|

Mkt wrap: US dollar outperforms all major currencies - Westpac

Analysts at Westpac offered a breakdown of recent sessions, noting that all major currencies underperformed the USD. 

Key Quotes:

"EUR/USD fell steadily from the Sydney afternoon to late NY, from near 1.24 to 1.2320/30, with perhaps some weight from a slightly disappointing Feb ZEW German investor sentiment survey.

GBP recovered from early London weakness, rising from 1.3932 to 1.4024 after reports Europe may propose friendlier Brexit terms.

USD/JPY rose 0.6% over the day to 107.25/30, USD/CAD also up 0.6% to 1.2640.

AUD/USD was choppy but ultimately succumbed to a stronger US dollar, slipping about 30 pips on the day to 0.7885. NZD was also slightly weaker at 0.7345.

AUD/NZD was lively at times but overall flat on the day, around 1.0740.

The GDT dairy auction resulted in prices overall down 0.5%, with whole milk powder up 0.6% (close to futures predictions).

US 10yr treasury yields rose from Friday’s closing level of 2.88% to 2.93% and then consolidated. The 2yr yield jumped from 2.19% to 2.24% - the highest level since Sep 2008 – before consolidating. Fed fund futures yields continued to price a total of four hikes by end-2019."

Author

Ross J Burland

Ross J Burland, born in England, UK, is a sportsman at heart. He played Rugby and Judo for his county, Kent and the South East of England Rugby team.

More from Ross J Burland
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD looks sidelined around 1.1850

EUR/USD remains on the back foot, extending its bearish tone and sliding towards the 1.1850 area to print fresh daily lows on Monday. The move lower comes as the US Dollar gathers modest traction, with thin liquidity and subdued volatility amplifying price swings amid the US market holiday.

GBP/USD flirts with daily lows near 1.3630

GBP/USD has quickly given back Friday’s solid gains, turning lower at the start of the week and drifting back towards the 1.3630 area. The focus now shifts squarely to Tuesday’s UK labour market report, which is likely to keep the quid firmly in the spotlight and could set the tone for Cable’s next move.

Gold battle around $5,000 continues

Gold is giving back part of Friday’s sharp rebound, deflating below the key $5,000 mark per troy ounce as the new week gets underway. Modest gains in the US Dollar are keeping the metal in check, while thin trading conditions, due to the Presidents Day holiday in the US, are adding to the choppy and hesitant tone across markets.

Bitcoin consolidates as on-chain data show mixed signals

Bitcoin price has consolidated between $65,700 and $72,000 over the past nine days, with no clear directional bias. US-listed spot ETFs recorded a $359.91 million weekly outflow, marking the fourth consecutive week of withdrawals.

The week ahead: Key inflation readings and why the AI trade could be overdone

It is likely to be a quiet start to the week, with US markets closed on Monday for Presidents Day. European markets are higher across the board and gold is clinging to the $5,000 level after the tamer than expected CPI report in the US reduced haven flows to precious metals.

XRP steadies in narrow range as fund inflows, futures interest rise

Ripple is trading in a narrow range between $1.45 (immediate support) and $1.50 (resistance) at the time of writing on Monday. The remittance token extended its recovery last week, peaking at $1.67 on Sunday from the weekly open at $1.43.