Daily Market Analysis from ForexMart

The USD continued to rise against the JPY as investor reaction caused the USD/JPY to reach its highest levels since June 2016. This has caused the market to reach its striking distance range since May at 111.44 points. The USD/JPY pair finished off the previous session at 109.181 points after increasing by 0.760 or +0.70%.


This recent rally was mainly caused by a sharp increase in US Treasury yields following the bullish report for the US retail sales data. The US Commerce Department has reported that retail sales data went up by 0.8% for the previous month, with September retail sales data revised to have increased by 1.0%. The retail sales data for both months were the highest data release since 2014, with retail sales data increasing by 4.3% as compared to last year.


Traders also reacted to an increase in import prices from 0.2% to 0.5%, a signal that inflation rates are now steadily increasing. The USD/JPY is expected to continue increasing towards 111.444 as US Treasury yields are still expected to increase further. Meanwhile, Japanese Government Bonds are still at the bottom range while US Treasury 30-year Bonds are steadily rising. Investors are waiting for the release of the Produce Price Index which is expected to maintain its previous reading of 0.3%. The data for the Capacity Utilization Rate is also expected to remain at 75.5%, while Industrial Production data could possibly show a slight increase from 0.1% to 0.2%.

The GBP/USD pair remains in the lower trading range even though it has managed to stay above 1.2400. Market players have long been speculating that the after-effects of the Brexit referendum will continue to have an influence on the sterling pound no matter how many times it would increase and its bulls will not be able to stay put. The GBP will have difficulty with regards to getting and maintaining a substantial bull stance since the Brexit process will be too risky for investors and traders for them to make long-term bets. The currency pair has recently been trying to break through its rut, but any uptick by the sterling pound is always met with suspicion from investors and is always seen as a sell opportunity. The pair was somewhat able to increase by 200-300 pips during the past trading sessions but was incessantly pushed down by bears and has returned below 1.2500.


For today’s trading session, investors are expecting the release of the UK retail sales data during the European session, with investors waiting whether this particular data release would be able to exceed initial expectations. The CPI data from US and comments from Fed’s Janet Yellen is also expected to make its rounds today, and the GBP/USD could possibly benefit if Yellen confirms the occurrence of the Fed rate hike in December by going down to the 1.2300 region.

The EUR/USD has been consistently in a tight trading range for the past session as market players are waiting for the next stimulus in order to mark the start of the short-term trend. Although the EUR/USD has hit some significant price lows for this year, its follow throughs have been very few and far in between. The pair is currency seeing more consolidation, which indicates that the bulls are still waiting for possible economic events which could cause the price of the pair to crack both ways.


The number of economic data which will be released today could possibly cause the pair to crack either way. The CPI data and Core CPI is scheduled to be released before the start of the New York session, and market players are expecting a positive data release since this could compel the Federal Reserve to continue with the rate hike in December. Fed Chair Janet Yellen is also scheduled to make a speech later today and is expected to confirm whether the Fed will be pushing through with the rate hike, and she is also expected to confirm that the Federal Reserve will be sustaining its operations and functions without any political influence, especially after Donald Trump’s victory. However, if Yellen fails to confirm the occurrence of the Fed rate hike, then this could cause the USD to weaken and the bulls will be active in the EUR/USD pair.


The pricing of the EUR/USD should be able to go beyond 1.0725 in order for it to benefit the bulls, something that has not done by the currency pair for the past 24 hours. Today’s session could be a crucial period with regards to determining the projected direction of the pair.

The USD CAD bolstered yesterday despite the recent decline in petroleum prices. The pair touched the ascending channel and trades to a lower boundary. The barrier found at 1.3400 region and provide the means for breaking the two-day decline. The price rebounded from the oversold level and continued to make an upward trend. The greens were able to surpass the 1.3470 level after the EU trades. The pair favorably widens its gains and headed to the 1.3540 mark consequent to the break-even of the aforesaid level. The bullish spike softened after testing the 1.3500 region.


Moreover, the pair pass through selling pressure and promptly turn back to the opening price. The price reverse to the 50-EMA as indicated in the 4-hour chart. Moving averages expanded its gains in the same timeframe. Resistance stayed at 1.3470, support hold the 1.3400 region. MACD settled at the centerline of both indicators. An entry on the positive territory will indicate strength for the buyers and the negative zone would imply that sellers will manipulate the market. RSI is in the oversold zone and approached northwards. The USDCAD pair appeared to bullish. The consolidation occurred on top of the 1.3470 level strengthened the position of the buyers.

Cable was swayed by the continues appreciation of U.S. dollars just like other money. In comparison other currencies, pound was not as affected compared to euro while Aussie has weakened. The strengthening of U.S. dollars seems to persist for some time that is favorable for bulls in the market.


The pound was on lows few weeks ago but was able to recover after U.S. elections relative to Brexit decisions where dealers grasp the concept that there are still chances for to make times come around and this could occur again in the future. Consequently, this has driven investors to go for pound but is still inadequate to keep pound afloat in the midst of U.S. dollars strengthening. Nevertheless, the current market activity kept the trend from going down.


The current surge of U.S. dollars has prompted Fed Governor Yellen to determine the next rate hike this December. However, this caused the pair to decline. If greenback sustained its uptrend, the pair is expected to move towards the 1.2300 level in today’s trading session. The is no major news to be released neither from U.K. nor from U.S. countries.

The market trend yesterday was pessimistic as it continued going down almost to lower physiological levels. The price activity remained calm with the latest lows during the Asian session. The uptrend was held back as it reached the 1.0750 mark resulting to a decline of the pair.


The Moving Averages stayed a bearish tone while Euro was seen to break in the 50-EMA followed by the retest in 100-EMA chart. The Resistance level is at 1.0750 while the support is seen at 1.0700 level. The technical indicators showed a bearish tone upon entering the negative zone. Both MACD and RSI indicator were seen within the oversold area.


If the pair did not go beyond the 1.0700 mark, the prices might go lower towards the 1.0650 level and will remain consolidated unless it will break at 1.0750 level.


The Eurozone CPI results for October were positive while the monthly CPI failed to meet expectations. The dollar slightly weakened but there are still appreciation seen to new highs. This is because of investors waiting for the next Fed rate hike on December and further strengthening of the economy.

The USD exhibited a steady increase last week along with the US Treasury yields, and this has affected all major currencies across the board specifically the euro and the yen. This has created adverse effects for the EUR especially since the QE has already negatively affected the said currency. The ECB has not yet issued a statement on whether it would be tapering the QE and this has caused the EUR/USD to drop through 1.0800 last week and even dipping through 1.0600 towards the closing of the week. The EUR/USD is currently at its support levels of 1.0580.


The 1.0500-1.0600 is a relatively critical support region, however, whether the pair will be able to maintain its hold on this particular range will be dependent on the yields in the coming weeks. As of now, the USD continues to increase in value while the EUR continues its losing streak and is not showing any signs of apparent strength. The bulls attempted to take hold once the pair hit the 1.0700 range but failed and now the EUR/USD is under total control of the bears.


For this week, ECB’s Draghi is expected to make a speech on Monday but market players are not expecting any vital information from Draghi since the ECB chair is known to only address monetary policy issues when deemed extremely necessary, and the ECB has not yet expressed concerns with regards to the downfall of the euro. The FOMC minutes will be released on Wednesday and this is expected to give hints regarding the December Fed rate hike. If the minutes comes out as positive, then this will further contribute to the strength of the USD.

The USD/CAD pair ranged for the entirety of last week since the sudden surge in the value of the USD seemed to have little if no effect on the currency pair. However, the USD/CAD had one of the tightest ranges as compared to other pairs since the USD/CAD was unable to go beyond 1.3400 and 1.3600 on both the resistance and support side, which was mostly due to the fact that the increase in the value of the USD was mainly offset by the strength of the CAD.


The CAD has been experiencing significant increases since next week due to an increase in oil prices as the OPEC meeting draws nearer. The market is currently putting in optimistic expectations with regards to the meeting, with deals hopefully being made and statements from various stakeholders are showing that this might be the case once the meeting commences. The Canadian economy is expected to get a boost if ever deals regarding oil production cuts are struck especially since the economy is largely dependent on the production of oil.


For this week, the market is expecting the release of Canadian core retail sales data on Tuesday since this is an efficient indicator of Canadian purchasing power and this could give clues with regards to the general direction of the Canadian economy. The minutes of the FOMC meeting is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, and this is expected to give hints regarding the Fed rate hike on December. The USD/CAD continues to be bullish, and the target for the currency pair is expected to be 1.40 in the next few months. The pair is most likely to be drawn to the said target by the impending Fed rate hike as well as an expected rate cut from Canada.

The sterling pound was subject to significant losses since the unexpected strength of the USD has already took hold of the market’s general direction. However, as compared to other major currencies such as the AUD and EUR, the GBP was able to withstand the sudden strength of the USD and its effect on the market. This is because the market is slowly coming to terms with unconventional political moves, which is evident in the Brexit referendum and US elections. The sterling pound was able to become more stable since market players are now seeing Brexit as much less of a risk as compared to before.


For the past week, the GBP has consolidated and stabilized in spite of its bearish bias. This particular bias was somewhat augmented by weak economic data from the UK which was caused by the slowly sinking negative effects of the Brexit referendum as well as the pronounced weakness in the euro. The CPI data for UK came in lower than expected, but the retail sales data for the region came out on a more positive note.


For this week, the GDP report for the UK is expected to be released but since the USD has been constantly increasing as well as US Treasury yields, it is expected that this will have more impact on the currency pair. The US will also be releasing the minutes of the FOMC meeting this coming Wednesday, which is expected to give clues about the upcoming Fed rate hike in December.

The U.S. dollar subsided for a while but remained strong demonstrated by U.S. Economy that is still on track towards the target numbers. The higher chances and expectations for the next rate hike this December further boosts the dollar.


Hence, the market trend remains positive as it continued to move up on last week's Friday session. The price stayed at an upward direction within its high ceiling. However, the momentum halted at 111.00 level but still was able to revive its record highs overnight.


The moving averages shows a bullish trend. The Resistance level is found at 111.00 while the support comes at 110.00 level. Other technical indicators depicted a positive outlook for the pair supported by buyers as seen in the the MACD. The RSI indicators is close to overbought area that tells a sign to go higher level soon.


The market has to maintain the current level at 110.00 to sustain is bullish tone. It would be favorable for buyers to further expand their gains if the price breaks at 111.00 level. Therefore, the price could further go up to 112.00 mark. As for seller, it is possible to reverse the trend by exerting the price to move lower towards the 109.00 level.