Daily Market Analysis from ForexMart

Brent. March 16, 2021 | Oil continues to decline

Brent crude oil continues to decline during the trading session on Tuesday, trading just below $68 a barrel. Previously, quotes were growing steadily amid hopes for a faster recovery in global economic growth due to the gradual lifting of quarantine restrictions in many regions of the world. However, investors are still worried about the emergence of new strains of coronavirus in Europe, and Italy has even announced the restoration of a partial lockdown in the country.

Despite the local correction, «black gold» retains the potential for further growth. On the side of buyers is strong statistics from China – the largest consumer of oil. Industrial production jumped 35.1% in January-February compared to the same period last year, according to Monday's data. Analysts had expected a more modest gain of 30.5%.

Market participants even assume that oil prices will be able to reach the level of $80 per barrel in the second quarter, after many quarantine measures are lifted and economic activity is restored. Experts predict that global oil demand will rebound by about 6 million barrels a day from last year, after falling by 8.7 million barrels a day in 2020. For the period 2021-2023 demand is projected to grow at more than 9 million barrels per day – the fastest pace since the 1970s.

EUR/USD. March 17, 2021 | Dollar at 1.19 in anticipation of the results of the Fed meeting

On Wednesday, EUR/USD continues to trade at 1.1900 in anticipation of the results of the US Federal Reserve meeting, which will be announced tonight.

Yesterday's economic statistics put pressure on the dollar. Retail sales in February decreased by 3.0% m/m against the previous growth by 7.6% m/m (revised value). The forecast assumed a decline of only 0.5%. Analysts note that sales have deteriorated amid cold weather in the States this year.

The volume of industrial production in the US in February fell by 2.2% m/m against expectations of growth by 0.4% m/m and the previous rise by 1.1% m/m. This was also the result of an abnormally cold and snowy winter.

Today all traders' attention is focused on the decision of the US Federal Reserve on the rate and further course of monetary policy. The rate is likely to remain at zero, and the main interest is the press conference of the head of the FRS. The tone of J. Powell's comments may become a little more aggressive than before, however, one should not expect signals of a softening of the policy.

The economic calendar for today is practically empty, so trading will be held in a calm manner near the level of 1.19, until the announcement of the results of the Federal Reserve meeting.

GBP/USD. March 17, 2021 | Market participants awaiting the results of the US Federal Reserve meeting

The focus of traders this week is the meetings of the US and UK central banks. The US Federal Reserve will announce the results of its meeting tonight: analysts predict that the regulator will leave the current parameters of monetary policy unchanged, while raising the assessment of economic growth, as well as, possibly, inflation.

Based on the results of the December meeting, the leaders of the FRS predicted that the target inflation rate of 2% would be achieved no earlier than 2023. However, now the regulator may revise its forecasts towards accelerating inflation, given the recent macroeconomic data. And this will undoubtedly be a positive factor for the US dollar.

As for the Bank of England, which will meet on Thursday, economists believe that the Central Bank will continue to take a wait-and-see attitude and will keep its policy unchanged. Despite the fact that the yield on UK government bonds rose sharply amid expectations of a faster economic recovery and higher inflation. Moreover, yesterday the head of the Bank of England Andrew Bailey said that the bank will continue to buy bonds this year, despite the fact that «inflation will remain below the target of 2%.»

The current quote for the GBP/USD pair is 1.3900. The RSI indicator is growing weakly from the neutral zone, which signals further moderate strengthening of the pound sterling during the day, until the announcement of the results of the US Federal Reserve meeting.

EUR/USD. March 18, 2021 | The results of the Fed meeting put pressure on the dollar

On Thursday morning, the euro continues to rise to the 1.20 area. The current quote for the EUR/USD pair is 1.1986. Yesterday there was a meeting of the US Federal Reserve System, as a result of which the American currency significantly weakened, having lost control over the level of 1.19.

As market participants expected, the regulator kept the base rate at the level of 0-0.25% per annum. The Fed also made it clear that it does not intend to raise interest rates throughout 2023, despite the rapid recovery of the American economy.

The central bank also improved its forecast for US GDP: now the regulator predicts economic growth by 6.5% in 2021, not 4.2%. Moreover, inflation is expected to exceed the Fed's 2% target this year at 2.4%.

Today you should pay attention to the macro statistics on the US labor market. Analysts expect that the number of initial claims for unemployment benefits fell by 12 thousand from the previous week, to 700 thousand. If the forecast is confirmed, the US dollar will have an incentive to recover from yesterday's drawdown.

EUR/USD. March 19, 2021 | The dollar is back under the 1.1900 level

On Friday, the dollar returned to the 1.19 level, having recouped most of the losses incurred following the FOMC meeting. The American regulator said that it does not intend to raise interest rates until 2023, however, the recovery of the dollar and the growth of government bond yields indicate that market participants are still guided by an optimistic economic scenario.

The dollar was also supported by an increase in the manufacturing activity index (according to the Philadelphia Fed report), which also underpins the improved economic forecasts of the central bank. The index rose from 23.3 to 51.8 points, reaching a maximum of the last 48 years.

At the same time, the euro is under pressure from the worsening situation with the coronavirus in Europe. Many countries are returning to lockdowns, others are in no hurry to remove restrictions. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, believes that all this is due to a decrease in the rate of vaccination against the background of refusal of the AstraZeneca vaccine due to possible severe side effects.

The economic calendar is empty for today. The current quote for the EUR/USD pair is 1.1880. The RSI indicator weakly declines from the neutral zone, which signals further moderate strengthening of the dollar.

GBP/USD. March 22, 2021 | Sterling moderately grows at the beginning of the week

At the end of last trading week, the pound sterling fell to the 1.3800 area. On Monday, the pair is trying to win back losses, rising to 1.3850.

The latest macroeconomic data from the UK turned out to be rather weak, so the pound is unlikely to strengthen significantly. The pound made some attempts to grow after the announcement of the results of the meeting of the Bank of England last Thursday. The regulator decided to keep the base interest rate at 0.1%, and the volume of redemption of assets from the market – at 895 billion pounds.

The central bank also noted that if the inflation forecast deteriorates, the monetary policy committee is ready to take any necessary additional actions. However, no tightening of monetary policy is expected until there is confidence in achieving a robust 2% inflation target.

Today the macroeconomic calendar is empty. In the coming days, data on business activity, employment, inflation and retail sales in the UK will be released. Experts expect the numbers to strengthen as mass vaccinations boost confidence and economic activity.

EUR/USD. March 22, 2021 | The euro is trying to close above 1.19

The main currency pair is trading slightly above the 1.1900 level on Monday. The euro is trying to regain the losses of the last week, but this is not happening very confidently. The fact is that the US dollar remains quite stable after the comments and decisions of the FRS following the March meeting. Moreover, the yield on US government bonds continues to rise, which provides fundamental support to the greenback.

The rise in bond yields came after the announcement that the Fed had not extended the benefits for second-tier banks introduced last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The mechanism was introduced to stimulate bank lending; now, according to the Fed, there is no obvious need for it.

The euro, in turn, is under pressure due to the suspension of Covid vaccinations in Europe with the drug company AstraZeneca. Investors fear that against the background of this, the terms of lockdowns in some European countries will be extended, and this is a certain negative for the European currency.

Today the macroeconomic calendar is completely empty. Attention can only be attracted by the speech of the head of the US Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell. However, market participants are unlikely to learn something new, since the head of the regulator has repeatedly commented on the prospects for the Fed's monetary policy.

EUR/USD. March 23, 2021 | The euro continues to decline from the level of 1.19

The euro continues to be under pressure against the dollar, settling below the 1.1900 level. The current quote for the EUR/USD pair is 1.1875. Recently, the main driver of fluctuations in the US dollar has been the movement of the yield on US government bonds: when it grows, the dollar also begins to rally.

An additional important factor supporting the dollar is the optimism about a quick recovery of the American economy, including taking into account additional stimulus.

At the same time, the eurozone is mired in a crisis, which puts significant pressure on the euro rate. The fact is that Europe is lagging behind the United States in terms of vaccination of the population, and an increasing number of countries are again tightening or extending quarantine restrictions. As a result, the economic indicators of the eurozone are showing a decline, and the ECB is forced to remain cautious in all its steps and actions.

This week is scheduled to publish data on business activity in the euro area and the result of the IFO survey in Germany. Analysts predict that new releases could disappoint the markets once again. Today the economic calendar is almost empty, so the pair will continue to decline slightly in anticipation of new drivers.

EUR/USD. March 25, 2021 | Euro fell to the level of 1.1800

The EUR/USD pair continues to be in the clutches of «bears»: the current quotation of the euro is 1.1800.

The strengthening of the dollar is again helped by the rise in the yield of US bonds. In addition, the worsening epidemiological situation in the euro area continues to negatively impact the single currency.

Today we should pay attention to the final data on US GDP for the fourth quarter. These statistics should confirm preliminary estimates that showed a slowdown in the rate of economic decline from -2.8% to -2.4%. Therefore, these statistics are unlikely to have any impact on the market. But the report on the number of applications for unemployment benefits, the total number of which should once again be reduced, can provide significant support to the dollar. In this case, we expect a further decline in the European currency below the level of 1.18.

EUR/USD. March 24, 2021 | «Bears» are approaching the 1.1800 level

During the trading session on Wednesday, the euro continues to decline. The current quote for the EUR/USD pair is 1.1825.

The pressure on the European currency is exerted by the prospect of a worsening economic situation in the eurozone countries amid the development of the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Many countries in the region are resuming restrictive measures. Including Germany, the largest economy in Europe, where a new quarantine was introduced until April 18. France and Italy are also under severe restrictions that delay the recovery of the entire European region.

The situation is aggravated by the problems with the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is being phased out by an increasing number of EU countries.

Additional pressure on the euro is exerted by the widespread strengthening of the dollar in the market. Greenback is growing after the speeches of D. Powell and D. Yellen in Congress, who said they expect a strong recovery in the US economy this year thanks to successful vaccinations.

The head of the FRS also noted that he does not expect an unwanted acceleration of inflation after the adoption of the stimulus package, adding that the regulator has all the necessary tools to curb the excessive rise in price pressure. Against this background, the dollar index approached the maximum level in the last 4 months.

GBP/USD. March 26, 2021 | The sterling returned to the 1.38 level

The British currency continues to win back losses in pairing with the dollar, rising almost closely to the level of 1.3800.

The main support for the pound sterling was provided by economic reports from the UK. In particular, retail sales rose 2.1% in February after falling 8.2% a month earlier, in line with market participants' expectations. The indicator on an annualized basis was -3.7% against the forecast of -3.5%. The basic index of retail sales in monthly terms amounted to 2.4%, in annual terms – minus 1.1%, which turned out to be better than the experts' forecasts.

An additional positive for the sterling was the comments of the chief economist of the Bank of England and member of the Monetary Policy Committee Andy Haldane, who said that the UK economy will show a very rapid recovery.

However, the US dollar also feels quite stable. Yesterday's GDP and labor market data showed that America's economy is recovering and unemployment is gradually declining.

EUR/USD. March 29, 2021| Euro remains below 1.1800

The EUR/USD pair continues to move within a narrow range of 1.1750-1.1800. The main support for the US dollar last week was provided by economic statistics, which allowed the dollar index to reach a four-month high.

Individual spending fell 1%, while the expected decline was only 0.7%. At the same time, revenues fell 7.1% (vs. 7.3% forecast), and the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index was revised upward (from 83.6 to 84.9). Moreover, the number of initial applications for unemployment benefits reached the lowest level for the entire period of the pandemic (684 thousand applications).

The IFO report on the index of the business climate in Germany helped to stop the fall in the euro: the indicator exceeded analysts' expectations, rising to 96.6 points. However, the euro is still under strong pressure from the difference in the epidemiological situation between the US and the eurozone. The United States plans to return to normal life in a few months, while the fight against coronavirus in Europe is far from successful. In Germany, they fear that the third wave of the pandemic will be the most destructive and they propose to return the curfew.

Today the macroeconomic calendar is empty, the pair will continue to fluctuate weakly below the 1.1800 level.

EUR/USD. March 30, 2021 | Euro continues to decline to multi-month lows

The main currency pair continues to update its lows, reaching 1.1725. Sales of the European currency continue due to the deterioration of the situation with the coronavirus in the euro area, as well as against the background of the strengthening of the dollar, which is in demand due to the growing interest in «safe» assets.

On Tuesday, the economic calendar is not of particular interest, but the rest of the week will be quite informative. Today it is worth paying attention only to the important release on the consumer confidence index from the Conference Board for March. Analysts do not exclude an increase in the indicator from 91.3 to 97.0 points, which is very positive for the US dollar.

Tomorrow, President Biden will unveil his $3 trillion infrastructure project, and a key US non-farm employment report will be released on Good Friday (although markets in many countries, including the US, will be closed). Investors are preparing for the strongest payrolls in the last 5 months.

However, there are risks: Biden's infrastructure project could be financed by raising taxes, and these are new taxes in the amount of $1 to $3 trillion, and the higher the real figure, the stronger the pressure on the stock market will be.