Forex Today: US Dollar shows its strength, RBA to keep rates unchanged

Matías Salord FXStreet

The key event in the Asian session will be the Reserve Bank of Australia meeting. Later in the day, Switzerland will report consumer inflation, and in the US, the JOLTS Job Openings data will be released.

Here is what you need to know on Tuesday, October 3:

The US Dollar opened the week on a strong note, resuming the rally that started on Friday. The US Dollar Index rose above 107.00, posting its highest daily close since November. Higher US yields, cautious market sentiment, and positive US data continue to support the Greenback's rally.

The US 10-year yield reached 4.70% for the first time since 2007. US data came in above expectations, with the ISM Manufacturing PMI at 49, surpassing the market consensus of 47.7. On Tuesday, the JOLTS Job Openings report is due. Later in the week, more US employment data will be released with the ADP report and the Nonfarm Payrolls.

Analysts at Wells Fargo on US data:

Manufacturing activity contracted at the slowest pace in nearly a year according to the September ISM. Recent data signal some relief in the sector, while higher oil prices point to potential upside risk ahead.

EUR/USD broke below 1.0500, reaching fresh year-to-date lows. The pair remains under pressure after sustaining the bearish trend. A potential support level lies around 1.0460. The strong US Dollar also weighed down GBP/USD, which broke below 1.2100, hitting three-month lows.

USD/JPY continues to gradually approach the 150.00 level amid higher yields. A break above 150.00 could trigger volatility and speculations about intervention from Japanese authorities.

AUD/USD extended its reversal from 0.6500 and dropped to 0.6360. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will announce its monetary policy decision on Tuesday, with no change expected. This will be the first meeting with Michele Bullock as governor.

The kiwi fell versus the US Dollar; however, it outperformed the AUD and CAD. NZD/USD pulled back to 0.5950 after failing to hold above 0.6000 but remained above the 20-day Simple Moving Average (SMA). The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) will hold its monetary policy meeting on Wednesday.

USD/CAD is back at September highs, slightly below the 1.3700 area, which is a key resistance level. A break higher would clear the way for more gains. Canada will report employment data on Friday.

Metals had another terrible day, with Gold falling more than $20 to $1,828, the lowest level since March, and Silver collapsing by more than 5% to $21.00. XAG/USD lost more than 10% from Friday's high.

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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.

EUR/USD meets initial support around 1.1800

EUR/USD remains on the back foot, although it has managed to reverse the initial strong pullback toward the 1.1800 region and regain some balance, hovering around the 1.1850 zone as the NA session draws to a close on Tuesday. Moving forward, market participants will now shift their attention to the release of the FOMC Minutes and US hard data on Wednesday.

GBP/USD bounces off lows, retargets 1.3550

After bottoming out just below the 1.3500 yardstick, GBP/USD now gathers some fresh bids and advances to the 1.3530-1.3540 band in the latter part of Tuesday’s session. Cable’s recovery comes as the Greenback surrenders part of its advance, although it keeps the bullish bias well in place for the day.

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Gold stays on the defensive on Tuesday, receding to the sub-$5,000 region per troy ounce on the back of the persistent move higher in the Greenback. The precious metal’s decline is also underpinned by the modest uptick in US Treasury yields across the spectrum.

RBNZ set to pause interest-rate easing cycle as new Governor Breman faces firm inflation

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand remains on track to maintain the Official Cash Rate at 2.25% after concluding its first monetary policy meeting of this year on Wednesday.

UK jobs market weakens, bolstering rate cut hopes

In the UK, the latest jobs report made for difficult reading. Nonetheless, this represents yet another reminder for the Bank of England that they need to act swiftly given the collapse in inflation expected over the coming months.

Ripple slides to $1.45 as downside risks surge

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