|

Forex Today: Upbeat US employment figures boost risk appetite

What you need to know on Monday, April 5:

Risk -on took over financial markets on Friday, as the US added 916K new jobs in March, while upwardly revised the January and February figures. Stocks markets were closed amid Good Friday, but DJIA and S&P futures surged to unexplored territory. US Treasury yields ticked higher, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year note settling on Friday at 1.71%.

Most Asian and European markets will remain closed on Monday, amid an extension of the Easter Holiday. American markets will operate normally.

The EUR/USD pair settled at 1.1760, maintaining its bearish stance. The pound managed to post a modest advance despite the dollar’s strength backed by upbeat US employment data, but its bullish potential is limited. The pair settled around 1.1830.

Over the weekend, the UK reported that more than 5 million people receiver their second dose of a vaccine, which means roughly 10% of the population is now protected.

There was no activity around gold and oil on Friday, as the due markets were closed.

Commodity-linked currencies were under mild pressure, as the bullish tone of equities partially offset the greenback’s strength. USDCAD settled at 1.2570, while AUD/USD finished the week around 0.7600. The latter is close to confirming a Head & Shoulder formation and may fall over 400 pips in the next days.

XRP Price Prediction: Ripple gears up for a 73% bull rally

Author

FXStreet Team

Composed of a group of economic journalists and FX experts, the FXStreet content team produces and oversees all content published on FXStreet. It provides a purely journalistic approach to the Forex market.

More from FXStreet Team
Share:

Editor's Picks

USD/JPY eyes August swing low, near 155.20 ahead of US NFP

USD/JPY retests the August monthly swing low during the Asian session on Friday as a more hawkish repricing of BoJ rate-hike bets and a suspected intervention continue to underpin the Japanese Yen. Meanwhile, the US Dollar is seen consolidating the previous day's heavy losses amid soft US bond yields, further weighing on the currency pair as traders keenly await the US NFP report.

AUD/USD consolidates above 0.7200; US NFP awaited

AUD/USD holds steady above 0.7200, near its highest level since mid-May, as bulls await the US NFP report for more cues on the Fed's policy path before placing fresh bets. Meanwhile, the recent decline in US bond yields keeps the US Dollar depressed near its lowest level in over a week and acts as a tailwind for the Aussie amid the RBA's hawkish tilt.

Gold tumbles as blockbuster US NFP lift US Dollar, Treasury yields

Gold (XAU/USD) falls sharply on Friday, snapping a two-day recovery after the US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report surprised strongly to the upside. The metal briefly climbed above $4,500 on Thursday, gaining nearly 2%, but has since erased a large part of that advance.

Crypto’s $638 million buyback boom may not be as bullish as it looks
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) protocols reportedly spent $638 million to buy back their native tokens in August, up 17% from a year earlier. On the surface, the buyback trend suggests the cryptocurrency industry is maturing fast, adopting one of Wall Street’s oldest tools to bolster valuations and distribute revenue. The headline becomes less impressive once the number is opened up.
Why hawkish Bank of Japan expectations aren't enough to sustain the Japanese Yen rally

The Japanese Yen (JPY) experienced a sudden burst higher after falling back below the 160.00 psychological mark against the US Dollar (USD) earlier this week amid a more hawkish repricing of Bank of Japan (BoJ) rate hike expectations.

Diesel’s record $100 warning: The oil shock hiding in plain sight

The Oil market may look calmer than it did a few months ago, but diesel is sending a very different message. The US diesel crack spread, the premium of ultra-low sulphur diesel futures over WTI, recently surged above $100 per barrel for the first time, reaching an intraday record of just over $102.00.