.1850
EUR/USD loses some upside momentum, returning to the 1.1850 region amid humble losses. The pair’s slight decline comes against the backdrop of a marginal advance in the US Dollar as investors continue to assess the latest US CPI readings.
GBP/USD advances to daily tops around 1.3650
GBP/USD now manages to pick up extra pace, clinching daily highs around 1.3650 and leaving behind three consecutive daily pullbacks on Friday. Cable’s improved sentiment comes on the back of the inconclusive price action of the Greenback, while recent hawkish comments from the BoE’s Pill also collaborates with the uptick.
USD/JPY edges up above 153.50 with all eyes on US CPI figures
USD/JPY appreciates above 153.00 but remains on track for a 2.4% weekly loss. Trading volumes remain subdued on Friday, ahead of the IS CPI release. The Yen remains supported by hopes of a stable government and calls for further BoJ tightening.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD off highs, back to 1.1850
EUR/USD loses some upside momentum, returning to the 1.1850 region amid humble losses. The pair’s slight decline comes against the backdrop of a marginal advance in the US Dollar as investors continue to assess the latest US CPI readings.
GBP/USD advances to daily tops around 1.3650
GBP/USD now manages to pick up extra pace, clinching daily highs around 1.3650 and leaving behind three consecutive daily pullbacks on Friday. Cable’s improved sentiment comes on the back of the inconclusive price action of the Greenback, while recent hawkish comments from the BoE’s Pill also collaborates with the uptick.
Gold surpasses $5,000/oz, daily highs
Gold is reclaiming part of the ground lost on Wednesday’s marked decline, as bargain-hunters keep piling up and lifting prices past the key $5,000 per troy ounce. The yellow metal’s upside is also propped up by the lack of clear direction around the US Dollar post-US CPI release.
Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP in choppy price action, weighed down by falling institutional interest
Bitcoin's upside remains largely constrained amid weak technicals and declining institutional interest. Ethereum trades sideways above $1,900 support with the upside capped below $2,000 amid ETF outflows.
Week ahead – Data blitz, Fed Minutes and RBNZ decision in the spotlight
US GDP and PCE inflation are main highlights, plus the Fed minutes. UK and Japan have busy calendars too with focus on CPI. Flash PMIs for February will also be doing the rounds. RBNZ meets, is unlikely to follow RBA’s hawkish path.
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