Wave Analysis by InstaForex

The dollar turned into a Whipping Boy



These factors try to justify the current weakening of the dollar. However, the hurricanes did not affect anything important either in the financial world or in oil and gas production. Even the nuclear missiles, that cannot fly as far as the US, have little effect.

Over the past week, the dollar has weakened considerably. Both the euro and the pound have been strengthening day by day. In many ways this was contrary to common sense, or at least it seemed so at first glance. It is often said that the blame for all the hurricanes that hit the south of the United States is the nuclear tests of the DPRK.

The television footage of the destruction caused by the hurricane in Texas, of course, is impressive. Especially when you realize that we are talking about the second-largest economy and the second-largest population in the state. The first thought that this footage led to is panic, which inevitably affected the dollar. Moreover, if you remember, Texas is famous for its oil workers. It's as if the hurricane caused huge damage to France. However, Texas is a huge state, bigger than most countries in the world. The hurricane affected only a small part of it, and oil production in the United States has long ago moved north of Texas itself. Shale oil and gas in the state is not affected too much. Also, do not forget that in terms of the financial world, Texas is simply insignificant. Another thing, it is in New York or Chicago where large investors and financial tycoons live. Well, it was the case back in Boston. In short, it's not worth writing off everything for a hurricane.

North Korea have caused a lot of people to worry about ballistic missile launches. Here, the weakening of the dollar is explained by the fear of investors of the nuclear strikes of Kim Jong-un. However, everything here is very strange. After all, North Korea has never launched a missile capable of flying to the US territory. Experts only suggest that they have them. But here's what the DPRK definitely has: missiles that are capable of hitting the territory of Japan. About South Korea, they said nothing. So, if all these investors are so afraid of a nuclear attack from the DPRK, it is more logical to transfer money to where they will be the least probability of being hit. Namely, in the US and Europe. Despite this, the dollar weakened against all currencies.

There was also the speech by Mario Draghi which was held immediately after the ECB meeting on monetary policy. He said that if necessary, the program of quantitative easing will be extended beyond December of this year. He also added that interest rates will remain low for a long time. After such words, any currency would inevitably collapse. However, a lot rests on the fact that Mario Draghi did not express concern about the euro. It is understandable that he did not speak about it, since the euro is not a priority for the ECB. The European Central Bank has more important tasks.

So it is necessary to state a simple and banal thing: investors are fleeing from the dollar.

The reason is that investors do not care whether things are going badly or well. It is important for them that the situation is understandable and predictable. Here, in Europe, everything is clear. For a long time, the ECB and the Bank of England will pursue an ultra-soft monetary policy. This, of course, is not very good, but at least it's predictable. In the United States, it is not at all smooth. In the first half of the year, it was promised that by the end of the year, the Fed will refinance the rate of 1.5%. This strengthened the dollar. Now, there are a lot of questions to the Fed, including the rate, which, perhaps, will be left at the level of 1.25%. And since the rate will not be raised any more, then there is nothing anymore to lie about without money.

This scenario will please the eyes of market participants this week. Now, a new hurricane will hit Florida, which is the third largest population and the fourth largest economy by the state. However, the value of Florida is much smaller than that of Texas, so it is quite difficult to use it as an excuse to justify the weakening of the dollar. Especially, since in Florida, unlike Texas, there is no serious industry. The state's position on the size of the economy is only because of the size of the population. However, there is no doubt hurricanes will be used as an excuse.

Another argument in favor of the weakening the dollar is the upcoming meeting of the Bank of England on monetary policy. First, there will be data on inflation, which should show acceleration from 2.6% to 2.8%. If these forecasts are justified, then the number of supporters of the increase in the refinancing rate in the Bank of England will increase. Since the hopes for a rapid increase in the rate in the United States have not been justified, it is worth seeing the UK try. So, the dollar still has to fall in price. Moreover, in the US, a significant slowdown in the growth rate of retail sales is expected from 4.2% to 3.1%.

Considering that practically no significant news is coming out in Europe, the EUR/USD pair, if it grows up, is insignificant. Hysteria about the hurricane in Florida will not allow the dollar to strengthen, so there is a high probability of consolidation around 1.2000.

If the number of votes for raising the refinancing rate in the Bank of England is three or more, then the GBP/USD pair will rise to 1.3350. If inflation increases, the members of the Bank of England board will be cautious, and a pound drop to 1.2950 is possible.

Analysis are provided byInstaForex.

What are the prospects for the British pound?



The British pound rose sharply against the US dollar and other world currencies after the release of good inflation data, which again "awakened" the talks about raising interest rates by the Bank of England.

Although such prospects, of course, are quite lengthy, judging by the latest data, with inflation in the UK, after a disastrous July month, everything is in order in August.

According to the report of the National Bureau of Statistics of Great Britain, both monthly and annual inflation grew. Remarkably, the two indicators were much better than the economists' forecasts. So, the consumer price index of Great Britain in August this year increased by 2.9% compared to the same period of the previous year, while economists expected growth of only 2.7%. The growth was due to a sharp jump in prices for clothing and footwear.

Compared to July 2017, the consumer price index rose by 0.6%, while economists forecast an increase of 0.5%.

The country's factory gate prices in August rose by 3.4% compared to the same period of the previous year, while purchasing prices jumped by 7.6%. The increase in purchasing prices was directly related to the rising prices of crude oil.

Such good performance is unlikely to affect the decision of the Bank of England this Thursday, when it is expected that the regulator will leave the key interest rate unchanged at 0.25%, as the economic growth remains moderate.

The most positive forecasts of economists indicate an increase in the cost of borrowing at the beginning of next year, although the optimal period is mid-2018.

As for the technical picture of the GBPUSD pair, majority will depend on how the new buyers show themselves at the level of 1.3260, because an unsuccessful consolidation above this level can trigger a gradual selling of the pound in the medium term. The high that buyers can expect in this scenario is the update of 1.3330 and 1.3370. If, after the decision of the Bank of England, the trade moves below the level of 1.3260, then it is likely that the pound will be sold quickly to the larger support levels 1.3190 and 1.3090.

According to The Retail Economist and Goldman Sachs, the US retail sales index for the week of September 3-9 fell by 3.0% compared to last week, which is generally related to seasonality before the start of the academic year. Compared to the same period in 2016, the sales index in the US retail chains grew by 2.3%.

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The Bank of England can raise rates

After the release of strong data on consumer inflation in the UK, as well as the increase in selling and purchasing prices of producers, the question of whether the Bank of England will raise interest rates at the September meeting has surfaced again.

Released on Tuesday, really strong data on consumer inflation unexpectedly showed a significant increase in August, both in monthly terms and in annual terms. This increases the likelihood of an increase in interest rates by the Bank of England at its September meeting. Today there will be more figures on the average level of wages in the UK, as well as on employment. It is expected that wages rose by 2.3% in July against the 2.1% increase in June. Also, growth in applications for unemployment benefits is expected. It can be assumed that if the data prove to be better than forecasts or, at least, not worse than expected, it will support the British currency on the wave of increasing expectations of higher interest rates next week.

In addition to data from the UK, the market will focus today on the publication of figures for industrial inflation in the US. It is estimated that the producer price index will increase sharply both in annual and monthly terms. The annual figures will have to jump to 2.5% from 1.9%, and the monthly increase in August by 0.3% after a 0.1% drop in July.

If these data prove to be worse than forecasts or show higher values, then, the US dollar may receive domestic support against the euro and, possibly, also against the yen.

In general, the currency market can be expected to continue the consolidation period before the meeting of the Bank of England and the Federal Reserve. At the first meeting, a decision may be made to raise interest rates or reduce the volume of asset purchases, while at the second meeting it will be decided to start reducing the balance of the Fed. The first event will support the British currency, and the second will show investors the path of the future monetary policy.

Forecast of the day:

The EURUSD pair may be under pressure on the wave of strong data on production inflation in the US and is able to drop to 1.1925, but its decline will probably be domestic, as the market will expect the release of figures on consumer inflation in the US and the results of the Fed meeting.

The EURGBP pair fell to the level of 0.9000, the overcoming of which can still cause the continuation of its decline to 0.8885. But it is likely that before the meeting of the Bank of England the pair will consolidate, and only the decision of the regulator to raise rates or reduce the volume of asset purchases will lead to its further decline.





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Fed will not help the dollar

Encouraged by hopes of stimulating the US economy under the influence of Donald Trump's stimulating programs, the "bears" of the EUR/USD pair went into a counter-attack. The consequences of hurricanes "Harvey" and "Irma" were not as terrible as initially expected. Besides, history shows that "Katrina" was stronger against the two, at a time when the Fed raised the federal funds rate in 2005. Natural disasters are temporary and in the end the result of the restoration work can benefit the GDP. Simultaneously, the idea of tax reform, which in late 2016 pushed up the USD index, has returned to the market.

Judging by the comments of the Republicans, the bill on changes in the taxation system will become public for a week by September 25. Up to this point, one can only guess at the basic provisions of the reform and how far it will spread in the American economy. The president only hinted that the rich should not expect special preferences, which contrasts with previous statements about the reduction of corporate tax and real estate tax. However, the fact that Trump changes his mind like a glove, throughout it should be expected.

The rise in US GDP growth rate entails a more rapid tightening of the monetary policy by the Fed, compared with what the markets are currently waiting for. While the regulator is concerned about inflation, it must be understood that conditions are constantly changing. If in the 1970s, its average level was 7.1%, in the 1980s - 5.6%, in 1990 - 3%, in the 2000s - 2.6%, but now it is below the 2% mark. The liability is globalization and new technologies that increase competition and force producers to cut prices. In correlation with this, raising the federal funds rate to 3-3.5% or higher, as it was before, is not necessary. The cycle of monetary restriction of the Fed can be completed much earlier, and the realization of this fact will attract new sellers of the US dollar to the market.

Dynamics of inflation and federal funds rates



Source: Trading Economics.

The outlook for the euro, on the contrary, appears optimistic. In fact, due to the lag in the economic cycle in the eurozone compared to the United States, the ECB is at the same pace as the Fed in 2014. The European Central Bank is ready to normalize monetary policy, and the current EUR/USD pair correction only increases the likelihood of it. In October, Mario Draghi will report on the curtailment of the quantitative easing program. This will be a new occasion to buy the euro.

It should be noted that during its last cycle of tightening monetary policy in 2005-2008, the regional currency strengthened against the US dollar by 30%, and if history repeats itself, the current +13% is just the beginning. In this regard, it makes sense for traders to stick to the previous strategy in the main currency pair - buying on payoffs.

Technically, the inability of bulls to move prices above the target by 161.8% on the AB = CD pattern indicates their weakness. The formation of the double vertex increases the correction risks in the direction of at least the lower boundary of the upstream trading channel.

EUR/USD, daily chart



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US Dollar: bulls ready for revenge

The US dollar was sold at the close of the week on Friday after an unexpectedly weak report on retail sales and industrial production for the month of August. The data cast doubt on the prospects for the recovery of the US economy.

Retail sales decreased by 0.2% compared to July. Moreover, the July growth of 0.6% was revised downwards to 0.3%. Meanwhile, the report for June was a;so revised from + 0.3% to -0.1%. Thus, the dynamics of retail sales over the past three months was significantly worse than the market expected, casting doubt on the ability of the US consumer sector to maintain demand at the same level.

For the first time since January, the volume of industrial production has decreased. The decline in August was 0.9%, which is the maximum monthly decline since May 2009, causing the manufacturing industry fell by 0.3%. The reason for such a weak data, according to experts, is the consequences of hurricane "Harvey", which broke out on the southern coast of the United States and contributed to a decline in the oil refining and chemical industries.

The GDP growth rate in the third quarter was now under attack. The GDPNow model from the Atlanta Federal Reserve forecasts an increase of 2.2% in the third quarter, which is noticeably worse than the 4% growth expectations of just 6 weeks ago. Meanwhile, weak economic growth casts doubt on the Fed's plans to normalize monetary policy.



The failed report on retail sales was unexpected given the acceleration in consumer price growth. In August, inflation rose by 0.4% against a growth of 0.1% for the month of July. Year-on-year growth reached 1.9%. The results were better than forecasts and, it would seem, gave a strong argument for the bulls on the dollar. Good dynamics on consumer activity would add credibility to the leaders of the Fed. This is because after the start of the program to reduce the balance sheet following the meeting on September 20, the market considered the matter resolved,and the dollar should have receive the long-awaited impetus for a turn.

However, the dollar's fate is again in question. Of course, the dynamics of retail sales is unpleasant news for the Fed but it will not affect its position. The plan to reduce the balance sheet was announced in advance and the impact of the hurricane will have be temporary. However, the increase in inflation is a much stronger argument, and it will give an opportunity in the updated forecast of September 20 to indicate higher figures than the market expects.

The weakening of the dollar by the end of the week was also caused by the unexpectedly aggressive position of the Bank of England, which announced the imminent start of the rate hike cycle, and fixing profits before the weekend. At the same time, there is a noticeable recovery in the markets, which is reflected in the growth in demand for risky assets with stock indices growing. The dollar is experiencing a clear deficit of good news, and the beginning of the week before the Fed meeting will be held in anticipation of the positive outcome of the meeting.

At the moment, the dollar is ready to resume growth. All the catalysts for its decline in the current year are already played by the market. There are no new catalysts and there are very few reasons for further weakening. The problem with the level of public debt and government funding is removed from the agenda. The fate of the tax reform is in the hands of the democrats with whom Trump, according to recent data, has managed to find a solution that suits everyone. Any announcement of support for reforms by the Congress will serve as a powerful driver for the growth of the dollar, as it will potentially contain the factor of a rapid inflow of investments into the US economy.

The dollar has good chances, primarily against the yen and the franc. The Central Bank of Japan and the NBS continue to adhere to a soft monetary policy, which, against the backdrop of growing interest in risk, will be an additional argument in favor of sales. Against the euro, the dollar does not yet have strong positions, as the ECB is also preparing to wind down the buyback program. However, the euro's rise before the Fed meeting is virtually ruled out. Trade in the Australian and Canadian dollars will be cautious, with greater chances to go into the lateral range, at least until the support from rising commodity prices ceases.

Analysis are provided byInstaForex.

Pound defeated a strong opponent

The British pound was marked by the best weekly dynamics against the basket of major world currencies over the past nine years, strengthening against the US dollar by 3% after the Bank of England signaled it was ready to tighten monetary policy. It is interesting to note that the US dollar did not look like a whipping boy either. The reduction of geopolitical risks around North Korea and the growth of the probability of the Fed's monetary restriction against the acceleration of inflation to 1.9% allowed the "dollar" to finish the five-day session in positive territory against the majority of competitors from the G10. The bigger the gains of sterling!

It's one thing when the market pushes the date of the rate hike and then brings it closer, as in the case of the Fed. It is quite another when the chances of tightening monetary policy grow dramatically, as in the case of the Bank of England. Guided by the need to implement its own inflation projections, the regulator made it clear that it was going to raise the repo rate in the near future. And if someone did not believe him, then the speech of Gertjan Vlieghe forced them to do it.

The most serious "dove" of the Committee on Monetary Policy said that the increase in wages, the growth of the world economy, and the household expenditures make it possible to expect the first increase in rates in the next few months. The derivatives market believes that this will happen in November.

The probability of raising the repo rate



Source: Bloomberg.
When an ardent opponent of monetary restriction speaks the language of the "hawk", it becomes the best driver for currency growth. The pound proved it, having strengthened during the day by 1.5% against the US dollar.

The minutes of the last meeting of the Bank of England and Gertjan Vlieghe proved that the "doves" remained in the minority. Meanwhile, the pound's sensitivity to upcoming releases of macroeconomic statistics should increase. It seems that the BoE is now less worried than before about the problem of reducing real wages. However, if retail sales show a decline in purchasing power, then the problem will remind it of itself. The release of the indicator is scheduled for September 20.

For the US dollar, the key event of the week will be the FOMC meeting. The open market committee can lower inflation forecasts and change the expected trajectory of the federal funds rate, which will affect the long-term outlook for the USD index. The Fed continues to be concerned about the dynamics of personal consumer spending, and the acceleration of the August CPI may eventually turn out to be the usual market noise. It is hardly to be expected that the signal from Janet Yellen and her colleagues about the act of monetary restriction in December will be the reason for buying the "dollar". The futures market thus pawns 59% of the probability that this will happen.

Technically, the bulls managed to achieve a target of 161.8% in the AB = CD pattern very quickly, after which the correction risks increased in the direction of 1.34-1.345. To continue the northern trend to 1.377 (targeting 200% on AB = CD), customers need to update the September maximum.

GBP / USD, daily chart



Analysis are provided byInstaForex.

Does Brent feel the ceiling?

Oil continues in its northern trend, inspired by the increase in the forecast of global demand by 1.7% from the International Energy Agency, the reduction of Saudi Arabia's exports to the lowest levels over the past three years, and the decline in production of Iraq's second-largest OPEC producer by 260 bpd. Baghdad said that it exceeded its plans brought by the cartel, which is a "bullish" factor for black gold. Moreover, another role in its successes is played by the suspended state of the American dollar.

As a rule, autumn is not the best period for Brent and WTI. The completion of the automotive season in the US leads to a reduction in inventories. In addition, the Energy Information Administration reports that there is an increase of production to 6.08 million bpd in October, encouraged by rising prices of producers of shale oil. Nevertheless, hurricanes allowed for adjustments to the seasonal factor. For a long time, black gold finally felt relief under pressure from the growth of drilling rigs from Baker Hughes. The decline of the indicator for two consecutive weeks reached 749 (-7 on the results of the five-day period by September 15).

As the US refineries restart, the demand for oil should gradually increase and support prices because of optimistic forecasts for the global index from the IEA and OPEC. At the same time, $50 per barrel for WTI is a very dangerous figure. It attracts hedgers like honey bears, so it will be extremely difficult to gain a foothold above this mark.

As the value of black gold rises, the question is returned to the market: what are the limits? It is obvious that the end of the hurricanes "Harvey" and "Irma" and the transition of the market to a normal state will return it to the idea of increasing American production with parallel insurance of price risks. This combination of drivers has repeatedly provoked attacks of "bears." I do not think that something will change in the fall. You can talk endlessly about the fulfillment of the obligations to reduce production by OPEC members. You can also discuss about the extension of the agreement beyond March 2017. However, the fact remains: Americans continue and will continue to use the favorable conjuncture for them.

Dynamics of the US dollar is of no small importance. Since Brent and WTI are quoted in this currency, the growth of the USD index leads to a rise in the cost of imports in the largest consumer countries, and vice versa.

Dynamics of the USD Index and Brent



Source: Trading Economics.

In this regard, the expectations of the start of the process of normalizing the balance of the Fed and a rise in the probability of an increase in the rate for federal funds from 33% to 58% is of special joy to "bulls" that black gold is not able to bring. On the other hand, the positions of the euro against the backdrop of the ECB's desire to roll back QE look strong. After all, it has the largest share in the USD index. Thus, consolidation in EUR / USD does not put obstacles on the way of black gold to the upward trend.

Technically, a resistance break at 55.95 will allow Brent bulls to continue the rally in the direction of the following targets (by 200% and 224%) in the AB = CD pattern. On the contrary, the inability of buyers to take an important level by storm will testify to their weakness and will increase the risks of correction to $ 54.7 and $ 53.1 per barrel.

Brent, daily chart



Analysis are provided byInstaForex.

Technical analysis of USD/CHF for September 21, 2017



All our targets which we predicted in yesterday's analysis have been reached. The pair is trading above its ascending 20-period and 50-period moving averages, which play support roles and maintain the bullish bias. The relative strength index is calling for a new upleg. The downside potential should be limited by the key support at 0.9645.

As widely expected, the Federal Reserve kept its key interest rates unchanged. It also announced plans to begin in October shrinking its approximately $4.2 trillion in holdings of U.S. Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities acquired after the 2008 financial crisis. However, according to projections released at the same time by the Federal Open Market Committee, the central bank will go ahead for one more rate increase this year and three times next year. This blew a surprise to the market, as investors had previously believed a series of weak inflation readings might alter the Fed's monetary tightening plans.

To sum up, as long as this key level is not broken, look for a further advance to 0.9765 and even to 0.9795 in extension.

Chart Explanation: The black line shows the pivot point. The present price above the pivot point indicates a bullish position, and the price below the pivot points indicates a short position. The red lines show the support levels and the green line indicates the resistance levels. These levels can be used to enter and exit trades.

Strategy: BUY, Stop Loss: 0.9645, Take Profit: 0.9765

Resistance levels: 0.9765, 0.9795, and 0.98830

Support levels: 0.9625, 0.9590, and 0.9550


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EUR/JPY dropping nicely, remain bearish

The price continues to test our major resistance at 134.15 (Fibonacci extension, horizontal swing high resistance) and we expect to see a drop form this level to at least 132.01 support (Fibonacci retracement, horizontal pullback support). Do take note of the bullish ascending channel we're seeing as we might see the price bounces off this level and only a break of the channel would see a stronger drop towards our profit target.

Stochastic (34,5,3) is seeing major resistance at 96% and we expect a drop from this level. It also displays good downside potential for our drop.

Sell below 134.15. Stop loss is at 134.92. Take profit is at 132.01.



Analysis are provided byInstaForex.

Elections in the Bundestag hold back the euro

Over the past week, despite the fact that the market is pretty polychromic, the euro and the pound remained virtually unchanged. The main event of the week was the meeting of the Federal Commission for Open Markets. The meeting saw the Fed leaving the refinancing rate unchanged. It was quite expected so the market almost ignored this event. The strongest influence was caused by the words of Janet Yellen, which was said during the subsequent press conference. The head of the Federal Reserve did not disappoint investors. She stated that the issue of raising the refinancing rate would be considered during the December meeting. Of course, when making a decision, the Fed will rely on the state of the labor market, as well as inflation. So the chances for another rate increase this year are quite high. After all, the labor market is in fairly good condition and inflation has resumed growth. However, the effect was short-term with the dollar literally losing all its gains within a day. Although, Mario Draghi was partly to blame. The head of the ECB said that there is no reason to continue the program of quantitative easing after December this year.

In fact, there were no other significant events for the week. The final data on inflation in Europe coincided with a preliminary estimate, and inflation accelerated from 1.3% to 1.5%. Apparently, this was the reason for the statements of Mario Draghi. However, such a result was expected so the market did not pay attention to it. Also, the growth rate of retail sales in the UK accelerated from 1.4% to 2.4%. Despite the clearly positive nature of the data, they also did not have a significant impact on the market.

It's all about the German elections which took place on Sunday. The market was waiting for the results. Of course, no one doubted the victory of Angela Merkel and her CDU / CSU. However, the two most influential parties in Germany, the same CDU / CSU and SPD, received the worst result since 1949. Especially since the SPD announced the transition to the opposition. Because of this, Angela Merkel will now have to form a coalition with the Greens and FDP. All three parties have significant differences on a variety of issues, so the coalition is clearly shaky. The German press has already dubbed it "Jamaica". Moreover, the coalition itself does not seem to be the most reliable so the negotiations on its formation will be extremely tough. Obviously, the CDU / CSU will have to make a number of concessions. In such an uncertain situation, investors will not make hasty decisions. Therefore, the potential for strengthening the euro is rather small.

The macroeconomic calendar for the current week does not spoil us with significant news. The preliminary data on the inflation in Europe is worth paying attention to because it may show further acceleration to 1.6%. Given that these data will come out at the very end of the week when the outlines of the new ruling coalition in Germany may be known, the euro will have many reasons for optimism. However, before that, the euro will remain under pressure as the final data on US GDP in the second quarter would show the acceleration of economic growth from 2.0% to 2.2%. Similar data from the UK would confirm the fact of a slowdown in economic growth from 2.0% to 1.7%.

You can also expect a certain reaction to a number of other data. In particular, home sales in the primary market in the US may increase by 3.3% while orders for durable goods may add 1.0%. However, this is about positive news for the dollar. The data on personal incomes and expenses, which should grow by 0.3% and 0.1%, may become negative. Taking into account that the income growth is not ahead of the expense growth, this will be perceived as a signal for a rapid decline in consumer activity. This data will be released on Friday, immediately after the preliminary data on inflation in Europe. The pound has nothing to rejoice for, as a significant reduction in the number of approved applications for mortgages is projected.

In general, the dollar has every chance of strengthening. And only on Friday will it have to give up its position a little. During the week, the EUR/USD pair may fall to 1.1795.

The GBP/USD pair is also waiting for a decline to 1.3395.

Analysis are provided byInstaForex.