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USD/JPY. The yen ignores the record inflation report and follows the dollar
The dollar-yen pair earlier this week updated a three-month price low, reaching 137.70. However, the USD/JPY bears failed to settle in the area of the 137th figure - dollar bulls stopped the downward momentum and turned the pair 180 degrees.
In general, the trajectory of the pair's movement correlates with the trajectory of the US dollar index. Once again, we are convinced that the yen is not an independent player against the greenback. The Japanese currency certainly has its trump card, but it rather serves as a "stop tap". We are talking about a currency intervention, the risk of which increases along with the USD/JPY rate. In this context, we can say that the Japanese government controls the upper limit of the price range within which the pair is traded. According to most analysts, this limit is in the area of the 150.00 mark: exceeding this target is fraught with consequences. As for the lower limit of the conditional price range, everything depends on the "well-being" of the US currency. USD/JPY bears are forced to follow the greenback, which determines the end point of any downward surge. The yen has no arguments of its own to strengthen – primarily due to the divergence of the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan rates.
The events of the last days serve as evidence of this. They eloquently illustrated the stated disposition, the essence of which boils down to an uncomplicated conclusion: the downtrend ends exactly where the dollar recovery begins.
As you know, the US currency significantly sank throughout the market after the release of the latest data on the growth of inflation in the United States. The market started talking about the fact that the Fed will slow down the pace of monetary policy tightening at the next meeting, which will be held in December. A little later, these assumptions were confirmed by many representatives of the Fed: according to them, the central bank can afford to reduce the speed, while maintaining the final goal at the same level (that is, above the 5.0% mark).
At first, traders mostly focused their attention directly on the fact of slowing down the pace of tightening of the monetary policy. But then they "listened" to the signals from the Fed representatives, who made it clear that no one was going to curtail the hawkish course – only the speed of achieving the goal slows down. In particular, Christopher Waller, a member of the Board of Governors, said that the markets should now pay attention to the "end point" of the rate hike, and not to the pace of its achievement. At the same time, he noted that the end point is probably "still very far away." Some of his colleagues also stated that, firstly, inflation in the United States is still at too high a level; secondly, it is impossible to make any long-term organizational conclusions based on only one report.
Such messages eased the pressure on the dollar, and, accordingly, cooled the ardor of bears of the USD/JPY pair. Turning to the upside, the pair gradually began to gain momentum, rising by 250 points in two days. At the same time, traders ignore Japanese statistics, even when it comes to the inflation report.
Key data on the growth of inflation in Japan was published during the Asian session on Friday. The report reflected a record growth of key indicators. For example, the overall consumer price index rose by 3.7% in October, which is the strongest growth rate of the indicator since 1982. The core CPI, which does not include fresh food, but includes energy prices (petroleum products), also updated the 40-year record. The consumer price index, excluding food and energy prices, jumped 2.5% year-on-year in October.
All components of the above report came out in the green zone, significantly exceeding the forecast levels. It is worth noting that inflation has been exceeding the BOJ's 2% target for seven months, but at the same time BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda continues to "hold the line", maintaining a soft monetary policy. This, in fact, explains such a phlegmatic reaction of USD/JPY traders to the report published today. Market participants reasonably doubt that Kuroda will toughen his rhetoric in response to the published figures.
Thus, the fate of the USD/JPY downward trend depends solely on the behavior of the US currency, which is gradually beginning to "come to its senses". After all, even taking into account the slowdown in the rate hike, the Fed continues to act as an ally of the greenback, and even more so in tandem with another, which cannot count on the support of the BOJ. In my opinion, the rhetoric of the Fed representatives will only tighten ahead of the December meeting (at least in the context of determining the upper limit of the current cycle), while Kuroda will once again ignore the inflation report, declaring the preservation of the accommodative policy.
All this suggests that the USD/JPY pair may demonstrate a more confident growth in the near future – at least to the Tenkan-sen line on the daily chart, which corresponds to the 142.40 mark. If we talk about the medium term, the main target here is 145.50: at this price point, the upper line of the Bollinger Bands indicator coincides with the upper limit of the Kumo cloud on the D1 timeframe.
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The Fed writes between the lines. The dollar is lost in speculation. No clear strategy or desire to play with the markets
The dollar index is showing signs of recovery. Perhaps it will show even stronger signs in the coming sessions. However, traders will refrain from making bold attempts to push the dollar higher before the release of the Federal Reserve minutes. The fact that we are facing a short week may also play a role here. The United States will be celebrating its Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, which will lead to lower activity in markets and limited reaction to market data and other news.
Wednesday will be an important trading day. A series of macroeconomic data will be released on this day, as well as the minutes. There might be a flurry of activity before holidays and weekends. It is possible that there will be a delayed reaction to all of this as early as next week. In the meantime, markets are evaluating or rather quietly studying the fresh opinions of the Fed members on the central bank's further steps.
The main question is whether the central bank will eventually shorten the time period during which it is not expected to pause in policy tightening. No matter what the Fed members say, investors are hoping for less aggressive measures and an early transition to dovish rhetoric. They will be looking for signals for such a scenario in all publications, statements and other news reports.
News from the Fed
The speech of the head of the San Francisco Fed, Mary Daly, was quite long. The members of the central bank don't seem to have a definite line on what they plan to do next. Now is the time when they are thinking and discussing their next steps.
Citing new research from her regional bank, Daly said that "the level of financial tightening in the economy is much higher than what the (federal) funds says." Financial markets are acting as if it is about 6%.
Markets have priced in QE parameters that far exceed those outlined by the Fed. In this regard, Daly noted that "it will be important to remain conscious of this gap between the federal funds rate and the tightening in the financial markets. Ignoring it raises the chances of tightening too much."
Anyway, the Fed still has a lot of work to do to steer monetary policy in the right direction to curb inflation. Those were probably the key words.
Daly, speaking to reporters, made no secret of the fact that she has yet to decide which rate hike she will support at the December FOMC meeting. We need to look at new economic data before making a decision.
The central bank representative also warned against using the market funds rate of 6% as a benchmark for determining the actual policy.
"I use the proxy rate as a point of reference, not as an indication that we should stop early," Daly summarized.
In economic forecasts released in September, the central bank's policy makers outlined an average target rate of 4% for the next year. Most officials have since assumed that, given the dynamics of inflation and the continuing strength of the labor market, they may want to go higher. Daly did not rule out the possibility of an increase to 5.25%.
At the same time, everyone understands and knows that raising rates too sharply will cause great damage to the economy, so the possibility of reducing the size of individual rate hikes is being discussed in parallel. In addition, recent data showing signs that inflation may slow down has given officials some room for such a maneuver.
Daly said in her formal remarks that the next stage for the Fed will be "in many ways more difficult". She added that officials will need to be "mindful" of their choices and its consequences. Too much adjustment can lead to an unnecessarily painful recession. At the same time, "adjusting too little will leave inflation too high".
The dollar reflects
BNP Paribas has provided a number of new interesting research for dollar bulls. According to analysts' calculations, the bottom of the stock market in the current bear market has not yet been reached.
After analyzing 100 years of crashes, BNP Paribas finds market bottoms typically require a capitulation event – which is associated with a coordinated spike in volatility, skew, and convexity.
"We have not yet seen this, suggesting that the bottom is not yet in," says Calvin Tse, Head of US Macro research, at BNP Paribas. "Recessionary bear markets historically have often ended with a capitulation. We are calling for a capitulation in equities next year."
Therefore, if the bottom of the stock market has not yet been reached, then neither is the dollar's peak.
The dollar is countercyclical and rises in bad market conditions as investors seek cash as protection against asset depreciation. If the BNP Paribas economists' assessment has merit, then those who advocate for a stronger dollar could win.
Meanwhile, the dollar index rose for the third consecutive session and is trading near the key barrier at 108.00. Although, the bulls' grip eased somewhat.
The uptrend meets obstacles in the way. However, if it breaks through the 109.18 resistance and then the 109.70 level, it could encourage the exchange rate to rise in the short term.
Today's dollar losses could be due to the fact that investors are cautiously awaiting the latest Fed meeting's minutes, which could affect the U.S. rate forecast. Traders also analyzed various comments from Fed officials and found them largely soft. Central Bank officials are still sticking to their version of lower inflation, but doubts are certainly present.
Meanwhile, the dollar index jumped 1% on Monday due to the worsening Covid situation in China. This factor is known to have a short-term effect.
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USD unable to regain momentum; GBP to face strong resistance level
Next week, the trajectory of some pairs may change dramatically. The US dollar is also expected to resume an upward movement. If so, it will increase pressure on its rivals. Fed policymakers could also provide more comments on future plans for monetary policy. Some Fed members could even speak in favor of the fifth consecutive rate increase by 75 basis points at the December meeting.
Yesterday, the pound sterling rose above 1.2000 for the first time since August. Such a sharp increase occurred amid the falling US dollar before Thanksgiving Day and fundamental factors. As trading floors in the US are closed, the pound sterling will be able to climb higher in the coming sessions.
Why has the pound sterling started steady growth? Is there a likelihood of a rise in the greenback next week?
GBP maintains bull run
The British currency jumped against the US dollar, the euro, and other major currencies on Wednesday and Thursday, following the news about a surge in the UK's government debt.
The GBP/USD pair was trading around a high of 1.2110.
Falling government bond yields are signaling confidence in the improving economic conditions in the UK.
As a reminder, Treasury yields grew considerably after the announcement of the September mini-budget of former Prime Minister Liz Truss. Investors demanded higher interest premiums to purchase UK debt.
Following a jump in government bond yields, the cost of borrowing increased drastically. It led to the destabilization of the UK financial sector and worsened the economic downturn. The pound sterling reacted with a nosedive.
The current decline in Treasury yields indicates an improvement in the UK's economic prospects.
The GBP/USD pair grew by 16% after the political woes in late September.
After several months of volatility and lows, the pound sterling may finally recover. Naturally, not all problems have disappeared completely but it is easier to assess risks at the current levels, analysts HSBC pointed out.
In their latest forecast, they predicted a rally during 2023.
As for growth yesterday, it was facilitated by some internal factors. The economic reports turned out to be better than expected. The PMI Indices for November increased after a long time of contraction.
There is no denying that the country is in a recession but traders are well aware of it. Therefore, the market reaction is likely to be quite strong to positive reports. In other words, traders will pay more attention to upbeat reports, ignoring bad ones.
Besides, traders are no longer concerned about another bearish factor that has been weighing on the British currency for some time. The UK Supreme Court ruled that the Scottish government cannot hold a referendum for independence without the UK government's approval.
This news also supported the pound sterling today.
USD not ready to give up
On Wednesday, the greenback saw a big sell-off. It dropped lower after the release of the economic reports. The Manufacturing PMI Index slid below 50. The labor market seems to be losing steam as well. Analysts were not surprised.
Economists at Pantheon Macroeconomics believe that the number of initial jobless claims has been gradually rising for some time as firms are facing challenges due to the Fed's aggressive tightening.
The Manufacturing and Services PMI Indices fell at the fastest pace since August and the 2008 financial crisis. Recessions in both sectors have become deeper.
Meanwhile, new home sales soared by 632,000 in October after a downwardly revised figure of 588,000. It was the first increase in three months. The US dollar managed to recover slightly amid this report. However, this data is quite controversial given a decrease in mortgage demand.
The University of Michigan's inflation expectations has declined this month. The Fed is sure to take notice of this survey. The greenback may start a short-term rally.
As seen, the US economic reports are rather controversial. It is hard to get a clear picture of the economic situation.
ING economists are concerned that a 7% fall in the US dollar against its rivals and a drop in the 10-year government bond yield has led to a significant weakening of financial conditions. The result is the exact opposite of what the central bank is trying to achieve.
It would not be surprising if the Fed's rhetoric becomes even more hawkish next week.
One year ahead inflation expectations decreased to 4.9% from 5%. At the same time, the figures remain at a level more than twice exceeding the Fed's target of 2%. Five years ahead inflation expectations also remained above the target.
Inflation expectations will hardly force the Fed to change its hawkish stance. Investors may again abandon their expatiations of a softer stance next week after studying the November meeting minutes and returning to the market after the holiday.
Traders are likely to pay attention to how many Fed policymakers are backing further aggressive tightening. At the press conference, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that officials could raise interest rates even higher than 4.5-4.75% than initially projected in September.
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GBP/USD. End of the "Scottish issue"
The GBP/USD pair tested the 21st figure on Thursday - for the first time since the beginning of August. This is mainly due to the dollar getting weaker, as it stopped moving upward across the market. U.S. trading floors were closed yesterday (Thanksgiving Day in America), and the minutes of the November FOMC meeting, published the day before, were interpreted against the dollar. Such a fundamental background made it possible for GBP/USD bulls to hit a new multi-month high, marking 1.2152.
Take note that the bulls were getting closer to the area of 20 figures during the last two weeks. After almost a week-long flat in the range of 1.1800-1.1950, the bulls decided to make a swift upward move, which enabled them not only to cross the level of 1.2000, but to also probe the area of the 21st figure. Do remember that the pound's growth was caused not only by the dollar getting weaker, but because it also had political overtones.
The fact is that this week the British Supreme Court rejected the Scottish referendum bid for independence. According to the court's verdict, the Scottish government cannot initiate a second referendum without the UK Parliament's approval.
In other words, the Supreme Court put an end to a long-playing story that has emerged (making GBP/USD traders nervous) and then disappeared into oblivion. Therefore, this court ruling is strategically important for the British currency. The pound got rid of a threat that had been hanging over it for several years, threatening to collapse. After all, if the Supreme Court verdict had been the opposite, next year the UK could have experienced events comparable to those of 2016, when the historic referendum on Brexit was held.
As mentioned, the so-called "Scottish issue" has been hyped from time to time in the global press, going beyond local discussions in the local media. The last time this topic was actively discussed was at the end of last year, when the problems associated with the Coronavirus receded into the background. Back in September 2021, Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed at the Scottish National Party conference that she was planning to hold a second independence referendum before the end of 2023. She stressed that these plans, put on pause because of the pandemic, are "unchanged."
Recall that in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, 45% of those who voted "for" and 55% voted "against." That is, the majority voted for union with Great Britain. This plebiscite was held two years before another - historic - referendum, where the majority of British residents (though by a slim margin) voted for secession from the European Union. The Scots, in turn, were unequivocal: nearly 70% of the region's population voted against Brexit. After that "separatist" sentiments intensified in the region. According to experts, Scotland is now essentially divided 50/50 on independence. But analysts don't rule out a possibility that many politically neutral residents of Scotland can mobilize if necessary and use the chance that fell out. After all, it would obviously present itself to them next time in several decades. That is why sociologists have repeatedly warned that at the "X hour", when hypothetical plans for a new referendum take shape, the scales will tip in favor of the region's independence.
But to the disappointment of supporters of Scottish independence, the Supreme Court did not allow the local authorities to organize a second vote without an approval from the British Parliament.
Downing Street has already rushed to say that the Cabinet will not allow another plebiscite. According to the government, this is a "once in a generation" event. It is obvious that the Conservatives, who control the House of Commons (and will control it at least until 2024) will not allow the Scottish nationalists to realize the idea of another referendum. Therefore, this issue can be considered closed: for the foreseeable future, all slogans and calls for Scottish independence will have no effect on the pair.
However, despite the importance and significance of the Supreme Court ruling, the pair's fate now depends on the dollar's behavior. The "Scottish issue" usually flares up brightly, but fades quickly. And it looks like this time it will fade today and for a long time. Next week traders of dollar pairs will focus on the Federal Reserve representatives' rhetoric. The market's tumultuous reaction to the minutes of the November FOMC meeting suggests that the dollar continues to "rule" the currency pairs of the major group. Traders in the second round played back the news that the U.S. central bank will slow down the pace of monetary policy tightening as early as December. But at the same time, the question of what level of the rate the central bank will stop at in the current cycle is still a matter of debate. And this discussion, the degree of "hawkishness" of which will be determined by members of the Fed, will allow GBP/USD traders to determine the vector of price movement.
In my opinion, the Fed's minutes will fade into the background at the beginning of next week (Fed representatives have already announced all the theses of this document). The focus will be on U.S. statistics (Nonfarm) and comments of the Fed members. If they reiterate that it is not the speed of rate hikes that matters but the end of the current cycle, then the dollar may come out on top again. The probability of this scenario is quite high, given the earlier statements of Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and many of his hawkish wing colleagues.
Bulls on GBP/USD, who are taking advantage of the moment (shortened trading session on Friday, low liquidity), may try to cross the resistance level of 1.2150 (the upper line of the Bollinger Bands on the D1 timeframe) again. However, taking into account the current fundamental background, it is better to wait for the upward momentum to end, and by next week, you should consider short positions with the first target being 1.1940 (the Tenkan-sen line on D1) and the main target at 1.1700 (the middle line of Bollinger Bands on the same timeframe).
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Trading Signal for GBP/USD on November 28-29, 2022: buy above 1.2025 (21 SMA - GAP)
Early in the European, session the British pound (GBP/USD) is trading around 1.2043. The currency pair is going through a slight technical bounce, having reached a low of around 1.2025.
According to the 4-hour chart, we can see that the British pound has formed a bearish GAP around 1.2089 which was Friday's close. If GBP/USD bounces above the 21 SMA located at 1.2020, it could cover the gap and could reach the top of the downtrend channel around 1.2096.
In case the British pound breaks above the downtrend channel formed on November 23 and settles above 1.2097, it will be a clear signal to resume buying and the price could reach +2/8 Murray located at 1.2207.
Conversely, if GBP/USD breaks below the psychological 1.20 level, it could fall rapidly towards 1.1962 (+1/8 Murray) and could even reach the area between the support of 8/8 Murray (1.1718) and 200 EMA (1.1649).
The eagle indicator is trading above a downtrend channel. A technical correction is expected in the next few hours and then the pair will resume its bullish cycle. Therefore, the British pound is expected to trade above the psychological 1.20 level, which will be a signal to continue buying.
The strength of the US dollar (USDX), observed in the last hours of trading on Friday, was boosted by risk aversion, causing a reversal in GBP/USD. The British pound is likely to make a strong technical correction in the coming days due to overbought levels on the daily chart.
According to the daily chart, we can see that the British pound has a 200 EMA located at 1.21. As long as GBP/USD trades below this level, any technical bounce will be seen as a clear signal to sell, with short-term targets around 1.1697.
Our trading plan in the next few hours is to buy the British pound above 1.2035, with targets at 1.2096 and 1.2207 (+2/8 Murray). On the other hand, if the pound falls below the psychological level of 1.20, it will be a signal to sell with targets at 1.1650.
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EUR/USD. The euro has two problems - Lagarde and China
Another attempt to attack the 4th figure ended in failure. On Monday, EUR/USD bulls hit a five-month price high at 1.0498. However, the pair did not stay at this level for long - the price fell during the US session and finished the trading day at 1.0340. If the impulsive growth was unreasonable and unusual (despite the news from China), then the downward momentum was provoked by quite a specific person - European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde.
Lagarde delivered her semi-annual report to members of the European Parliament Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. The theme of the report was directly related to monetary policy, so the speech triggered increased volatility in the pair. And it was not in favor of the euro. It's notable that Lagarde voiced quite contradictory rhetoric. There were different ways to evaluate her speech, both in its favor and against. In the end, traders chose the second option: as a result, the euro weakened not only against the greenback, but also in many cross-pairs.
So, on the one hand, Lagarde said that the ECB will continue to raise rates, despite the slowdown in business activity in the eurozone. She acknowledged that high levels of uncertainty, tighter financial conditions, and declining global demand are putting pressure on economic growth in the European Union. But the record growth of inflation in the eurozone, according to her, is forcing the ECB to move on. Lagarde expressed doubt that the consumer price index in the eurozone has reached its peak values. She noted that the cost of wholesale energy supplies continues to rise (which is the main driver of headline inflation), so a slowdown in CPI growth in November seems extremely unlikely.
Lagarde said that she "would be surprised" if inflation reached its peak in October.
Certainly, the talking points are hawkish. In other circumstances, EUR/USD bulls would have taken advantage of the situation and rushed upwards, building on their success (i.e. in our case they would have settled in the area of the 5th figure).
If it were not for one "but".
The fact is that Lagarde made it clear in the European Parliament that slowing down the pace of interest rate increases in December is still a matter of debate. In doing so she took a neutral position in the corresponding dispute of many ECB representatives. Mario Centeno, Philip Lane, Francois Villeroy de Galo and Klaas Knot, among others, spoke publicly in favor of a lower rate of monetary policy tightening. Whereas the hawkish wing of the central bank, such as Robert Holzmann, Isabelle Schnabel and Joachim Nagel, came out in favor of a 75-point rate hike in December. Lagarde stayed "above the fray." According to her, the central bank will make an appropriate decision based on many factors: "...it will be based on our updated outlook, the persistence of the shocks, the reaction of wages and inflation expectations, and on our assessment of the transmission of our policy stance". Based on a comprehensive analysis of these factors, the ECB will decide how far rates should be raised and how fast.
Such statements sobered up the EUR/USD bulls and then the price rolled back and headed to the daily lows, to the area of the third figure. Even in the first half of Monday, the ball was on the side of euro-dollar pair bulls, which took advantage of the weakening of the greenback and the strengthening of the hawkish mood regarding the ECB's further actions. But the diplomatic wording of Lagarde, which allows for various scenarios (both dovish and hawkish) did not allow the bulls to consolidate their success. The bears took the initiative and pulled the price back to its previous positions.
On top of that, in the afternoon, the market finally reacted to events in China, which unfolded too dynamically and unexpectedly.
First, the number of coronavirus cases in China is surging. Last Thursday, Beijing reported 31,000 new infections, noting that this was the strongest daily rate of increase in the history of the pandemic. But a little later, it turned out that PRC anti-records are updated almost daily. For example, the number of diseases has already exceeded the 40,000 mark on Monday. COVID outbreak in China is fraught with another wave of lockdowns. Strict quarantine has already been imposed in many cities across the country, with millions of people locked in their homes. Enterprises and firms have moved their employees to remote work schedules (where this is possible due to the nature of their work). China is known to have a "zero tolerance" policy for the Coronavirus, so it is not surprising that the authorities reacted to the situation with the utmost severity. And this circumstance gave rise to a second problem: Anti-Coronavirus protests broke out in China.
At the moment, it is difficult to talk about the prospects of the protest movement. In most cases, people are protesting against the "zero Covid" policy, which, in their opinion, does not bring results, but hits hard on the pocket. However, in some cases, demands for the resignation of Chinese leader Xi Jinping are also heard among the demonstrators. In any case, these protests are already considered the largest in China for the last 33 years, since the 1989 protests (the events on Tiananmen Square).
Judging by the dynamics of the dollar index, traders are wary of the unfolding events. The situation is, in a sense, a stalemate: on one side of the coin - possible turbulence in the markets due to the protests, on the other side of the coin - negative consequences from large-scale lockdowns in major cities of China.
Thus, the current fundamental background is clearly not favorable for the euro's upward movement (first of all, if we speak about a stable development, but not an impulsive breakthrough). Therefore, it is better to either take a wait-and-see position or consider short positions. The main bearish target is still at 1.0210 (the middle line of the indicator Bollinger Bands on the daily chart). Crossing this target will pave the way for the bears to reach the parity level.
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Will gold fall for the Fed's entreaties?
The external calm often hides internal tension. Despite gold's stabilization near $1,750 an ounce, we can't say the periods of turbulent XAUUSD quotes are far behind. The precious metal paused ahead of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's speech and is trying to see if he can do what the other FOMC members failed to do. Can he use hawkish rhetoric to persuade stock indices to fall and the U.S. dollar to strengthen? Both are fundamentally important to gold.
As a rule, when evaluating the prospects for XAUUSD, the dynamics of the USD index and Treasury bond yields are analyzed. The fall of the first of them below 106, according to DeCarley Trading, will contribute to the continuation of the peak to 98, raising the quotes of the precious metal significantly higher. Many factors have already been factored into the U.S. dollar, including a 5–5.25% federal funds rate ceiling and a shallow recession that the U.S. economy will plunge into in the second and fourth quarters of 2023, according to Barclays.
Dynamics of gold and US dollar
At the same time, capital flows also affect the value of gold. Queen Anne's Gate Capital says the current rally in XAUUSD is due to an outflow of money from the crypto market. In 2020, investors actively invested in ETFs and crypto assets. As a result, specialized exchange-traded funds grew from 80 million ounces to 110 million ounces. By now, they have fallen to 95 million ounces. Many are still under water, that is, in losses. They will take advantage of the rise in gold to close their positions. If ETFs shrink another 20 million ounces, the precious metal will plummet to $1,300.
The collapse of cryptocurrency broker FTX accelerated the collapse of BTCUSD, and money poured into gold, but a stabilization of bitcoin will reverse that process.
Gold and Bitcoin Dynamics
However, if the capital outflow from specialized exchange-traded funds stops and the demand for physical assets in Asia starts to fall, the downward trend of XAUUSD can be considered broken not only technically but also fundamentally. The fact is that, in an upward trend, gold tends to flow from the East to the West and vice versa during downturns—from China and India to the USA and Europe.
In this regard, a sharp drop in October imports of China's precious metal from Hong Kong to 18.7 tons, which is 45% less than in September, indicates a decrease in demand. However, Commerzbank believes that the dynamics of the indicator was affected by restrictions imposed by Beijing due to COVID-19. According to customs data from Switzerland, gold exports to China in October decreased slightly from 44 to 43.7 tons.
In the near term, the fate of XAUUSD will be affected by Powell's speech and the U.S. labor market report for November.
In technical terms, the 1-2-3 pattern can work out on the daily chart of the precious metal. However, for this, quotes must fall below $1,725, which will be a reason for selling. A fair price break of $1,762 per ounce is more likely to be a reason to buy.
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USD/JPY: that's it, no movie!
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's dovish speech pulled down the dollar. Yesterday, the U.S. currency experienced a resounding sell-off on all fronts, but saw the biggest loss against the yen.
A crushing blow from Powell
At the middle of the week, Powell spoke about the economic outlook, inflation and US employment at the Brookings Institution.
It was Powell's first public speech since the November FOMC meeting, so traders were looking forward to his comments on the central bank's future course.
The market has been in a state of strong uncertainty. Softer inflation provoked speculations about a possible slowdown of tightening in the US, and recent hawkish comments made by Fed representatives have cast doubts on this.
Until yesterday, dollar bulls had illusions about further sharp rate hikes in the US. However, Powell just shattered their hopes: the central bank intends to slow down.
He said it makes sense to 'moderate' the pace at this stage to balance risks. He also hinted that the Fed might take less aggressive steps at its next meeting.
After Powell's dovish rhetoric, the likelihood of a 50 bps rate hike in December rose from 69.9% to more than 90%.
The sharp weakening of hawkish market expectations took a heavy toll on the dollar. It interrupted its 3-day climb and went into free-fall.
Yesterday, the DXY index posted its biggest daily loss of the week, falling more than 1% from its major peers.
Goodbye USD/JPY
The U.S. currency showed the worst dynamics on Wednesday against the yen. The USD/JPY plummeted 1.2%, testing the 3-month low at 136.50 in one moment.
A steep peak in yields on 10-year U.S. Treasuries contributed to the yen's sharp growth. The index fell to a one-month low of 3.6% after Powell's comments.
"The dollar is losing more altitude as the market embraces a less hawkish than feared message from the Chair," said Rodrigo Catril, strategist at National Australia Bank Ltd. in Sydney. The "big decline in 10-year Treasury yields sees the yen at the top of the leaderboard."
Recall that this year the Japanese currency suffered the most from the aggressive Fed rate, and the Bank of Japan's dovish policy adds more pressure on it.
The BOJ is the only major central bank that has never raised interest rates this year.
The hope that appeared last month that the Fed might soon slow down the pace of tightening helped the yen recover from its multi-year lows.
The JPY showed the best uptrend against the dollar in November. It strengthened by more than 7%. This is the biggest monthly gain for the JPY in 14 years.
Now, when Powell actually gave the signal to start a slowdown in interest rates in the U.S., many analysts have revised their forecasts for the pair - downward.
According to experts, the asset has already exhausted its bullish potential and is unlikely to return to spectacular and confident growth in the near future.
In the short term, the major will move mainly downwards, still weighed down by Powell's dovish statement.
Also, US economic data may become a headwind for the dollar-yen pair. If the market sees another symptom of the approaching recession, it will finally convince traders that the US central bank will hit the brakes this month.
Analysts predict this is likely to happen. The ISM manufacturing activity index for November will be released today. Economists are predicting that the index will fall from 50.2 to 49.8.
Another headwind for the dollar will be the return of risk sentiment to the market due to the easing of anti-Covid measures in China. This should also favor USD/JPY bears.
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EUR/USD. All eyes on Nonfarm
Traders are focused on today's NonFarm Payrolls report. Key US labor market growth data is especially important right now in light of recent events. If the data lets the dollar bulls down as well (in addition to the PCE and ISM manufacturing index), the greenback will bear significant pressure in all major pairs. Also, keep in mind that the NonFarm Payrolls will be released less than two weeks before the Federal Reserve's December meeting. The last speech of Fed Chairman Jerome Powell was not beneficial for the dollar (in my opinion - undeservedly), while a disappointing labor market report will only add fuel to the fire. In that case, the EUR/USD bulls, in particular, can already think about conquering the 6 figure in the medium term.
In general, recent events are not unfolding in favor of the U.S. currency. And it is not only because of objective circumstances. For example, the market reacted quite adequately to the decline of the ISM manufacturing index, which collapsed to 49 points, reaching its lowest value since May 2020. Traders also reacted fairly to the slowdown in the core PCE index, although this slowdown was minimal (and predictable).
No complaints here, as they say. At the same time, in my opinion, market participants are interpreting too many fundamental factors against the greenback - even in those cases where there is a less favorable aspect of the issue. For example, Powell said during his last speech that the time to reduce the pace of rate hikes "may come as soon as the December meeting." At the same time, he said that the final level of the federal funds rate will likely be higher than the September forecasts. It is noteworthy that Powell had previously voiced both theses, and each time the market reacted differently to his words.
Lately, the fundamental environment has not been in favor of the greenback: traders are keenly reacting to negative information for the dollar and are quite skeptical to positive (hawkish) signals. A vivid example of this is the market's reaction to Powell's speech: market participants went with the dovish messages and chose to ignore the statement that the final rate will be at a higher level.
All this suggests that today's Nonfarm data will also be treated in a "special" manner. In my opinion, the data can only support the dollar if all components of the report come out in the green. Otherwise it will be interpreted against the greenback.
Let me remind you that dollar bulls were not impressed by the last (October) Nonfarm data. Specifically, the unemployment rate climbed to 3.7% (from the previous value of 3.5%) and the average hourly wage growth rate slowed on an annualized basis to 4.7%, whereas it has been consistently above or in line with the 5% level since January. The share of the economically active population in October slightly decreased, but still, to 62.2%. All of the aforementioned indicators came out in the red, much to the disappointment of supporters of the strong dollar. After this report, the odds of a 75-point rate hike at the December meeting dropped to 20% (according to the CME FedWatch Tool). Accordingly, the 50-point scenario became the base case, with an 80% chance of being realized.
According to general forecasts, the number of employed people should increase by 200,000 in November. The unemployment rate is likely to remain unchanged at 3.7%. The annualized growth rate of average hourly earnings may slow to 4.5%.
In my opinion, the dollar will get no support even if all components of the release come out at projected levels. At the same time, there is definitely an implication that the numbers may not reach the forecasts at all. The alarm bells have already rung on this subject: The day before yesterday, the ADP released a disappointing report which showed an increase of 127,000 new jobs in the non-farm payrolls, contrary to its forecast of 200,000.
However, we have to admit that the ADP numbers do not always correlate with the official numbers, so there is still intrigue here.
At the moment, it is advisable to take a wait-and-see attitude towards all dollar pairs, and EUR/USD is not an exception here. The Nonfarm data will probably not be able to change the situation: as mentioned before, the fundamental situation is not in favor of the dollar. Nevertheless, opening long positions ahead of such an important release is a very risky action. Taking into account the "Friday factor", it is an unreasonable risk, especially since the pair is in the area of 5-month highs.
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EUR/USD regains upside position, dollar left with one trump card
Markets prefer to shoot first and then think later. Otherwise, they would miss the moment. When ECB President Christine Lagarde said that central banks should pursue policies that would anchor inflation expectations, investors began to buy the euro with renewed vigor, pushing EURUSD quotes to the highest levels since June. In reality, however, Lagarde's phrase does not guarantee that the deposit rate will rise by 75 bps in December. No matter how this shot turned out to be a blank.
The logic of investors selling the U.S. dollar is clear: inflation is slowing and will continue to do so, which means the Fed does not need to take giant steps down the road of tightening monetary policy. The factor of an aggressive federal funds rate hike, along with U.S. exceptionalism and high demand for safe haven assets, was the key driver of the EURUSD rally. If the ECB starts to catch up with the Fed, the dollar has one less trump card to play.
Lately, the macrostatistics of the euro area has been pleasantly surprising, which is reflected in the growth of the index of economic surprises. It is quite possible that the currency bloc will either manage to avoid recession or the recession will be quick and insignificant. It looks like the U.S. is not as far from the eurozone as previously thought. A change in investors' outlook on the matter has given EURUSD a helping hand.
Dynamics of Economic Surprise Indices
In fact, the U.S. dollar has only one trump card left—its status as a safe-haven asset, and even that fails. When the yield of Treasury bonds grew, the competitors of the grenback in the face of gold, yen and franc were in disgrace. However, the decline in interest rates on debt has turned them from outsiders into favorites. As a global recession approaches, investors will no longer park their money in North America, but will prefer Japan, Switzerland, or a perpetual asset.
Jerome Powell had a chance to turn things around. Had he voiced his dissatisfaction with financial conditions, the EURUSD pair would hardly have been able to soar above 1.05. The weakening of the latter makes it difficult for the Fed to fight inflation, but the central bank also seems to believe that the PCE will continue to slow.
Dynamics of financial conditions in the USA
Unlike Lagarde, who believes that the global economy is entering an era of volatile inflation. That is why central banks should anchor inflation expectations at the target level of 2%. Households must trust that their work will lead to price stability. That's the only way to win.
Volatile inflation makes it doubtful that EURUSD will continue to go further upward in the same way as in October and early December. Most likely, it will be stormy.
In technical terms, the euro approached the target by 161.8% by the Crab pattern within an arm's length. It is located near the $1.061 mark. A rebound may follow from it or from the 1.057 pivot point, which will allow to partially take profits on the longs formed above 1.0395. Subsequently, we use pullbacks to buy EURUSD.
