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Technical analysis: Intraday Level For EUR/USD for December 17, 2018
Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results
https://forex-images.ifxdb.com/userf...71211491d5.jpg
When the European market opens, some economic data will be released such as Empire State Manufacturing Index, Trade Balance, Final Core CPI y/y, Final CPI y/y, and Italian Trade Balance. The US will also release the economic data such as TIC Long-Term Purchases, NAHB Housing Market Index, and Empire State Manufacturing Index, so amid the reports, the EUR/USD pair will move in a low to a medium volatility during this day.
TODAY'S TECHNICAL LEVEL:
Breakout
BUY Level: 1.1362.
Strong Resistance: 1.1355.
Original Resistance: 1.1344.
Inner Sell Area: 1.1333.
Target Inner Area: 1.1306.
Inner Buy Area: 1.1279.
Original Support: 1.1268.
Strong Support: 1.1257.
Breakout SELL Level: 1.1250.
Disclaimer: Trading Forex (foreign exchange) on margin carries a high level of risk, and may not be suitable for all Traders or Investors. The high degree of leverage can work against you as well as for you. Before deciding to invest in foreign exchange, you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite. The possibility exists that you could sustain a loss of some or all of your initial investment and therefore you should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose. You should be aware of all the risks associated with foreign exchange trading, and seek advice from an independent financial advisor if you have any doubts.
Analysis are provided byInstaForex.
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EUR/USD: Weak PMI, the "Yellow Jackets" and the expectation of the Fed
Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results
After Friday's rise to one and a half year highs, the dollar index today slowed down and returned to 96 points. The strengthening of the US currency was due to weak data from China and strong data from the US. However, the dollar rally did not continue due to the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting, the results of which will be known the day after tomorrow.
But on Friday, the dollar bulls were inspired by US data on the growth of retail sales. First, the October data were revised upwards - from 0.8% to 1.1%. Second, in November, the indicator came out better than expected, although it de facto fell to 0.3%. However, following the release of data on inflation growth, Friday's figures provided strong support to the dollar against the backdrop of growth in consumer activity and lending. After all, in addition to the indicator of retail sales, last week data on the growth of industrial production in the United States were published. This indicator jumped by 0.6% in November, being stronger than the forecast (0.3%).
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/dJ...bwPJN3yClLxSvj
In other words, the US data renewed confidence that the Federal Reserve on Wednesday will not only raise the rate, but will also take a "hawkish" position on the future prospects of monetary policy. Although this issue is quite controversial (due to recent talk about the search for a neutral rate), the fundamental picture for the dollar looks undoubtedly better than the euro.
The single currency came under pressure of not only macroeconomic but also political factors. French PMI indices in the services and manufacturing sector fell under the key 50 mark - for the first time this year. German indicators also came out in the "red zone", showing a slowdown. Composite PMI index in the eurozone sharply fell in December to 51.3 - although last month was at 52.7 points. Weak PMI figures are fully consistent with the slowdown in economic growth in the eurozone, which was recorded in the third quarter of this year – let me remind you that GDP growth in the eurozone slowed to four-year lows.
On top of that, European inflation also brought it down - the consumer price index fell to two percent (with a forecast of 2.1% from the previous value of 2.2%), and core inflation excluding volatile energy and food prices returned to 1%, although experts were confident that the indicator will remain at the October level, that is, at around 1.1%. Against the background of these results, Mario Draghi's position at the last meeting of the ECB looked even optimistic – at least the head of the central bank did not rule out the tightening of monetary policy within the next year.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/kr...XmVSCCr79jkRnq
However, it is too early to talk about it. The bulls of EUR/USD are still satisfied with the fact that the European Central Bank completed QE on time, while the next steps of the ECB look too vague. Uncertainty puts pressure on the single currency, as well as the political situation in many European countries – primarily in France. The ongoing protests of the so-called "Yellow Jackets" unnerve the markets, especially against the backdrop of the Italian budget crisis. On Saturday, Paris hosted another (fifth) round of protests: about 70,000 people took to the streets of the city. And although it is almost two times less than in the past, it is too early to talk about the intensity of protest sentiments: most likely, bad weather conditions (almost zero air temperature + heavy rain) are to blame for everything.
Local demands for lower fuel prices have grown into political manifestos - now protesters demand to move to direct democracy through referendums on key issues of the country's life. In other words, the protest movement in France is taking a protracted form with rather unpredictable consequences. On the one hand, many experts say that the protest in its current form is not supported by all the French (much less than during the first wave of rallies). On the other hand, if Macron is forced to resign, then early elections will be held in the country, and the risk of a political crisis will increase in many ways.
Thus, today's corrective growth of the euro-dollar pair is primarily due to the hypothetical problems of the US currency. First, on the eve of the Fed meeting, traders were still anxious over the central bank's further actions. Secondly, there was a risk of a shutdown again in the United States. The US government may stop work on December 22 due to disagreements over the construction of the wall on the border with Mexico. According to the American press, the White House has already begun to conduct advance preparations for the implementation of this scenario.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/8Y...VJ8tn4jizs50l-
All this suggests that the EUR/USD pair is unlikely to demonstrate strong volatility until Wednesday – only if Italy or Brexit does not present any surprises in the news plan. From a technical point of view, the pair remains within the downward movement until the price fixes above 1.1360 (the average line of the Bollinger Bands indicator on the daily chart, which coincides with the Tenkan-sen and Kijun-sen lines). In this case, the Ichimoku Kinko Hyo indicator will form a "Golden cross" signal, which will determine further growth to the level of 1.1390 (the lower limit of the Kumo cloud). The nearest target of the downward movement is 1.1280 - the lower line of the Bollinger Bands indicator on the same timeframe.
Analysis are provided byInstaForex.
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EUR/USD. Trump again made the dollar nervous
Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results
"Fear has big eyes": something like this can be said about the situation on the foreign exchange market on the eve of the last Federal Reserve meeting this year. The dollar index dives down, showing the weak position of greenback against a basket of major currencies, and the yield of 10-year treasuries fell to 2.83%, finally leaving the area of three percent. It is likely that panic in the near future will only increase, especially after the recent comments of US President Donald Trump.
It is worth noting here that members of the American regulator are forced to observe a "silence regime" for 10 days prior to the meeting itself – this rule is strictly observed by them. But the president of the country is not burdened with such restrictions. And although Trump's predecessors tried not to comment on the Fed's actions at all, the current owner of the Oval Office has been putting verbal pressure on the Fed for several months. In the summer of this year, he rather rigidly commented on the next rate hike, saying that the actions of the central bank harm the economic growth of the country. After that, Trump returned to this issue several times, calling the Fed's policy "insane."
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/J2...qXxPIw0YT-5wSA
Jerome Powell diplomatically ignored the criticism of the head of state and did not change the tone of his rhetoric. This fact calmed the markets for a while — until the end of autumn, the Fed members started talking about the level of the neutral rate. Initially, Richard Clarid said that the interest rate has almost reached its neutral level, so further tightening of monetary policy may have a negative impact on the key indicators of the US economy. Then Powell touched on this topic: in his opinion, the rate is "just below" the neutral range. And although this range is quite wide (2.5%-3.5%), this position of the Fed chief has disappointed market participants. After all, not so long ago he said that the regulator may exceed the neutral level if the main indicators of the economy grow at an advancing pace.
In other words, traders have well-founded fears that the regulator will take a more cautious position regarding future prospects. That is why the dollar feels rather uncertain at the beginning of this week. Donald Trump also added fuel to the fire, which a few hours before the beginning of the two-day meeting again criticized the possible tightening of monetary policy. In his Twitter account, he said that raising the rate in the current conditions is "unbelievable." In his opinion, in the conditions of a strong dollar, low inflation and a slowing economy of China, it is absolutely impossible to raise the rate.
Today he supplemented his opinion with another tweet, the text of which is worth quoting: "Do not let the market become even less liquid than it is now. Feel the market, don't just chase the meaningless numbers." I think any comments are unnecessary here. And although de jure Trump has no direct influence on the Fed, the position he voiced complemented the gloomy picture on the eve of the key meeting for the dollar.
The weakening of the US currency allowed the euro-dollar pair to demonstrate a more or less clear correction: the price again approached the boundaries of the 14th figure. The single currency has also found a reason for its growth: an epic with the problem of the Italian budget could end tomorrow. According to the European press, the European Commission will announce its verdict on Wednesday. If the parties still come to a compromise, the euro will receive a strong enough support, since this issue has kept traders in suspense since the beginning of autumn.
In addition, against the background of an empty economic calendar, a report from the IFO was published today: on the one hand, the indicators came out worse than the forecast values, but, on the other hand, the comments to the report offset the negative effect. According to experts of the research institute, although the German economy is slowing, it does not show signs of recession. This is a very weak reason for optimism, but against the backdrop of a weakening dollar, it was the impetus for a small increase in EUR/USD.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/mS...BeFCS5BhXM9k7S
From a technical point of view, the situation is as follows. On the four-hour chart, the pair reached the upper line of the Bollinger Bands indicator (1,1401), but failed to break it, so it retreated by several dozen points. Despite an unsuccessful assault attempt, the price still remains within the short-term upward movement, as the Ichimoku Kinko Hyo indicator formed a bullish "Parade of lines" signal. The nearest target of the impulse is the 1,1401 mark, when overcoming which it will be possible to talk about the development of the upward movement (up to the 15th figure, that is, to the upper limit of the Kumo cloud on the daily chart). But this growth can only be due to the "dovish" results of tomorrow's Fed meeting.
Analysis are provided byInstaForex.
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Technical analysis: Intraday Level For EUR/USD for December 20, 2018
Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results
https://forex-images.ifxdb.com/userf...ca_source!.jpg
When the European market opens, some economic data will be released such as Current Account. The US will also publish the economic data such as Natural Gas Storage, CB Leading Index m/m, Unemployment Claims, and Philly Fed Manufacturing Index, so amid the reports, the EUR/USD pair will move in a low to a medium volatility during this day.
TODAY'S TECHNICAL LEVEL:
Breakout BUY Level: 1.1440.
Strong Resistance: 1.1433.
Original Resistance: 1.1422.
Inner Sell Area: 1.1411.
Target Inner Area: 1.1384.
Inner Buy Area: 1.1357.
Original Support: 1.1346.
Strong Support: 1.1335.
Breakout SELL Level: 1.1328.
Disclaimer: Trading Forex (foreign exchange) on margin carries a high level of risk, and may not be suitable for all Traders or Investors.The high degree of leverage can work against you as well as for you. Before deciding to invest in foreign exchange, you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite. The possibility exists that you could sustain a loss of some or all of your initial investment and therefore you should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose. You should be aware of all the risks associated with foreign exchange trading, and seek advice from an independent financial advisor if you have any doubts.
Analysis are provided byInstaForex.
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Technical analysis: Intraday level for USD/JPY for December 21, 2018
Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results
https://forex-images.ifxdb.com/userf...45_source!.jpg
In Asia, Japan will release the National Core CPI y/y and the US will also publish some economic data such as Revised UoM Inflation Expectations, Personal Income m/m, Revised UoM Consumer Sentiment, Personal Spending m/m, Core PCE Price Index m/m, Final GDP Price Index q/q, Durable Goods Orders m/m, Final GDP q/q, and Core Durable Goods Orders m/m. So there is a probability that the USD/JPY pair will move with a low to a medium volatility during this day.
TODAY'S TECHNICAL LEVEL:
Resistance. 3: 111.78.
Resistance. 2: 111.56.
Resistance. 1: 111.85.
Support. 1: 111.07.
Support. 2: 110.86.
Support. 3: 110.64.
Disclaimer: Trading Forex (foreign exchange) on margin carries a high level of risk, and may not be suitable for all Traders or Investors. The high degree of leverage can work against you as well as for you. Before deciding to invest in foreign exchange, you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite. The possibility exists that you could sustain a loss of some or all of your initial investment and therefore you should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose. You should be aware of all the risks associated with foreign exchange trading, and seek advice from an independent financial advisor if you have any doubts.
Analysis are provided byInstaForex.
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Technical analysis: Intraday Level For EUR/USD for December 27, 2018
https://forex-images.ifxdb.com/userf...4b_source!.jpg
When the European market opens, some economic data will be released such as ECB Economic Bulletin. The US will also publish the economic data such as New Home Sales, CB Consumer Confidence, HPI m/m, and Unemployment Claims, so amid the reports, the EUR/USD pair will move in a low to a medium volatility during this day.
TODAY'S TECHNICAL LEVEL:
Breakout BUY Level: 1.1425.
Strong Resistance: 1.1418.
Original Resistance: 1.1407.
Inner Sell Area: 1.1396.
Target Inner Area: 1.1369.
Inner Buy Area: 1.1342.
Original Support: 1.1331.
Strong Support: 1.1320.
Breakout SELL Level: 1.1313.
Disclaimer: Trading Forex (foreign exchange) on margin carries a high level of risk, and may not be suitable for all Traders or Investors. The high degree of leverage can work against you as well as for you. Before deciding to invest in foreign exchange, you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite. The possibility exists that you could sustain a loss of some or all of your initial investment and therefore you should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose. You should be aware of all the risks associated with foreign exchange trading, and seek advice from an independent financial advisor if you have any doubts.
*The market analysis posted here is meant to increase your awareness, but not to give instructions to make a trade.
Analysis are provided byInstaForex.
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EUR/USD: US consumer confidence weakened the dollar
The dollar index froze in flat today: on the one hand, the indicator was able to return to the area of 96 points, but on the other hand, further growth was questionable. The fundamental background for the US currency is quite controversial, so traders are in no hurry to open large positions - neither in favor of the greenback nor against it.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/n7...qG_D5AW8ijvuFI
Bulls of EUR/USD situationally took advantage of the situation, making up for yesterday's losses, however, the northern dynamics is also under a certain question. Throughout the trading day, traders stormed the 14th figure, but it is not yet possible to finally gain a foothold in this area. The European currency was not able to attract investors even against the background of the shaken demand for the dollar. As a result, the EUR/USD pair was also stuck in a flat, despite the predominantly bullish sentiment of investors.
In general, the foreign exchange market today is balanced between two border states. In the morning, there was clearly a thirst for risk in the background of recent events. Traders "changed their anger to mercy" when the main indices of the US stock market showed rapid growth. News from China also encouraged the market, as the date of talks between Beijing and Washington became known: the American delegation will visit the Chinese capital in the second half of January. This fundamental picture has weakened the interest of traders in the dollar, which has recently enjoyed the status of a "defensive asset".
In turn, this situation allowed the EUR/USD bulls to return the pair to the area of the 14th figure, although the northern dynamics of the price were under serious threat. The reason for this is the economic bulletin, which was published today by the ECB. The European equivalent of the "minutes" of the Federal Reserve rarely causes strong volatility in the market, but against the background of an almost empty economic calendar and low liquidity, today's release played a role for the euro.
By and large, the published Bulletin in many respects duplicates the already voiced information from the last meeting on monetary policy. Today, traders did not see anything new in the report: according to members of the central bank, the eurozone economy still needs significant amounts of stimulation against the backdrop of increasing downward risks. The central bank expects to see further expansion of the economy, although the momentum of growth by the end of the year slowed noticeably. In addition, the regulator is quite pessimistic about the dynamics of the EU economic growth in 2019 against the background of the expected slowdown in the global economy.
All these theses were almost literally voiced by Mario Draghi at the ECB's last meeting this year. However, he was more optimistic in his assessments, while the Bulletin compiled only negative factors. Therefore, among the experts today there is a fairly reasonable assumption that at the beginning of the year the European Central Bank will soften its rhetoric.
In their opinion, the regulator will first of all change the wording regarding the approximate term of the rate increase. If at the moment the ECB plans to tighten the monetary policy "not earlier than autumn 2019", then in the text of the January or March accompanying statement of the wording may be subject to adjustment. The essence of the possible changes is obvious: the regulator will move the date of rate increase for an indefinite period, so that, on the one hand, not to entertain the market with unrealistic illusions, and on the other hand, not to drive itself into the framework of its own forecasts.
In my opinion, these concerns are justified, but only if the key inflation indicators show a further decline in the first quarter of next year. That is, the ECB can adjust its position only at the March meeting, while the January meeting is likely to be "passing". Apparently, the market also came to the conclusion that it is too early to worry about this, so after a small southern pullback, the EUR/USD pair shot up, after all having overcome the price outpost of 1.1400.
This price movement contributed to the US statistics. The consumer confidence indicator published today turned out to be much worse than forecast: with the forecast of 133.7, it came out at 128.1 - this is the weakest result since July of this year. The indicator has weakened quite sharply and unexpectedly, since over the past five months it has not decreased below the 130th mark.
As you know, this index is a leading indicator of consumer spending, so traders returned to the problem of inflation growth in the United States. The market was again concerned about the pace of the rate hike next year – after all, according to some experts, the Fed may even pause the process of tightening monetary policy - or just raise the rate once at the December 2019 meeting. And although these arguments are also too generalized, the dollar was under quite strong pressure.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Es...5wESy1z6ZhQ90i
Technically, the bulls of the EUR/USD pair still need to consolidate above the upper line of the Bollinger Bands indicator on the daily chart (1.1430) and the upper limit of the Kumo cloud (1.1515). Having overcome these price barriers, traders will indicate the priority of the northern movement. Until then, there is a risk of a downward rollback to the middle line of the Bollinger Bands, that is, to the level of 1.1360.
*The market analysis posted here is meant to increase your awareness, but not to give instructions to make a trade.
Analysis are provided byInstaForex.
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Trading plan for 02/01/2019
https://forex-images.ifxdb.com/userf...d4_source!.jpg
The start of the new year brings a revival of trade, which for the currency market mainly means USD sales. EUR / USD and USD / JPY are gaining new levels closer to 1.15 and 109 respectively. More pressure concerns only AUD and NZD in the company of the stock market in Asia, where the pressure was created after disappointing data from China.
On Wednesday, the 2nd of January, the event calendar is light in important data releases, but the global investors should keep an eye on PMI Manufacturing data from Germany, France, Spain, Italy, UK and the whole Eurozone being released early in the morning. During the US session, Canada and the US itself will publish their PMI Manufacturing data as well.
EUR/USD analysis for 02/01/2018:
China's December Caixin manufacturing PMI fell from 50.2 in November to 49.7, in line with the official manufacturing PMI, which fell from 50.0 to 49.4. Together with a fall in industrial profits of 1.8%YoY in November from +3.6%YoY in October, and softer retail sales growth (8.1% in November from 8.6% in October), the global investors have a clear indication that the economy is weakening.
The Chinese HSBC Manufacturing PMI is a composite indicator designed to provide an overall view of activity in the manufacturing sector and acts as a leading indicator for the whole economy. When the PMI is below 50.0 this indicates that the manufacturing economy is declining and a value above 50.0 indicates an expansion of the manufacturing economy. Flash figures are released approximately 6 business days prior to the end of the month. Final figures overwrite the flash figures upon release and are in turn overwritten as the next Flash is available. The Chinese HSBC Manufacturing PMI is concluded from a monthly survey of about 430 purchasing managers which asks respondents to rate the relative level of business conditions including employment, production, new orders, prices, supplier deliveries, and inventories.
Let's now take a look at the EUR/USD technical picture at the H4 time frame. The market has broken through the local technical resistance zone located between the levels of 1.1442 - 1.1471 and made a new local high at 1.1495 on its way up. The zone between 1.1493 - 1.1499 is a resistance zone as well so the bulls might have some problems there, but the momentum is still strong and positive, which supports the short-term bullish outlook. In a case of a further rally, the next target for bulls is seen at the level of 1.1533 and 1.1550.
Analysis are provided byInstaForex.
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GBP/USD. And again Brexit: the pound fell into the zone of turbulence
The situation in the foreign exchange market is changing rapidly: in the morning the pound-dollar pair showed a positive attitude, taking advantage of the weakness of the US currency – but in the second half of the day the British sharply fell throughout the market, testing the 25th figure paired with the greenback. It was followed by the euro, which was unable to hold local highs and hastily returned to December positions. After the New Year holidays, traders again remembered Brexit, the prospects of which are still very vague.
The immediate reason for the price collapse of the GBP/USD was the message that Theresa May is holding an emergency meeting of the cabinet ministers today, on the agenda of which there will be only one issue – preparation for a "hard" Brexit. Traders reacted anxiously to this news, although, in my opinion, today's situation should be considered from a slightly different angle.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/gL...cvHsMas9DtTjBT
The fact is that since the beginning of December, when Theresa May canceled the Brexit vote, the general mood among British parliamentarians has not changed. It would be possible to talk about any changes if Brussels went to a meeting and outlined the validity period of the backstop. But Europe refused, so the prime minister returned to London with nothing, refusing to even hold a press conference. May's behavior is quite understandable: after all, the Europeans not only refused her request, but even criticized her for the lack of structural elements. Brussels expressed bewilderment: what kind of "legal guarantees" can we talk about if the draft agreement already approved by the European Union and British ministers provides for consideration of this issue during the transition period?
In other words, over the past three weeks, the situation has not changed, whereas after two weeks the British deputies must render their verdict to the proposed deal. Theresa May still needs to consolidate the votes of not only her fellow party members (117 of whom voted for her resignation), but also find 10 more votes outside the Conservative Party. The task, to put it mildly, is not easy, so the prime minister needs to act "decisively and convincingly."
And apparently, May decided to play the "no alternative" card of the proposed agreement again. The previous attempt ended in failure: according to preliminary estimates, on the eve of December 11, the prime minister lacked a few dozen votes, which was the reason for the cancellation of the vote. Now the situation is somewhat different, so the prime minister will certainly try her luck again - especially since there are simply no other options.
Let me remind you that since around the end of September, May has been actively focusing on the catastrophic consequences of chaotic Brexit, recalling that the proposed deal is a single alternative to this scenario. This position was repeated by the European Union: according to the European side, the members of the Alliance will under no circumstances reconsider any points of the agreement reached. Speaking with a "united front", Brussels and London tried to convince members of Parliament that they have little choice: either they vote for the deal (with all its shortcomings), or let the country "derail", allowing a chaotic scenario.
But shortly before the key vote, the deputies began to discuss possible alternatives. Among them is the rejection of Brexit as such (the European court at the end of 2018 allowed such an option) or a new referendum. As a result, Theresa May's script has lost its trump card, which lay in the proverbial no alternative.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/FI...wJY13GFJ-MULNB
Why does May again begin to escalate the situation, "scaring" politicians with hard Brexit? The fact is that in late December, the leader of the British opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, disappointed supporters of the second referendum with his unexpected statement. He said that his party supports Brexit, but at the same time the Labour Party will try to change the terms of the deal if they win the early elections in 2019 (if they are held, of course). Thus, the probability of holding a second referendum has largely decreased, since now only small parties defend this idea, which are unable to change the situation as a whole.
Other proposed scenarios look too ephemeral to "compete" with the draft deal proposed by May. That is why in the coming days the situation will only escalate: supporters of the prime minister will, under any pretext, "scare" the public and politicians with catastrophic consequences of a hard Brexit. This strategy can persuade doubting MPs that a bad deal is better than a chaotic option – especially in the absence of clear alternatives.
Traders of GBP/USD, in turn, will have to be patient: the pound reacts sharply to any comments or events related to the prospects of the "divorce process". Therefore, the period of "panic" will be perceived by the British quite painfully. At the moment, the pair is heading to the nearest, strongest support level of 1,2505 (the lower line of the Bollinger Bands on the daily chart), where a corrective pullback may follow.
Analysis are provided byInstaForex.
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EUR/USD. Friday's Jackpot: Nonfarm and European inflation
The foreign exchange market is experiencing a period of increased volatility, showing strong price impulses. The dollar/yen pair has passed more than 400 points in the last day, the pound/dollar – almost 150, the "kiwi" and "loonie" – about 100. In all cases, the dollar for some time significantly strengthened its position, but then just as rapidly fell throughout the market. This difference in mood is due to the changeable fundamental background, which is clearly confusing traders.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Qn...srlsjuHk9blMaZ
The fact is that the dollar last year (especially in the second half of it) actively enjoyed the status of a defensive instrument – even the negative events in the United States increased the demand for the greenback. The US currency had a powerful trump card in the form of the hawkish policy of the Fed, especially against the background of the uncertainty of the rest of the central banks of the leading countries of the world. Now the situation has changed somewhat: the problems in the US are still growing like a snowball, but the position of the Federal Reserve has softened significantly. The results of the December Fed meeting will "chase" the dollar for a long time, especially if the key US economic indicators show a decline in the first half of the year. Some representatives of the American regulator, who had recently voiced the "hawkish" position, added fuel to the fire. Now their rhetoric has changed significantly.
For example, the head of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Robert Kaplan, said today that the regulator should take a wait-and-see position for at least two quarters of 2019. The essence of his position boils down to the fact that the US-Chinese trade conflict has harmed not only the world economy and not only China – but also the United States. In view of this fact, he expects a slowdown in US GDP growth and inflation this year. The Fed, in his opinion, should react accordingly, so as not to aggravate the already precarious situation. Here it is worth recalling that in the autumn of last year Kaplan stated that 4 rounds of increase would follow to the neutral level of the rate (that is, the neutral level would be at the level of 3.25%). As we see, now his opinion has changed dramatically: now he stands for a six-month pause.
If the rest of the Fed members move to the "dovish" camp in the same way, the dollar finally loses its foothold. In this context, it is important to listen to Jerome Powell, who will speak at the economic conference tomorrow with his predecessors, Janet Yellen and Ben Bernanke. If the incumbent Fed chief also softens his rhetoric (or at least repeats the main points of the December meeting), the dollar index will continue its downward trend.
However, tomorrow is full of other events. First of all, we are talking about the Nonfarm, which can give an additional impetus to dollar pairs. According to preliminary estimates of experts, the number of people employed in the non-agricultural sector in December should increase by 180 thousand, while the unemployment rate will remain at the previous level of 3.7%. This is a good forecast, so if real numbers meet expectations, then the dollar will avoid another wave of sales.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/ia...kC_hz69mcL13TH
But as shown today, experts can make a big mistake in their estimates: the American manufacturing index ISM, contrary to all forecasts, fell to the mark of 54.1 - this is the weakest result since September 2016. This unexpected result discouraged dollar bulls, after which the EUR/USD pair was able to return to the 14th figure for a short time. If tomorrow's Nonfarm will present a similar "surprise", then the market reaction will be more extensive.
Another important release on Friday is the dynamics of wages. The indicator of the average hourly wage in the USA has been fluctuating in the range of 0.1% to 0.3% (m/m) for a long time, although in annual terms the indicator has grown slightly (up to 3.1%). For EUR/USD bears, it is important that the indicator does not cross the zero line on a monthly basis and does not "dive" under the three percent mark in annual terms. This indicator is closely monitored by the Fed, so its negative dynamics will affect the position of the US currency.
Also, we should not forget that tomorrow the release of data on the growth of European inflation is expected. The consensus forecast suggests that the consumer price index will drop again - to 1.8%. Core inflation should remain at the same level - 1%. Any deviations from the forecast scenario will cause strong volatility - depending on the direction in which the pendulum will swing. The recovery of inflation indicators will inspire the bulls of the EUR/USD pair, as the chances of a rise in the ECB rate this year will increase. If the price pressure continues to weaken, the euro will be too vulnerable - even against the background of an uncertain greenback.
Analysis are provided byInstaForex.
