Trend strong Bullish
Staying long, using pullbacks to add long positions, as long as tren is bullish, taking only buy or long trades.
Fundamentals
The U.S. dollar weakens, approaching its lowest level since late July
Few market catalysts on sight for the remainder of the week
The U.S. dollar, as measured by the DXY index, retreated on Tuesday and flirted with its lowest levels since late July near 101.55 in a trading session characterized by thin liquidity, with many financial centers still closed for the Christmas holidays and ahead of the New Year's festivities.
Factoring in recent losses, the DXY index is down about 4.35% in the fourth quarter and about 1.9% in December. This drop is associated with the significant pullback in government bond yields, which have plummeted from the cycle high marked about two months ago.
The Fed’s pivot at its December FOMC meeting has reinforced ongoing market trends over the past couple of weeks. For context, the central bank embraced a dovish posture at its last gathering, signaling that it would deliver 75 basis points of easing in 2024, possibly as part of a strategy to prioritize growth over inflation.
With U.S. yields displaying a downward bias and a strong risk-on sentiment prevailing in equity markets, the U.S. dollar is likely to extend its decline in the short term. This could potentially lead to increased gains for gold, EUR/USD, and GBP/USD moving into the new year.
Focusing on important catalysts later this week, there are no major releases of note – a scenario that could create the right setting for a period of consolidation. Nevertheless, the dearth of impactful events doesn't guarantee subdued volatility or steady market conditions.
The U.S. dollar, as measured by the DXY index, falls to its weakest point in nearly five months
With U.S. bond yields on a downward trajectory and market exuberance on full display on Wall Street, further losses could be in stored for the greenback heading into the last week of 2023
The U.S. dollar, as measured by the DXY index, softened on Friday, hitting its weakest level in nearly five months at one point during the regular U.S. trading session, following encouraging data on consumer prices. For context, November core PCE, the Fed’s favorite inflation gauge, clocked in at 0.1% m-o-m, bringing the annual rate to 3.2% from 3.4%, one-tenth of a percent below consensus estimates - a sign that the trend continues to move in the right direction.
Factoring in the latest losses, the DXY index has fallen 4.1% in the fourth quarter and 1.8% in December, driven by the slump in government bond yields from the cycle’s highs.
Focusing on more recent price action, the Fed’s pivot last week has been the main source of U.S. dollar weakness over the past few days. Although the FOMC maintained the status quo at its last monetary policy meeting of the year, it admitted that it has begun to discuss rate cuts and signaled that it would slash borrowing costs several times by 2024.
The U.S. central bank’s dovish stance, which caught many investors off guard, has sparked a major downward correction in Treasury rates across the curve, pushing the 2-year note below 4.35% at some point this week - a notable retreat from its peak of 5.25% less than two months ago. The 10-year yield has also plummeted, trading beneath 3.9% on Friday after almost topping 5% in late October.
With U.S. yields skewed to the downside and market exuberance on full display on Wall Street, the U.S. dollar could deepen its near-term retracement. This could result in further upward momentum for gold, EUR/USD, and GBP/USD leading up to 2024, yet caution is warranted, with certain markets approaching potential overbought levels.