Forex Today: Dollar remains strong ahead of more jobs data

Matías Salord FXStreet

Early on Wednesday, New Zealand is scheduled to release its Q2 employment report, while later in the day, Australia's AiG PMI is due. The highlight of the day will be the release of the ADP employment report.

Here is what you need to know on Wednesday, August 2:

On Tuesday, US stocks finished mixed, with the Dow Jones up by 0.20% and the Nasdaq down by 0.43%. US Treasury yields rose, with the 10-year reaching levels above 1.40%.

Economic data from the US came in mixed. JOLTS Job Openings and the ISM Manufacturing PMI below expectations. The US Dollar Index rose 0.35% on the day, after trimming gains during the American session. The Greenback rose across the board and remains strong. On Wednesday, the ADP employment report is due, which could be a preview for Friday's Nonfarm Payrolls.

The Euro outperformed during the American session, with EUR/USD rebounding from above 1.0950 towards 1.1000. The pair still holds a bearish bias, but the Dollar's momentum has faded.

GBP/USD posted its lowest daily close in three weeks, below 1.2800, and continues to move with a bearish bias. On Thursday, the Bank of England will announce its decision on monetary policy, with a rate hike expected.

USD/JPY rose sharply for the third consecutive day, breaking above 143.00, the highest level seen since July 7. The Yen continues to be among the worst performers amid higher yields and the latest developments regarding the Bank of Japan.

The Australian dollar lagged on Tuesday after the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) opted to keep its key interest rate unchanged at 0.10%. The RBA offered a pessimistic assessment of the economic outlook but kept the door open to more rate hikes. AUD/USD dropped to test the key support area of 0.6600. It remains under pressure, and a break lower could trigger more losses.

NZD/USD gave up Monday's gains, pulling back to the 0.6150 area. New Zealand will report Q2 labor market data early on Wednesday. The unemployment rate is expected to rise modestly to 3.5%, and employment growth is expected to have stayed strong during the quarter at a 0.5% rate. The labor cost index is expected to have risen at a 4.5% annual rate. The numbers are unlikely to be a game-changer for the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, but a surprisingly positive report could add pressure to the central bank.

USD/CAD rose after many days of trading sideways, breaking above 1.3250. While above that level, more gains seem likely, but the currency is facing resistance at 1.3300.

It was a bad day for metals. Gold lost $30 from Monday's highs and bottomed around $1,940, while Silver tumbled 1.80%, ending the day near $24.30. Crude oil prices rose again, with WTI hitting fresh highs above $82.00.

Like this article? Help us with some feedback by answering this survey:

Author

Matías Salord

FXStreet

Matías started in financial markets in 2008, after graduating in Economics. He was trained in chart analysis and then became an educator. He also studied Journalism. He started writing analyses for specialized websites before joining FXStreet.

GBP/USD appears well offered near 1.3160

GBP/USD builds on Tuesday’s losses, although it now manages to pick up some pace and bounce off earlier multi-month troughs near 1.3140. The Greenback’s solid performance and continued political turmoil in the UK are keeping Cable under persistent pressure, with little sign of a meaningful recovery.

EUR/USD trims losses, hovers around 1.1350

EUR/USD now regains some composure and rebounds to the 1.1350 zone on Wednesday, partially reversing the prior pullback to fresh yearly lows near 1.1320. Meanwhile, spot remains on the back foot as the US Dollar continues to draw support from hawkish Fed expectations and uncertainty over the outcome of US-Iran peace negotiations.

Gold pressured near fresh 2026 lows

Gold accelerates its decline and gyrates around the key $4,000 mark per troy ounce on Wednesday, its lowest level since November 2025. In the meantime, tighter-for-longer Fed expectations and a broadly firmer US Dollar continue to weigh on the yellow metal, while uncertainty surrounding a potential US-Iran peace agreement has done little to revive demand for the safe haven space.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP trade under pressure as September Fed rate-hike odds increase

Bitcoin is trading between $62,000 and $63,000 at the time of writing on Wednesday, weighed down by headwinds stemming from macroeconomic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

2.25% rates and a wide discount: Why the Loonie isn't an Oil trade

The Loonie is trading at a 12-month low against the Greenback, and Oil is the only story the desk wants to tell about it. That story is wrong, or at least it answers the wrong question. Crude has unwound its war premium, the Canadian Dollar has slid, and the tidy read is that one dragged the other. The Loonie stopped trading the barrel months ago.

Regime change: Inside Kevin Warsh's first move to make the Fed unreadable on purpose

The rate did not move. That was the least interesting thing about Kevin Warsh's first meeting in charge of the Fed. The FOMC held its benchmark at 3.50%-3.75% for the fourth straight meeting, exactly as priced, and then the new chair used his first press conference to dismantle the machinery the market has leaned on for a decade.