|

Forex Today: Japanese CPI data will take centre stage on Good Friday

The Greenback grabbed some much-needed oxygen on Maundy Thursday despite alternating risk appetite trends. In addition, investors shifted their attention to another round of the Trump-Powell effervescence after Trump urged the Fed to slash interest rates and said Chair Powell should be removed as soon as possible, repeating past threats to fire him. The comments came a day after Powell emphasised the Fed’s independence in a speech.

Here is what you need to know on Friday, April 18:

The US Dollar Index (DXY) posted decent gains on Thursday, although it maintained its business in the lower end of the recent range near three-year lows. The Fed’s Daly is due to speak amid the widespread inactivity in the global markets on Good Friday.

Unlike its risk-linked peers, EUR/USD traded with noticeable losses despite briefly surpassing the 1.1400 barrier earlier in the day. The European Commission (EC) will publish its preliminary Consumer Confidence gauge on April 22.

GBP/USD kept its march north well and sound for yet another day, although gains appeared capped by the vicinity of 1.3270. Public Sector Net Borrowing figures will be next on the UK calendar on April 22.

After bottoming out around 141.60, USD/JPY managed to regain balance and advance past the 142.00 hurdle, up modestly for the day. The Japanese Inflation Rate will be the only release on the docket.

AUD/USD ended the day with modest gains around the 0.6380-0.6390 band, clinching its seventh daily advance in a row. The flash S&P Global Manufacturing and Services PMIs are due on April 23.

Fresh sanctions on Iranian crude oil exports and renewed supply concerns motivated prices of WTI to climb just above the $64.00 mark per barrel, reaching new two-week highs.

Prices of Gold came under fresh selling pressure on Thursday, slipping back below the $3,300 mark per troy ounce on the back of a better tone in the risk-related assets. Silver prices followed suit and flirted with three-day troughs near the $32.00 mark per ounce.

Author

Pablo Piovano

Born and bred in Argentina, Pablo has been carrying on with his passion for FX markets and trading since his first college years.

More from Pablo Piovano
Share:

Editor's Picks

AUD/USD edges higher as hot CPI inflation and hawkish RBA lift rate hike bets

The AUD/USD pair gathers strength to near 0.7035 during the Asian trading hours on Friday. The Australian Dollar edges higher against the US Dollar as hotter Australian CPI inflation data has bolstered expectations of Reserve Bank of Australia rate hikes.

Japanese Yen stays resilient after BoJ maintains status quo

The Japanese Yen stays resilient against its major rivals on Friday, with USD/JPY trading in negative territory below 157.50. The Bank of Japan (BoJ) decided to leave monetary policy settings unchanged at the October meeting, as expected. In the post-meeting press conference, BoJ Governor Ueda reiterated that they will continue to raise the policy rate and adjust the degree of monetary easing in reponse to economic activity and prices.

Gold bears retain control below $4,000 as hawkish Fed bets back further losses

Gold extends its intraday breakdown momentum below the $4,000 psychological mark through the early European session on Friday, eyeing the monthly swing low amid hawkish US Federal Reserve expectations. US macro data on Thursday pointed to resilient economic growth and persistent price pressures, solidifying bets of an imminent Fed rate hike in December. This is seen as undermining the non-yielding bullion for the second straight day and backing the case for further depreciation.

The hawkish Fed can't lift the US Dollar anymore
About three more Federal Reserve hikes are already priced in, and the central banks behind the Euro, Pound, Yen and Loonie are raising rates or about to. That leaves the US Dollar Index with little to gain if the Fed keeps leaning toward higher rates.
Binance hack shakes crypto, but XRP pullback may not be so bearish
Crypto markets were hit by a big headline overnight. Binance confirmed a security incident in which a compromised engineer's laptop led to unauthorized withdrawals, with an estimated impact of around $6.3 billion. About $3 billion has been frozen so far, Binance says it will cover the losses, and withdrawals were paused while security checks are completed.
A hot US economy is supposed to sink Gold. It didn't. Here's why
Gold (XAU/USD) remains under pressure near $4,000, as stronger-than-expected United States (US) economic data reinforce expectations of another Federal Reserve (Fed) interest rate hike in December. Economic growth is accelerating, inflation remains elevated, and borrowing costs could rise further.