Get started

Helenrush

USDJPY: upside risks ahead The USDJPY pair is extending gains on Tuesday with the price has refreshed a one-month high of 113.44 before a partial retracement. The risk-on sentiment is prevailing in the global financial markets, which caps the safe haven yen demand. Investors are rather cautious ahead of midterm elections in the US. The base case scenario implies that Republicans retain a majority in the Senate while with Democrats reclaim control of the House of Representatives. As history shows, such an outcome could bode well for stocks and riskier assets. As such, risk appetite could improve following the elections and thus put the Japanese yen under a more intense downside pressure. And let’s not forget that the two-day FOMC meeting that concludes on Thursday could fuel USD demand. Despite the central bank is not expected to hike rates in November, the buck could be well inspired by confirmation of the tightening path against the backdrop of still solid fundamentals. As such, the pair still has a chance to challenge the 114.00 threshold should the upcoming events play in favor of the greenback.
by HelenRush
GBPUSD: Irish border remains the key sticking point The volatile pound rose decently last week, though the gains were still modest as compared to the decline a week earlier. GBPUSD regained the 1.30 handle and keeps above this level on Monday but struggles to proceed with the recent rally amid the conflicting signals. The optimism was capped by another disappointing UK economic data. October’s service PMI fell to a seven-month low and the composite index was the weakest since July 2016. Importantly, business expectations fell to 63.1 in October – this is the weakest reading in over two years. The figures point to Brexit uncertainty is dragging down the UK economy. Meanwhile, the latest Brexit developments look confusing as the reports on the upcoming deal were followed by the signals that the Irish border issue remains unresolved. The downside pressure on the pound is capped by a subdued dollar demand for now, while Brexit remains in market focus. On Tuesday, May’s cabinet will meet to discuss the PM’s plan. Traders need to see a progress in order to send the sterling higher. Otherwise, GBPUSD will get back below 1.30 and could attract some profit-taking.
by HelenRush
Dollar remains in the defensive Dollar dropped dramatically yesterday and remains under the selling pressure on Friday. The risk-on environment coupled with pound strength and weaker US economic data fuelled a more aggressive sell-off in the buck across the board. Today, the greenback may get a chance for a recovery. The US NFP employment report could serve as a catalyst for bulls should the jobs and wages come on a stronger side. Traders have been focused on wages data lately as this is one of the inflation indicators. So the increase by 0.2-0.3% could cap the negative pressure on the USD and cement the Fed rate hike expectations as well. Market participants will also closely monitor the US-China trade war developments after the recent speculations about the prospects for resuming the constructive and healthy dialog between the two countries. Against this backdrop, investors resumed buying riskier assets and if the sentiment continues to improve, dollar safe-haven demand will ease further. So the buck has a chance for a recovery in the short term, while in a wider picture, the currency may stay on the defensive.
KRAKEN:USDTUSD
by HelenRush
Gold bulls cheer USD weakness The greenback has eased across the board yesterday and remains under a heavy pressure on Thursday. Against this backdrop, gold prices managed to bounce from three-week lows and trim weekly losses. As such, the precious metal is back above the $1,215 handle and is targeting the $1,230 level again. Earlier this week, the bullion retreated heavily amid some signs of recovery in risk appetite coupled with strong dollar demand. The current corrective rebound brightens the short-term prospects of the yellow metal but the wider picture shows that the downside risks still persist. First, the sentiment in the global financial markets remains unstable and riskier assets are vulnerable to further losses due to a number of risk factors and events, including trade wars and political uncertainty globally. Second, the greenback may yet regain its strength before the end of this week should the US NFP employment data point to a healthy rise in jobs and wages. Therefore, it is possible that after the current correction, gold prices will resume the decline, though the potential pressure will likely be limited at this stage.
TVC:GOLD
by HelenRush
Yen stays soft in the wake of “dovish” BoJ meeting USDJPY refreshed three-week high of 113.33 on Wednesday and stays above 113.00 due to a combination of a generally stronger dollar, dovish Bank of Japan, and risk-on sentiment. As expected, the Japanese central bank left its monetary policy unchanged and reiterated that rated will remain ultralow for an extended period. The regulator has also said that risks are skewed to the downside for economy and prices. Moreover, Kuroda mentioned that the central bank is ready to adjust monetary policy if downside risks materialize. So it’s not surprising that the selling pressure on the yen has intensified after the meeting as the bank’s rhetoric was extremely dovish and has supported the riskier assets at the same time. The greenback demand remains robust, and the pair could climb further amid the widening monetary policy di-vergence, signs of the improving risk sentiment and technical factors – a break above 113.00 opens the way to the previous highs around 114.50. However, we could see some correction at this stage should investor sentiment turn sour in the short term as USDJPY looks attractive for profit-taking. Generally, considering the list of global risks ranging from trade wars to slowing growth, the yen may yet attract bulls at some point.
by HelenRush
Brent at the crossroads Crude oil prices are making shallow recovery attempts on Tuesday after the yesterday’s decline. Despite the general risk sentiment has improved somehow, commodity traders refrain from buying due to some conflicting signals. Investors seem to believe that the threat of supply shortfall has abated. Some economic signals point at the prospects of slowing global growth and weaker oil demand as a result. These fears coupled with the potential increase in OPEC production make traders worried that sanctions on Iran won’t bring supply deficit. In this con-text, the downside risks for Brent continue to persist as the previous fears over US sanctions look overestimat-ed now. And let’s not forget about the USD strength. The buck continues to receive support from a risk-off environment and from the “hawkish” Federal Reserve stance. The US currency could strengthen its positions ahead of the next Fed meeting in December when another rate hike will likely take place. From the technical point of view, Brent needs to hold above the $77 handle in order to proceed with recovery attempts with the initial target at $78. Otherwise, the price will focus on the $75.65 area again.
TVC:UKOIL
by HelenRush
EURUSD struggles to recover EURUSD is trading marginally higher today after finding a bottom at 1.1335 on Friday. The pair is clinging to the 1.14 handle but still lacks the impetus to stage a more robust and stable rebound. Over the weekend, S&P revised the Italy’s outlook to ‘negative’ but kept the country’s credit rating unchanged. Meanwhile, Italy’s officials hinted at the possibility of changing some parts of the budget that was rejected by the EU. These developments help the euro to stay afloat for the time being. However, the general dynamics shows that traders are still nervous and the prospects for a steady rebound in the pair look limited as the greenback remains supported amid the prevailing risk aversion, though the sentiment has marginally improved in Europe after a sell-off in Asia. In the short term, EURUSD will likely fail to firmly regain the 1.14 figure as the political risks in Italy and Germa-ny persist, while USD demand could reemerge at any moment as investors still prefer a cautious approach.
by HelenRush
GBPUSD: further losses ahead The pound remains under a heave selling pressure with the short-term outlook has deteriorated after attempts to break the 1.28 handle yesterday. GBPUSD has settled marginally above this level on Friday but more challenges will likely come in the days ahead. First, Brexit issues continue to discourage the GBP bulls. The fact that Prime Minister Theresa May has strengthened her position after her recent speech doesn’t bring any relief to sterling. The Irish border issue is still unresolved, and the risk of a no-deal divorce remains. Second, interest rate hikes expectations could decline even further next week if the Bank of England downgrades inflation or growth outlook on ‘Super Thursday’ next week. Traders will pay a close attention to the Quarterly Inflation Report, while no changes to monetary policy are expected. Third, the greenback demand remains robust due to solid US economic fundamentals and hawkish Fed. The dollar is supported by heavy month-end rebalancing as well. As such, the risk challenging the 1.28 figure remains high, and after a potential break below the 1.2785 support, GBPUSD will target 1.27 and then – 1.2660, where mid-2017 lows lie.
by HelenRush
AUDUSD still has room to fall The Aussie dollar makes some recovery attempts on Thursday after yesterday’s rejection from the 0.71 figure. The local corrective rebound is due to some pickup in risk sentiment capping the USD demand. However, despite the selling pressure has eased, the wider picture shows that AUDUSD still vulnerable to further declines. The AUD rallies still look unsustainable and attractive for sales as the US-China trade tensions are far from being resolved and there are no signs of progress on this front. Besides, the greenback remains supported by the “hawkish” Federal Reserve, solid US economic data and the prevailing risk-off environment globally amid a number of risks. So the pair will likely get back below the 0.7050 support and register fresh 32-month lows in the near term, but we could see a more robust rebound before the bears reenter the game. The driver for AUDUSD local rise could come from the US 3Q GDP report due tomorrow if the numbers disappoint.
by HelenRush
Brent struggles to recoup steep losses Crude oil prices plunged 5% yesterday after Saudi Arabia highlighted that OPEC+ countries were ready to pump more oil in order to meet any supply shortfalls due to sanctions on Iran. Despite traders have already heard sim-ilar hints from some exporters, the reaction was rather painful for the market. The relatively strong dollar and widespread risk-off tone have also played against prices. As a result, Brent dived to early-September low of $75.65 and staged the largest daily decline since mid-July. On Wednesday, the barrel is making some timid recovery attempts but remains under pressure, despite the risk sentiment has improved somehow. The additional negative factor for the market is another surprisingly large build up in US crude oil inventories. API data showed that the stockpiles increased by nearly 10 million barrels last week. Later in the day, the EIA will release its official data. Should the numbers similarly disappoint, and crude oil production rises after the recent decline in activity, Brent will struggle to recoup steep losses and could target even lower. In this scenario, the price may target the $75 handle if the $75.60 area gives up.
TVC:UKOIL
by HelenRush
Yen has a bullish potential The market optimism over the Chinese officials’ comments on stimulus has evaporated on Tuesday and gave way to renewed political fears. As a result, the risk-off sentiment is driving stock markets lower, while the Japanese yen safe-haven demand has surged significantly. The US-Saudi tensions, Italian budget issues, Brexit woes and trade-war fears propel the safe haven assets higher, with yen is the main beneficiary in this environment. As such, the USDJPY pair is re-treating after two days of gains, being rejected from nearly two-week highs marginally below the 113.00 handle. Considering the depth of investor worries and the growing concerns over the political chaos globally, the risk-off trade will prevail in the markets in the medium term, while moments of relief will likely be short-lived. In this context, the Japanese currency has a bullish potential, with spikes in the pair look like selling opportunities. Moreover, the bearish pressure on USDJPY could intensify should the Fri-day’s US Q3 FGP numbers disappoint.
by HelenRush
Gold: upside risks persist Gold has registered the third consecutive weekly gain and continues to hover close to the July highs, although buyers’ enthusiasm seems to be abating gradually. However, the precious metal could still retain the bullish tone down the road as global risk sentiment remains somehow unsteady. A good sign for gold bulls is the fact that the metal stays afloat even as the selling pressure on the greenback looks limited. Moreover, the speculative positioning shows that net shorts are now at the highest levels in almost twenty years. So there is still scope for further rise in prices should the buck refrain from any impressive rally in the coming week. The Friday’s US GDP report will be important in this context. The figure will likely decline from 4.3% to 3.3-3.2%, which is a dollar-negative scenario and another bullish opportunity for the bullion at the same time. From the technical point of view, as long as the yellow metal keeps above the $1,215 support, the chances for further rise remain rather high.
TVC:GOLD
by HelenRush
Rise and Dawn of Canadian Dollar Canadian Dollar is the star of the day, as it managed to rise to 1.3027 area in the morning, and then to lose all the gains in an hour touching 1.5-month low at 1.3119. Canadian Retail Sales and CPI Data are to blame. Retail sales ex autos decreased by 0.4% in August compared to a 0.1% rise forecasted. CPI also fell down by 0.4% m/m compared to a 0.1% rise expected. The sharp reaction of the USDCAD to the weak data is related to market expectations on the coming BOC monetary meeting. There was some confidence in looming rate hike among the investors. And positive economic reports could only support the expectations. The weaker numbers ease pressure on the regulator to bring up a hawkish stance at Wednesday's meeting. Part of the market still expects the hike, that’s why we perceive the current spike of USDCAD as an attractive opportunity to enter the market with a sell order. Most probably investors will be busy pricing in the looming tightening up till next Wednesday, thus the slide to recent lows is not ruled out. The nearest target on the way lower for USDCAD is 1.3050 with 1.2980 to follow.
by HelenRush
AUD May Resist China Trade War Woes AUDUSD had a hard time trying to break above 0.7140, but it was rejected on Thursday again losing almost 50 pips during the day. While US-China wars are still on the agenda putting the Australian currency under pressure, there is a light in the end of the tunnel. The Australian employment data posted early in the morning continued to show underlying strength. Full-time jobs added another 21K while the unemployment rate slipped to 5.0%. Overall, the employment trend participation rate stayed unchanged at 65.6 percent. And in retrospective, trend employment increased by over 290,000 persons or 2.4 percent over the last year, which was above the average year-on-year growth over the past 20 years (2.0 percent). What does it mean? It means that Australian labor market as well as economy on the whole feels pretty good despite all these Chinese trade war fears. Given the small size of the local economy, the recent sharp depreciation of the national currency may attract tourists and support service sector activity. It means there is more positive news ahead supporting the pair provided Trump keeps silence during all that time. The next target for AUDUSD may lie at 0.7150 followed by 0.72 round number resistance level.
by HelenRush
3 Reasons To Buy CAD NowThere is something interesting going on in Canada. And it may become a serious argument in favor of future CAD appreciation. This Monday Business Outlook Survey was out confirming the robust business prospects even before the NAFTA deal was finalised. It means that we would see even more optimistic outlook within the report next month. What does it mean? It means that the chances of Bank of Canada hiking rates on October, 24 are really high. And the scheduled for Friday release Canadian CPI and the retail sales may confirm the positive picture triggering the interest to Canadian Dollar. If you add a bullish oil trend as a strong supporter of CAD appreciation, you may realize that USDCAD has all the chances to show sharp sell-off in the nearest future with initial target at 1.2870 and 1.28 to follow.
by HelenRush
Pound - I have a dream While EURUSD stays under pressure, GBPUSD managed to show an amazing appreciation – it adds around 100 pips a day two days in a row. Positive UK data only supported the move, as average wages increased to 2.7% from 2.6% forecasted reaching the highest level in 9 years. However, there was a fly in the ointment - claimant count number climbed to 18.5K from 10.0K expected hinting on possible decrease of demand for workers. Investors are in positive mood ahead of tomorrow’s EU summit expecting some form of a deal will be done. European officials only heat up the expectations with hopeful comments, despite Irish border issue is still on the table. GBPUSD already managed to touch 1.3227 daily high with 3-weeks high 1.3297 as a next level. Once the breakout is confirmed, the next level to move will be at 1.3430
by HelenRush
New Day - New Dollar Sale Every day is full of new food for thoughts. We saw another day of US Dollar sale due to risk aversion flows and profit-taking after long-term bullish trend. We strongly believe that most part of the move was related to investors who decided to get out of the market and sit on the fence, or in some safe heaven like yen. Another reason of USD sell-off is the fear of geopolitical tensions. Trump vs Saudi Arabia issue made markets nervous, and made investors scared. One more thing that may pressure USD further the way is Trump's agressive reaction on Fed's monetary policy stance. If he keeps pressuring Powel for hawkish stance, it may decrease the channces of further rate hikes, and send the USD lower. In this case, USDJPY may become the biggest beneficiary with the pair targeting 111.20 support level initially with the next target at 110.50.
by HelenRush
Will AUD Rally Lasts? While stock market selloff triggered a wave of speculations about the possible stock bubble burst, investors were in no rush to buy safe havens and to dump risky assets. NZDUSD and AUDUSD actually became the outperformers among the major currency pairs. Does it mean the market stopped loving USD, or it’s just a temporary correction of the most oversold currencies? In order to answer the question we need to dig into fundamental drivers of recent commodity currencies sell-off. The key factor of pressure for AUD was the news about China-US trade wars. The escalation of the conflict should bring the decreasing demand for imported by China goods. And guess, who is the key trading partner for Australia? China! However, today there were rumors that China is ready for new round of talks, and it gives a hope that two big economies will be able to come to an agreement. If so, it may support AUDUSD on its further the way up. The pair is currently trying to tests the high for the day at 0.7128. A move higher will open the way up to 0.7145.
by HelenRush
GBP: Two Factors To Watch on Thursday GBPUSD is the pair of the week, as it appreciated 4th day out of the last five. The market is full of rumors and hopes. On Wednesday, the British newspapers reported that there were chances to see some draft agreement by next Monday. It means that the officials can be just in time for EU summit scheduled for the next week. There are speculations that a customs union will be built to protect trade between UK and EU after Brexit. The market is pretty tired of all this rumors around the Brexit deal lasting for several years. However, this time it looks like real progress, and the hope keeps GBP alive with a good potential of going higher. There are two important factors tomorrow that may have an effect on the pound moves. First, keep an eye on the BOE’s Governor speech that may update the Carney’s stance on monetary policy. Any positive hints may support the demand on the cable. Second, there are US CPI numbers in store. On Wednesday PPI report showed a slight decrease putting the USD under additional pressure. If consumer prices disappoint as well, we may see GBPUSD rushing higher with initial target at 1.3260.
by HelenRush
Sell Pound – Buy Sterling GBP keeps outperforming EUR as the market feels the taste of Brexit deal in the air. There are still some issues related to Irish border, confirmed by UK spokesman James Black. His confirmation that the actual deal has yet to be done sent GBPUSD lower during the day to 1.3060 area. However, many investors are unwilling to send the pound lower, as there is the feeling that the UK gets closer to the deal. Besides, this week brings some important reports from the UK starting from trade balance, industrial production and ending with monthly GDP report. Any positive numbers may give a much needed support to the British currency. Meanwhile, sterling looks much stronger in cross with euro where current pressure from Italian budget outweighs the long-term problems of Brexit negotiations. Despite the hopes the local watchdog agency may dismiss the current deficit proposal, market still feels that Italian government will stick to it putting under pressure the local fixed income market. In these circumstances EURGBP has all the chances to continue its slide down with the nearest target at 0.8730 followed by strong support level around 0.87.
by HelenRush
1
USDJPY – It’s All About USD Weakness USD/JPY is on radar as it managed to lose 150 points during the last 3 days, with 100 pips losing on Monday. There were speculations that the key trigger of the pair move was risk-off sentiment in the financial markets, with Italian budget woes pressuring the stock markets. However, it hardly correlates with AUD and NZD moves that managed to add around 40 pips during the day. It means the key driver of USD/JPY moves is rather USD weakness than anything else. Long-term picture is still bright for the American currency given the aggressive stance of Jerome Powell, and high chances of rising inflation pressure that may be a good argument for more rate hikes in store. In this environment, buying USD/JPY on dips looks like a good strategy to follow. The nearest strong support lies around 113.00 area. If the pair fails to break below, there are high chances for a rebound with initial target at 113.60 followed by 114.20.
by HelenRush
Dollar: will NFP disappoint? The greenback has pulled back on Thursday after the initial rally across the board. The EURUSD pair regained the 1.15 figure, while the cable jumped above 1.30 due to dollar correction coupled with signs of stabilization in Italy and some positive Brexit developments. However the last trading day of the week may bring some adjustments in dollar pairs after the US NFP employment report. While the consensus expectations for headline data point to around 185,000 jobs added, traders look to stronger numbers citing the pre-NFP leading indicators. In particular, ADP employment report came out above consensus at 230K against a forecast of 185K. The employment components of the PMIs also exceeded expectations. But let’s not forget that markets pay a closer attention to wages data lately, so this indicator will be the key driver for the short-term dollar dynamics. So should the wages show a big surprise and come out above the expected 0.3% rise, the buck will resume the rally that was fuelled by the recent jump in the US Treasury yields. Otherwise, the USD will finish the week on a negative note
by HelenRush
USDJPY set to resume the ascent USDJPY retreats from fresh 2018 highs registered at 114.54 earlier in the day. Yesterday, the pair jumped aggressively and pierced the 114.00 handle for the first time early-November 2017. The rising US Treasury yield is behind the widespread dollar strength, while the current pair’s retreat from tops is due to the prevailing risk-off sentiment in the global financial markets. According to the IMF, Japan needs to continue its accommodative monetary policy and maintain long-term interest rate target. The Fund has also mentioned the increased downside risks to Japan, citing weaker global demand and uncertainty on trade as factors that could undermine growth. Though there was nothing new in the statements, this doesn’t bode well for the yen that struggles to resist the pressure from dollar bulls amid the persistent monetary policy divergence. In this context, the longer term outlook for the Japanese currency remains uncertain, with risks skewed to the downside amid low inflation and bank of Japan’s commitment to accommodative monetary policy. As such, the USDJPY could resume the ascent as soon as risk sentiment improves. The initial upside target lies at 114.70 and then at 115.00.
by HelenRush