Currency Pairs Market Analysis

[Solid ECN]

EURUSD

The EURUSD rate reached the zone where very strong supply has been triggered in recent months. We can also see that each time as we approached 1.10 the bears eventually took control. The key support on the Eurodollar is at 1.073 where we see the SMA200 on the D1 interval and the 23.6 Fibonacci retracement of the upward wave from the autumn, last year. A drop below the SMA100 (black line) at 1.084 could indicate an imminent test of these levels. Another key level set by the Fibo and price reactions is 1.05 where we see the 38.2 abolition. If sellers take control, we may see an RGR-like formation on the chart - a downward scenario, could reverse the medium-term trend.

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[Solid ECN]

USDCHF Under the Negative Pressure

The USDCHF currency pair has recently experienced a significant amount of negative pressure. This has resulted in the pair breaking through the 0.8965 level and settling below it. This downward movement suggests that the pair may continue to decline, with potential targets being the 0.8900 and 0.8800 levels, which are considered to be key negative stations.

As a result of these developments, a bearish bias is suggested for the USDCHF pair in today's trading. However, it is important to note that if the pair breaches the 0.8980 level, this could halt the expected decline and instead push the price towards a new bullish correction. In this scenario, the next target for the pair would be the 0.9055 level.​

 

[Solid ECN]

EURUSD Faces Solid Support

The EURUSD currency pair has recently experienced a clear upward bounce after it attacked the neckline of the double top pattern. This has resulted in the pair now testing the EMA50 level.

As a result, our overall outlook for the EURUSD pair remains bearish. Our targets for the pair begin with breaking through the 1.0860 – 1.0840 levels, which would open the way for further declines towards the 1.0795 and 1.0730 levels, which are considered to be key negative stations. However, it is important to keep in mind that if the pair breaches the 1.0940 level, this could halt the expected decline and instead lead to a rise in price.​

 

[Solid ECN]

USDJPY

The Japanese Yen remains in a strong downtrend. The USDJPY currency pair is rising to a level of 144.6 points, despite open statements from Japanese policymakers about the possibility of currency intervention in the event of excessive currency depreciation. The last intervention by the Bank of Japan (BoJ) took place at the end of last year when USDJPY rose to a level above 150 points.

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[Solid ECN]

AUDUSD​

Excluding April and the current July decision, the RBA has implemented 12 consecutive rate hikes since it commenced its monetary policy tightening in May 2022. However, the recent pause in rate increases is believed to be temporary, as both economists and markets anticipate that the central bank will raise rates further by at least 0.25 percentage points to 4.35% in the upcoming months before reaching the peak.

Following the announcement, the AUDUSD experienced a notable decline, reaching a key support level at 0.664. However, the price subsequently rebounded, returning to its previous level around 0.667. Currently, the AUDUSD is trading around this level. The next level of resistance is anticipated to be around 0.670.​

 

[Solid ECN]

GBPUSD

UK economists at Goldman Sachs are predicting a 50 basis point increase in the Bank of England's interest rate during the August meeting, with a projected peak of 6% by November. The current interest rates are at 5.0%. The forecast for a further 100 basis point increase is based on continued strong inflationary pressure, wage growth, and a slower-than-expected response of outstanding mortgages to changes in interest rates.

Additionally, GBPUSD rates have been supported by speculation that the Federal Reserve (FED) may have to revise its hawkish policy due to lower-than-expected inflation readings. This shift in sentiment, combined with upcoming inflation and retail sales data in the UK, may lead to larger movements in the GBP/USD pair this week.​

 

[Solid ECN]

Dollar Slides ahead of Retail Sales Data

The EURUSD continues to rise, mainly due to the weakness of the US dollar following the release of inflation data last week. EURUSD has reached the highest levels since before the Ukraine war and is testing very important resistance levels. Today, the market's attention will be focused on the publication of retail sales and industrial production from the US. Expectations point to a pretty solid report:

Moreover, the retail sales report will be the last important indication before next week's FOMC meeting (we will no longer hear comments from Fed bankers due to the closed period). At the moment, the money market is pricing that the FED will raise rates by 25 basis points on Wednesday 26 July with a 95% probability.

EURUSD is testing the vicinity of an important resistance at the 61.8 Fibo retracement of the entire large downward wave started in 2021. A break of this level will mean a negation of the entire upward impulse of the dollar from almost the last 2 years. If retail sales surprise even more strongly than the consensus indicates, a correction to the range 1.1180-1.1200, where the upper limit of the upward trend channel is located, will be possible.​

 

[Solid ECN]

GBPUSD

The GBPUSD pair goes below the psychological barrier of 1.3 and paves the way to the next important support levels set by the 200-week EMA (golden curve) and the abolition of the 61.8% Fibo of the February 2021 downtrend wave. It is worth bearing in mind, however, that the market does not seem to be unduly changing expectations for further rises, so the risk of a continuation of the ongoing upward wave is still there.

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[Solid ECN]

USDJPY

Next Friday (July 28), we await the BoJ's interest rate decision. However, this event does not seem to surprise the market, as earlier this week, BoJ Governor Kazuo Ueda communicated that the Bank would maintain its ultra-tight monetary policy

As Reuters reported, the BoJ was due to deliberate this month on changes to the operation of the YCC (yield curve control programme). When asked about this, Ueada said that as long as everything pointed to a return to the 2% inflation target, the BoJ would not change its monetary policy.

A weak yen may boost profits for Japanese exporters, but it raises the price of energy and other yen imports for businesses and consumers. Despite rising inflationary pressures, Japan is trying to stimulate the economy in the face of broad market uncertainty, Ueda added.

In the long term, however, this situation may change. The Japanese government today lowered its economic growth forecast for the current fiscal year and raised its inflation outlook. The proximity of these updates to the BoJ's next meeting raises heightened curiosity, but nevertheless the chances of actual monetary changes (if any) do not appear to be warranted anytime soon. In this regard, tomorrow's CPI data for June (00:30 am BST) may tell us a little more. ​

• GDP growth forecast for 2023/24 at 1.3% (previously 1.5% in January) ​
• Growth forecast for 2024/25 financial year at 1.2%​
• Inflation forecast for 2023/24 at 2.6% (previously 1.7%)​
• Inflation forecast for 2024/25 at 1.9%​

The USDJPY pair is currently testing the psychological 140 zone. In the short term, the most important support and resistance zones to watch will be the previously mentioned 140 zone and the 50-day EMA (blue curve) and the zone of recent local minima (green zone).​

 

[Solid ECN]

EURUSD - Chart of the Day​

The current week is crucial for the EURUSD pair, considering today's preliminary readings of PMI indices in the US and the eurozone for July. Generally speaking, the estimated PMI data in the eurozone is expected to be weaker than in the US for both industry and services. In addition, investors' attention will also be focused this week on decisions by the ECB and the Fed, which will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Currently, the market assumes the following decisions:
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• Fed - the market does not foresee a surprise and with a 99.8% probability, it will raise rates by 25 basis points.​
• ECB - at this moment, the market assumes that in the eurozone rates will be raised twice more by 25bp, however, the probability for the second hike of 25 bp is just over 50%.​

However, in both cases, the Powell and Lagarde's comments after the decision will be more significant. In the US, the latest labor market data are still strong, hence despite falling inflation, the tone of the conference may be perceived as neutral/hawkish. While in the EU, weakening data, including PMI, may weigh in favor of a more dovish message.

From a technical point of view, on the daily chart, EURUSD broke out of the consolidation area between 1.053 and 1.106 two weeks ago, and the rate went around 1.126. The breakout, however, was not long-lasting, and last week the price returned to the area of the upper limit at 1.112. The appreciation of the dollar occurred after stronger macro data, including from the labor market in the US. The dollar behaved stronger against most currencies. Key to maintaining the uptrend on EURUSD is defending the support area at 1.106. Otherwise, if the price returns to the consolidation area, EURUSD may retest the level of 1.10 or further 1.08.​

 

[Solid ECN]

Chart of the Day: USDCNH

The theme of the morning session that generated the most market volatility was reports of further stimulus solutions to the Chinese economy. During a meeting of China's Politburo (i.e. an important part of the Chinese Communist Party's Politburo focused on the State's current political affairs), announcements were made that indicated a willingness to introduce solutions to improve the troubled property and debt markets. In the face of this news, China's real estate-focused corporate benchmark climbed 11%, posting its biggest one-day gain in eight months and bolstering sentiment around APAC markets and the yuan itself.

Moreover, the Chinese currency itself was boosted today by another factor, namely the PBoC's decisions to set the official reference rate for the USDCNH pair at 7.1406 (versus the expected 7.2044), which encouraged local banks to resell USD in the FX market and thus repurchase CNH.

As added by Morgan Stanley analysts, the euphoria around today's statements is mainly due to the words that came out of the Politurbo meetings. At the time, the establishment communicated that "real estate is for living, not for speculation", thus assuring the upcoming policy optimizations.

The USDCNH pair is trading close to 0.61% down today and is testing the support zone set by the 23.6% Fibo measure of the upward wave initiated in early 2022.​

 

[Solid ECN]

German IFO Index points to weaker sentiment in economy!

Germany - Ifo sentiment index for July:
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• Actual: 87,3. Forecast: 88. Previously: 88,5​
• Current Conditions: Actual: 91,3. Forecast: 93. Previously: 93,7​
• Future estimates: Actual: 83,5. Forecast: 83,4. Previously: 83,6​

In addition, at the same time the ECB published a study on loans in the euro area. The ECB points out that banks are reporting a record drop in the demand for loans from companies. At the same time, banks are further tightening their restrictive lending policies.

After the Ifo report and the ECB credit report, EURUSD reduces recent gains and is close to yesterday's close.​

 

[Solid ECN]

AUDUSD

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• Lower CPI data weakens the Australian dollar​
• Goldman Sachs predicts a lower target rate for the RBA​
• AUDUSD react to the key level at 0.679​

Australian inflation slowed more than expected in the second quarter due to a decline in domestic holiday and gasoline costs, suggesting less pressure for another rate hike and causing a sharp weakening of the Australian dollar.

Annual headline inflation fell to 6.0% in June from 7.0% in March, which was weaker than the 6.2% consensus and the RBA's own 6.3% forecast. Importantly, the RBA's preferred measure - core inflation - the trimmed mean - slowed to 5.9% from 6.6%, which was slightly less than the market and RBA's expectation of 6.0%.

On a quarterly basis, the Australian consumer price index rose 0.8% in Q2, which is the weakest quarterly pace since September 2021. Economists believe this signals a peak in the interest rate cycle, despite a shift in inflation from goods to services. This shift might push the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to raise rates by 0.25 percentage points in August and September. As a result, Goldman Sachs lowered its peak cash rate prediction to 4.6% from 4.85%, and National Australia Bank expects the RBA to leave rates unchanged in August. Current OCR rate is 4.10%.​

 

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Chart of the Day - EURUSD

FOMC announced a 25 basis point rate hike yesterday, following a pause in hiking at June meeting. Such a decision was widely expected and traders were eager to see whether Fed Char Powell offers some more hints on future moves during the press conference. However, no such hints were offered and Powell was cautious not to provide any forward guidance.

Investors will hear from the European Central Bank today at 1:15 pm BST and the decision is expected to be similar to yesterday's FOMC decision - a 25 bp rate hike and no hints on the future. Just like Powell, ECB President Lagarde is expected to stress that future decisions will be data-dependant. However, there is a feeling in the markets that today's 25 bp rate hike will be the final one in the current ECB hiking cycle. Nevertheless, a clear signal that this is the end of hiking would be very dovish and could trigger volatile moves on the markets, and this is a scenario that central banks try to avoid. Interestingly, even as markets seem to be convinced that ECB will end hiking earlier than Fed, EUR outperformed USD recently and the main currency pair disconnected from bond markets in June.

EURUSD should be on watch in the early afternoon as there is a number of events scheduled that could move the pair. The most important one is ECB rate decision at 1:15 pm BST, followed by Lagarde's presser at 1:45 pm BST. In between those two investors will be offered flash Q2 GDP reading from the United States that may also trigger moves on EURUSD.

Taking a look at EURUSD at the H1 interval, we can see that it is recovering from a recent correction. The pair broke above the 38.2% retracement of a recent correction this morning and continue to move higher. A near-term resistance zone to watch can be found in the 1.1150 area, marked with 50% retracement and the 200-hour moving average (purple line).​

 

[Solid ECN]

Chart of the day EURJPY

EURJPY is one of the currency pairs that is experiencing elevated volatility today. Bank of Japan meeting is a prime reason behind JPY-volatility while slew of data releases from Europe as well as speeches from ECB members is ensuring EUR-volatility.

Bank of Japan decided to keep interest rates and other monetary policy settings unchanged at a meeting today. There were some expectations that BoJ may announce changes to yield curve control and it did… to some extent. BoJ said that bandwidth around target yield will remain unchanged at +-0.5% but it will allow greater flexibility, meaning that yields may be allowed to deviate as much as 1% from the target. While not a clear and explicit change to yield curve control parameters, the move is seen as paving that way for dropping YCC altogether in the future

Moving on to EUR-side, there were some interesting comments offered by ECB members this morning. Stournaras said that if a hike is delivered at the September meeting it will be the last one and rates will stay at the peak for a few months. Similar comments were voiced by Vasle who said that the September meeting may bring a hike or a pause in the cycle. Apart from ECB speeches, a number of macro reports from Europe was released today, including an unexpected pick-up in Spanish inflation in July. There is one more key piece of data from Europe scheduled for release today - German CPI report at 1:00 pm BST.

Taking a look at EURJPY chart at D1 interval, we can see that the pair is realizing an important technical pattern - double top. Pair broke below the neckline of the pattern in the 153.50 area, paving the way for a deeper drop. Textbook range of the downside breakout from the pattern suggests a possibility of EURJPY dropping to as low as 149.00. However, it should be noted that today's BoJ decision triggered massive volatility with the pair trading 1% higher at one point earlier today and 1% lower at another. Currently the pair is little changed on the day and the shape of today's daily candlestick shows that there is a lot of indecisiveness on the market.​

 

[Solid ECN]

AUDUSD

RBA decided to keep rates unchanged at the second meeting in a row, pressuring AUD

AUDUSD is trading 0.7% lower, slightly more than an hour after RBA policy announcement. Reserve Bank of Australia has decided to hold rates unchanged for the second meeting in a row. Expectations ahead of the meeting were split - economists saw a chance for a 25 bp rate hike while money markets priced in an over-60% of rates staying unchanged. Statement was Fed-like with hints that further tightening is not off the table but will be data-dependent. A lower-than-expected CPI print for Q2 2023 likely gave RBA comfort to keep rates unchanged today.

Market participants seem split on what comes next. Some say that the RBA will deliver one more rate hike this year. However, money markets are rather conservative with pricing - peak is currently seen at around 4.25% in December, down from yesterday's pricing of 4.35% peak at the turn of 2023 and 2024. NAB and ANZ signal that one more hike may come what would support AUD. However, other see AUDUSD dropping to as low as 0.6400 should global slowdown triggered by US recession materializes.

Market pricing for rate hikes at future RBA meetings is low but at the same time it should be noted that market does not expect cuts until the end of 2024 either.

AUDUSD is dropping significantly today, although it still trades relatively far above local lows from the previous week. The pair is trading sideways in a wedge pattern.​

 

[Solid ECN]

GBPAUD - Chart of the Day

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) surprised markets with a dovish policy decision today. RBA left rates unchanged, with the main cash rate staying at 4.10%. Median consensus among economists surveyed by Bloomberg was for a 25 basis point rate hike. Meanwhile, money markets saw a less than 40% chance of a 25 bp rate move today. Ultimately, it turned out that the market was right and economists seem to have overestimated the impact of solid jobs data on RBA stance and underestimated impact of lower-than-expected Q2 CPI data. While statement released along with the decision did not rule out further hikes, there is a feeling that RBA may stay on pause now. Why? There is a number of reasons:
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• Albeit still solid, labor market is loosening up​
• Inflation trends develops better than expected​
• Previous rate hikes are impacting economy, crimping demand​

Having said that, RBA may want to stay on hold for now as its previous policy actions seem to be taking effect. Money markets also support this view - no change in the level of rates is priced in for September or October meetings.

Traders will get to hear from one more central bank this week - Bank of England on Thursday, 12:00 pm BST. Economists also expected BoE to deliver 25 basis point rate hike, just as they did in case of RBA. However, in this case there is no disconnect between economists and money markets - money markets fully price in a 25 bp BoE rate move this week. Moreover, a total of three 25 basis point rate hikes is priced in for the next three meetings. The biggest risk for GBP seems to be a potential dovish turn from BoE, similar to Fed and RBA. However, it looks rather unlikely that given current economic picture in the United Kingdom, Bank of England will decide to stay on hold and issue a dovish guidance.

Taking a look at GBPAUD at H1 interval, we can see that a recent drop on the pair was halted at the 200-hour moving average (purple line) in the 1.9085 area. Pair rallied today, driven by AUD weakness, and has almost fully erased the aforementioned drop. A near-term resistance zone to watch can be found ranging below 1.9350 mark.​

 

[Solid ECN]

USD Gains after another Solid ADP Data

ADP jobs report for July was released at 1:15 pm BST today. Report was expected to show a 190k jobs increase - a significant deterioration from almost half a million reported for June (+497k). However, an actual report showed a much higher employment gain of 324k! This was another strong ADP reading and we have observed a hawkish reaction on the markets - USD gained, GOLD dropped and US index futures ticked lower. This should not come as a surprise as another strong report from US jobs market boosts odds of a Fed rate hike at September meeting. ADP data released today was the final hint ahead of official NFP report scheduled for Friday, 1:30 pm BST.

EURUSD deepened drop following release of solid ADP data. EURUSD painted a fresh daily low near 1.0960 mark. However, part of the move lower was already erased.​

 

[Solid ECN]

Chart of the Day - EURUSD

The dollar continues to appreciate after yesterday's strong labor market data and the latest dovish comments from the ECB president, Lagarde. Yesterday's ADP report showed employment growth of 324,000, compared to significantly lower expectations of 190,000. If the good ADP data are confirmed by Friday's NFP reading, it may encourage the Fed to continue raising interest rates at the September FOMC meeting. The discrepancy between NFP and ADP was quite large last month, but growth above 200,000 NFP would still give a very high chance of a Fed hike in September. Analysts' estimates assume a publication at the level of 200,000. Currently, the market is pricing an 82% chance of no hike at the next September meeting of the Fed. However, these estimates could still change significantly if subsequent data continue to show a strong labor market and rebounding inflation.

This last, more hawkish sentiment favors the appreciation of the dollar, which, after reaching a medium-term peak at the level of 1.12640, continues to correct downward. Historically, the announcement of the end of the interest rate hike cycle almost always coincided with a weakening of the dollar, regardless of the macroeconomic situation. Recent comments from Jerome Powell indicate that the Fed would like to see sustained low inflation and a weakening labor market. For this reason, recent strong NFP publications raise questions about a pause or end to the hikes. A continuation of the strengthening of the dollar could cause the EURUSD pair to retest the level of 1.0855.​

 

[Solid ECN]

Chart of the Day - USDCAD​

USDCAD is one of the pairs to watch in the early afternoon as the first Friday of a new month has come and therefore it is time for release of jobs data from the United States and Canada. Of course, report from the United States will be watched more closely than Canadian one but the fact that both will be released at the same time (1:30 pm BST) means that USDCAD is likely to become very volatile around that hour.

The US report is expected to show a 200k increase in non-farm payrolls, slightly lower than the 209k reported in June. Unemployment rate is seen staying at 3.6% while annual wage growth is seen slowing from 4.4 to 4.2% YoY. Fed Chair Powell stressed that the September decision will be data-dependent and there are 4 key US macro reports ahead of the September 20, 2023 meeting - 2 jobs reports and 2 CPI reports. NFP report for July is the first one of the four and will be watched closely. A higher-than-expected jobs gain and a smaller drop in wage growth would likely boost hawkish bets in the markets and may trigger gains on the USD market as well as declines on equities.

The Canadian report is not expected to have as much gravity as the Bank of Canada is largely seen as having already finished its rate hike cycle. Nevertheless, release is likely to trigger some short-term CAD-volatility.

Taking a look at USDCAD chart at D1 interval, we can see that the pair has experienced strong gains recently, driven by strengthening of US dollar (USDIDX - light blue overlay). However, advance was halted after the pair reached resistance zone ranging above 50% retracement of the downward move launched at the turn of May and June 2023 (1.3370 area). This is a price zone that had halted advance in early-July as well. A strong US report combined with weaker Canadian data could trigger a break above the aforementioned 1.3370 area. In such a scenario, the next resistance to watch can be found ranging above 61.8% retracement (1.3440). On the other hand, should we see CAD gain against USD - drop in USDCAD - the support level to watch can be found at 38.2% retracement (1.3300 area).​