Daily Market Analysis from ForexMart

GBP/USD. November 16, 2020 – Pound shows high volatility in Brexit negotiations

The new week started with a weakening of the pound sterling to 1.3160 ​​from 1.3240. The British currency is under pressure from news on Brexit and trade negotiations between London and Brussels.

A spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that previous differences over equal terms of trade and fisheries remain in trade negotiations with the European Union. The politician noted that negotiations will resume this week. There is about a month and a half left until the end of the transition period, and the peak of tension in the negotiations will probably be in December.

Today the macroeconomic calendar is empty. Attention may be drawn to the speech of the representative of the Bank of England J. Haskell.

Brent. November 17, 2020 – Oil holds in September highs

Yesterday, Brent quotes managed to reach the level of $44.60 per barrel, which was the highest since mid-September. The current quotation of the asset is $43.77. Prices are being supported by improved market sentiment amid reports of a new coronavirus vaccine. It became known that Moderna achieved 94.5% efficiency in trials of its drug from Covid, which strengthened investors' hopes for a global economic recovery, as well as demand for hydrocarbons.

Additional support for Brent was provided by macroeconomic data from China: industrial production in October increased by 6.9% compared to the same period last year. Retail sales added 4.3% compared to October 2019.

OPEC+ plans to refrain from increasing production until the oil market returns to balance are also a factor in the growth of oil prices. On the eve of the OPEC+ Joint Technical Committee announced plans to extend the current restrictions on production for another three months.

However, the risks for the oil market are still high. The rate of spread of coronavirus infection around the world continues to grow, and the likelihood of new lockdowns remains. Which, in turn, cloud the prospects for global economic growth.

Brent. November 18, 2020 – Oil in positive territory despite negative external background

Brent oil quotes continue to rise. Current price is $44.20 per barrel. «Bulls» were not stopped even by data from the American Petroleum Institute (API), according to which oil reserves in the United States rose by 4.2 million barrels over the week. Today you should pay attention to a similar report from the US Department of Energy.

Yesterday, a meeting of the OPEC+ ministerial monitoring committee was held, which ended without recommendations for a production cut in 2021. Previously, market participants expected the committee to propose OPEC+ countries to extend the current level of production cuts until the end of the first quarter of 2021. The next meeting of the organization will take place only on December 16-17.

The worsening epidemiological situation in the world can also change the current trend to a downward one. The high rates of spread of infection are forcing countries to introduce new social restrictions and quarantines, which, in turn, will inevitably lead to a decrease in economic activity and demand for hydrocarbons.

EUR/USD. November 18, 2020 – Euro weakly hovers below 1.19 level

The EUR/USD pair continues to feel confident and is approaching the 1.1900 level. The current quote is 1.1880.

The dollar is still under pressure from the likelihood of a new stimulus to the US economy. Earlier it became known that the Republicans have finally approved a new stimulus package, but now they are talking about an amount of$ 500 billion, although the volume of $1-1.5 trillion was previously discussed. Another uncertainty over the stimulus issue alarmed the markets again.

However, the data from the US released yesterday provided some support to the dollar rate today. Industrial production in the country rose 1.1% m/m in October against the forecast of 1.0% m/m increase. In annual terms, the indicator slightly improved and amounted to -5.3% (-6.7% previously). Capacity utilization in October was at 72.8%, higher than the expected 72.3%.

Thus, today the pair will fluctuate below the level of 1.19 in an attempt to determine the further direction of movement. The released data on inflation in the eurozone did not have a visible effect on the dynamics of the pair, since the indicator remained at the level of -0.3%, as expected.

EUR/USD. November 19, 2020 – Euro shows decline

At the end of yesterday's session, the EUR/USD pair weakened to the level of 1.1810. The current quote for the pair is 1.1835.

The drivers of the decline were the correction of stock indices and gold, which fell in price after the news from Pfizer. The pharmaceutical company said the new COVID-19 vaccine is 95% effective, up from the previously announced 90%. And gold, as a rule, correlates positively with the European currency, therefore, the decline in the precious metal caused a correction in EUR/USD.

The EU summit on the fight against coronavirus kicks off today. Also on the agenda is the issue of the EU budget plan, which was previously blocked by Hungary and Poland. In the evening, the head of the ECB Christine Lagarde will speak.

In the US, data on the number of applications for unemployment benefits will be published. It is expected that the number of initial applications may be reduced from 709 thousand to 685 thousand. And the number of repeated requests should decrease from 6,786 thousand to 6,250 thousand. Also of interest will be the publication of the index of manufacturing activity from the Philadelphia Federal reserve for November and statistics on second-home sales in October.

GBP/USD. November 20, 2020 – Unexpectedly strong retail sales data supported sterling

Despite the growing risks of a «hard» Brexit, the GBP/USD pair continues to move to local highs in the 1.3300 area. The current quote is 1.3280.

The dynamics of the pair was influenced by the statistics on the labor market in the UK. The number of applications for primary unemployment benefits for the week increased from 711 to 742 thousand against the forecast of 707 thousand. At the same time, investors were pleased with the reduction in secondary circulation from 6.801 million to 6.372 million against expectations of 6.47 million.

Today you should pay attention to the publication of a report on retail sales in the country. The figure in October came out much better than forecasted: sales increased by 1.2% compared to September, when the indicator grew by 1.4%. The forecast assumed growth of only 0.1%. In annual terms, sales increased by 5.8%.

At the same time, difficulties in negotiating Brexit continue to put pressure on the pound. Today it became known that negotiations were suspended again, now due to the discovery of Covid from one of the members of the negotiating team.

EUR/USD. November 23, 2020 – Euro reached the level 1.1900

EUR/USD maintains upward momentum, approaching the 1.1900 level. The current quote for the asset is 1.1890.

Emotions after the presidential elections in the United States have gradually subsided and now all the attention of the markets is shifting to negotiations in Congress on a new stimulus package for the American economy. Moreover, support for risky assets at the moment is provided by news on the vaccine. The UK is expected to approve a vaccine from Pfizer this week.

Friday's statistics from the euro area showed that consumer confidence in November deteriorated in line with forecasts: to -18.0 points against the October value of -16.0. For the European Union, the corresponding indicator fell in November to -19.0 points from the previous -16.5. The data is not very positive, but it was quite expected.

Today we should pay attention to the index of business activity in the manufacturing sector in Germany: the indicator rose to the level of 57.9 points, which is better than the forecast of 56.5. Activity in the service sector fell slightly short of the forecast and amounted to 46.2. The composite index of business activity for the entire eurozone came out worse than expected: 45.1 points against expectations of 45.8. However, these data did not prevent the euro from continuing to strengthen.

In the evening hours, the USA will present similar data. However, these data are unlikely to support the dollar, as experts predict a decline in absolutely all business activity indices. Thus, the weakening of the dollar will continue throughout the day.

EUR/USD. November 24, 2020 – Euro is recovering from yesterday's drop to 1.18

Yesterday the euro rate fell sharply to the level of 1.18, but today the EUR/USD quotes returned to the 1.1880 level.

The dollar was supported yesterday by the statistics from the US, which came out stronger than expected and somewhat reduced the fears of market participants about the downturn in the economy. In particular, the preliminary index of business activity in the manufacturing sector from Markit showed an increase in November to 56.7 points against 53.4 earlier. Business activity in the service sector in November increased to 57.7 points from the previous 56.9.

In the eurozone, by contrast, similar indicators look less optimistic. The index of business activity in the manufacturing sector of the region in November fell to 53.6 points from 54.8 in October. The index of business activity in the non-manufacturing sector in November in the euro area deteriorated to 41.3 points from 46.9 earlier.

At the same time, the euro receives support on the news about the productive development of vaccines against coronavirus - the third option is already known. This restrains the dollar's growth and supports interest in the euro as a risky asset.

Today the macroeconomic calendar is almost empty, only the data on house prices in the United States will attract attention, the growth rate of which may accelerate from 5.2% to 5.5%, as well as the Conference Board consumer confidence index for November (data is forecast to deteriorate).

Brent. November 25, 2020 – Oil continues to renew highs

The oil market continues to grow, hitting multi-month highs. Brent is currently quoted at $48.50 per barrel.

Prices are supported by hopes for improved economic outlook and increased demand for hydrocarbons. Pharmaceutical companies continue to share positive news of the success of the Covid vaccines, boosting hopes for a fast global recovery and resumption of international travel.

Additional support for oil was also provided by the results of the recent US presidential election, which was won by the representative of the Democratic Party, Joe Biden. The political uncertainty surrounding the elections has significantly decreased, which has given strength to risky assets, which traditionally include oil.

EUR/USD. November 25, 2020 – Euro has renewed its maximum in early September

On Wednesday morning, the EUR/USD pair rose to 1.1930, hitting the high of early September. The European currency is supported by hopes that the coronavirus pandemic will be defeated in the near future. Markets are in anticipation of the imminent production of the Covid vaccine and the recovery of the global economy.

At the same time, the pressure on the dollar came from a weaker than expected value of the US consumer confidence index from the Conference Board. In November, the indicator fell to 96.1 points against the forecast of 97.7 and the previous value of 100.9 points. The current value has become the lowest in the last three months. Such data indicate that the stability of the labor market and the general state of the economy are still far from ideal.

From such data, it can also be concluded that retail sales in December-January will be weaker than forecasts (simply due to less optimism of buyers).

An additional influence on the dynamics of the pair is provided by the news about the readiness of the administration of US President Donald Trump to begin the process of transferring power to Joe Biden.

Today you should pay attention to the block of statistics from the US: GDP for the III quarter, the volume of orders for durable goods in October, the balance of foreign trade in goods for October and the number of initial claims for unemployment benefits in October.

EUR/USD. November 26, 2020 – Euro will continue to rally

Yesterday, the EUR/USD pair renewed its early September high at 1.1940, later declining to 1.1900.

The European currency is supported by optimistic investor sentiment: the markets expect that an effective Covid vaccine will appear in the near future, which can contribute to a rapid recovery of the global economy.

The short-term strengthening of the dollar yesterday was caused by strong data on new home sales in October: the indicator rose to 999 thousand against the September value of 959 thousand. The positive statistics ended there, and the rest of the US data only disappointed the markets.

In particular, the number of initial applications for unemployment benefits rose again over the week, from 748 thousand to 778 thousand. The GDP level for the third quarter did not change against the previous figure and amounted to 33.1%, which is worse than the forecasted 33.2%. Most disappointing was the data on personal incomes of American households, which fell 0.7% m / m. At the same time, costs increased by 0.5% m / m.

Moreover, at the end of the day, the minutes of the last meeting of the US Federal Reserve System were published, which indicated that the regulator's course was maintained for further easing of monetary policy. Considering all that has been said, we can conclude that the «rally» of the euro will continue in the near future.

Brent. November 27, 2020 – Oil is correcting after an upward rally

Yesterday Brent began to decline, interrupting the upward rally. Prices failed to hold on to the reached maximum near $49 per barrel and retreated to $47.45. The current quotation is $48.40 per barrel.

Most likely, the driver of the decline was the news that Venezuela, despite the US sanctions, resumed oil supplies to China. This once again caused investors to worry about a possible oversupply of oil.

The Venezuelan state-owned company PdVSA signed a contract with China to resume oil supplies in August this year. And after the publication of the results of the US presidential election, Venezuela apparently decided to ignore Trump's sanctions.

Today is a quiet trading day as the United States continues to celebrate Thanksgiving. Brent will fluctuate weakly around $48.50 a barrel.

EUR/USD. November 27, 2020 – Euro is trading above 1.1900

On Friday, the EUR/USD pair resumed its growth: the current quotation of the asset is 1.1920. Thanksgiving weekend continues in the US, so the dynamics of trading today is rather sluggish.

The euro is strengthening, despite weak data from Germany, published yesterday. The consumer climate index in Germany from the GfK institute for December fell to -6.7 points from -3.1 earlier. This is even worse than predicted, suggesting that consumer sentiment is becoming increasingly pessimistic.

The index of economic expectations fell to -0.2 points from the previous 7.3, which was the worst value since May this year.

Today the macroeconomic calendar is almost empty and the EUR/USD pair will continue to fluctuate slightly above the 1.19 level.