Forex Today: Markets stay calm to start busy week

Eren Sengezer FXStreet

Here is what you need to know on Monday, December 15:

Following the previous week's volatile action, financial markets turn relatively quiet on Monday as investors gear up for the upcoming central bank events and key data releases later in the week. In the second half of the day, Statistics Canada will publish Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for November. Market participants will also pay close attention to comments from Federal Reserve (Fed) officials.

US Dollar Price This Month

The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies this month. US Dollar was the weakest against the Canadian Dollar.

	USD	EUR	GBP	JPY	CAD	AUD	NZD	CHF
USD		-1.15%	-0.90%	-0.70%	-1.51%	-1.44%	-0.80%	-0.90%
EUR	1.15%		0.25%	0.45%	-0.36%	-0.29%	0.35%	0.25%
GBP	0.90%	-0.25%		0.46%	-0.61%	-0.54%	0.10%	0.00%
JPY	0.70%	-0.45%	-0.46%		-0.81%	-0.76%	-0.11%	-0.21%
CAD	1.51%	0.36%	0.61%	0.81%		0.02%	0.72%	0.61%
AUD	1.44%	0.29%	0.54%	0.76%	-0.02%		0.64%	0.54%
NZD	0.80%	-0.35%	-0.10%	0.11%	-0.72%	-0.64%		-0.10%
CHF	0.90%	-0.25%	-0.00%	0.21%	-0.61%	-0.54%	0.10%

The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the US Dollar from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the Japanese Yen, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent USD (base)/JPY (quote).

The US Dollar (USD) Index declined sharply following the Fed's policy announcements last Wednesday and closed the third consecutive week in negative territory. Early Monday, the USD Index moves sideways slightly below 98.50. On Tuesday, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics will publish the Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) data for October. Meanwhile, US stock index futures rise about 0.3% in the European morning, reflecting a risk-positive market atmosphere. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy offered to drop its long-held ambition of joining NATO as he held five hours of talks with US envoys in Berlin to end the war with Russia, with talks expected to resume Monday, Reuters reported on Sunday.

After falling more than 0.3% in the previous week, USD/CAD holds steady above 1.3750 to begin the European session. Annual CPI inflation in Canada is forecast to rise to 2.4% in November from 2.2% in October.

EUR/USD closed above 1.1700 last week, following a three-day rally. The pair stays in a consolidation phase below 1.1750 early Monday. On Thursday, the European Central Bank (ECB) will announce monetary policy decisions.

Japanese firms cited easing uncertainty around US trade policy and resilient demand in high-tech sectors as key factors supporting business sentiment, according to comments from a senior Bank of Japan (BoJ) official on the Tankan survey. After posting marginal gains in the previous week, USD/JPY stays under bearish pressure and declines toward 155.00 early Monday, losing about 0.5% on a daily basis.

Gold clings to a bullish stance after rising more than 2% last week and climbs toward $4,350 in the European morning.

After touching its highest level since mid-October near 1.3440 on Thursday, GBP/USD corrected lower and closed marginally lower on Friday. The pair struggles to regain its traction and fluctuates in a narrow channel above 1.3350 in the early European session on Monday. The Bank of England (BoE) will announce its interest rate decision on Thursday.

Author

Eren Sengezer

FXStreet

As an economist at heart, Eren Sengezer specializes in the assessment of the short-term and long-term impacts of macroeconomic data, central bank policies and political developments on financial assets.

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