|

USD: Markets look past Venezuela shock, refocus on data – ING

The impact of the Venezuelan shock has largely faded, with oil, equities, and FX markets reverting to pre-January levels as investors step back from trading geopolitical headlines. Attention now turns to US data, where ADP and JOLTS carry downside risks for the dollar despite a neutral-to-slightly bullish near-term USD outlook, ING's FX analyst Francesco Pesole notes.

Dollar firms on seasonality, not geopolitics

"The Venezuelan shock has largely faded. Oil softened yesterday but remains near pre‑4 January levels, equities extended gains, and FX markets have turned away from geopolitics. This reflects the post‑'Liberation Day' reluctance to trade the headlines and lean to more sanguine views."

"The dollar regained some ground yesterday – but that is probably due to some seasonal inflows and a modest uptick in front-end swap rates rather than geopolitics. Unless the US escalates threats on Greenland or intervenes again in Venezuela, markets should refocus on data in the second half of the week."

"Today, ISM services are expected to come in soft, but it will probably be ADP (consensus 50k) and JOLTS job surveys driving price action. Interestingly, ADP payrolls undershot consensus in seven of the last 10 prints, and given our dovish view on the US jobs market, we are inclined to see US jobs data events as bearing asymmetrical downside risks for the dollar. Beyond today, our short-term view remains neutral to slightly bullish on the greenback."

Author

FXStreet Insights Team

The FXStreet Insights Team is a group of journalists that handpicks selected market observations published by renowned experts. The content includes notes by commercial as well as additional insights by internal and external analysts.

More from FXStreet Insights Team
Share:

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to our Terms and conditions.

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD consolidates below 1.1700 as markets turn risk-averse

EUR/USD struggles to stage a rebound and trades near the lower limit of its weekly range below 1.1700 on Thursday. The US Dollar benefits from the cautious market stance and doesn't allow the pair to gain traction ahead of mid-tier data releases.

GBP/USD stays in red near 1.3450 on broad USD resilience

GBP/USD stays on the back foot after posting losses for two consecutive days and trades near 1.3450 on Thursday. The souring market mood amid simmering geopolitical tensions make it difficult for the pair to gain traction as focus shift to the the US labor market data.

Gold sticks to intraday losses below $4,450; seems vulnerable to slide further

Gold maintains its offered tone in the second half of the day and trades below $4,450 after posting daily losses on Wednesday. The downfall lacks any obvious fundamental catalyst and could be attributed to some follow-through profit-taking ahead of the release of the US Nonfarm Payrolls report on Friday. 

Pi Network flashes bearish potential as selling pressure mounts

Pi Network trades above $0.2000 at press time on Thursday, following a nearly 2% decline the previous day. Centralized Exchanges have received 1.90 million PI tokens over the last 24 hours, suggesting risk-off sentiment among holders. The technical outlook for the PI token remains bearish, with a risk of a cross below the 20-day Exponential Moving Average. 

2026 economic outlook: Clear skies but don’t unfasten your seatbelts yet

Most years fade into the background as soon as a new one starts. Not 2025: a year of epochal shifts, in which the macroeconomy was the dog that did not bark. What to expect in 2026? The shocks of 2025 will not be undone, but neither will they be repeated.

Pi Network Price Forecast: PI flashes bearish potential as selling pressure mounts

Pi Network trades above $0.2000 at press time on Thursday, following a nearly 2% decline the previous day. Centralized Exchanges have received 1.90 million PI tokens over the last 24 hours, suggesting risk-off sentiment among holders.