Tag Archive: Canada

The Dollar Remains Soft Ahead of the Employment Report

Overview: The dollar is little changed against the major currencies ahead of the US jobs report. It has been trading heavier than we expected given that two more G10 central banks cut interest rates ahead of the Federal Reserve.

Read More »

Will USD be Bought on the Fact after Being Sold on Expectations of a Softer CPI?

Overview: The dollar is trading heavily against the G10 currencies and most of the currencies from emerging markets. The market expects softer US CPI (and retail sales) today. Any decline in the year-over-year core rate would put it at its lowest level since April 2021. Still, this has been anticipated, and the market seems vulnerable to "sell the rumor, buy the fact" type of activity. After all, the Fed will see another employment and...

Read More »

Riksbank Cuts, Oil Slips, and the Yen Remains Under Pressure

(On business trip over next few days. Commentary to resume Monday.  Thanks for your patience.) Overview: Sweden's Riksbank became the second G10 central bank to cut rates this year. The Swiss National Bank cut its deposit rate in March. A couple other large central banks, including the European Central Bank, and possibly the Bank of Canada, may cut rates next month. The Swedish krona is the weakest of the G10 currencies today, off by about 0.45%,...

Read More »

Market Pushes the Yen Lower, Helped by a Broadly Firmer Greenback

Overview: The dollar is firmer against all the G10 currencies today. The market is somewhat less fearful of intervention and the yen is extending yesterday's losses. It is rivaling the Australian dollar for the weakest of the major currencies after the Reserve Bank of Australia left rates on hold and played down speculation of possibility of a rate hike. Both currencies are off around 0.4% in late European morning turnover. Disappointing German...

Read More »

Yen Slips, Yuan Jumps, Dollar is Mostly Softer

Overview: The dollar is mostly a little softer today in thin market conditions, with Tokyo, Seoul, and London closed for holidays. The Japanese yen is the weakest G10 currency, losing about 0.5% and slipping through last Friday's lows. At first, after Fed Chair Powell did not endorse rate hike speculation, the market thought he was dovish. But after the softer than expected jobs data and weakness in the ISM services, the market shifted from...

Read More »

Dollar is Softer Ahead of the Employment Report

Overview: The greenback is trading with a softer bias ahead of the US jobs report. Solid, even if not spectacular job growth, is expected. However, recent survey data warns of the downside risks. Moreover, counter-intuitively, the dollar has not often rallied this year into the employment data, but frequently has in response. The dollar is softer against the G10 currencies. The Norwegian krone is the strongest, up about 0.6% after the central bank...

Read More »

Yen Retreats, while Stronger EMU GDP Underscores Nascent Recovery and Lifts the Euro

Overview:  Stronger than expected eurozone GDP strengthened the sense that a nascent recovery may be taking hold and has given the euro a bid in the European morning. The dollar, though, is enjoying a firmer tone against the other G10 currencies today. Australia's unexpected weakness in retail sales has weighed on the Antipodean currencies. The Aussie and Kiwi are off slightly more than 0.5% today. Japanese data were mixed (a recovery in industrial...

Read More »

US CPI, New Security Initiatives with Tokyo and Manila, Bank of Canada Meeting

Overview: The dollar has been confined to narrow ranges ahead of the US CPI report. Given the backup of US rates and the stronger-than-expected jobs growth, the greenback's performance has been unimpressive.

Read More »

Will the Market Push the Dollar Above JPY152 as Japanese Prime Minister Heads to the US?

Overview:  The jump in US rates after the employment report failed to ignite a sustained rally in the dollar and this shaken the market's near-term confidence. The dollar has been mostly confined to narrow ranges and the low yielding Swiss franc and Japanese yen are softest with the G10 complex today. The dollar is knocking on JPY152. The Scandis and Antipodeans lead the advancers. The euro has made little headway despite a much stronger than...

Read More »

US Employment Data to Set Dollar’s Course

Overview: The focus is squarely on the US employment report. At the risk of oversimplifying, given the position adjustment in the past 48 hours, a solid report can see the greenback recover, while a disappointing report will likely see it deepen the correction of the rally that began with the February jobs report. The dollar recovered in the North American afternoon yesterday and many observers attributed it to the bevy of Fed comments. Yet, the...

Read More »

Greenback Losses Extended, but Look for Consolidation in North America

Overview: The softer-than-expected ISM services report caught the market leaning the wrong way. Although interest rates had a muted reaction, the dollar was sold. In fact, the Dollar Index saw its second-biggest loss of the year, falling by about 0.50%. ISM services prices paid increases moderated to their slowest since March 2020. Supplier deliveries improved to their best since 2009, suggesting a supply chain improvement. Still, the Fed funds...

Read More »

Rate Adjustment Underpins Greenback

Overview: The adjustment to US interest rates continues and this helps underpin the US dollar. The 10-year yield rose to 4.40% yesterday, the highest it has been since last November. It is trading 4.34%-4.38% today. The two-year yield is firm though holding below the Q1 high set last month near 4.75%. This week, for the first time since last October, the Fed funds futures do not have at least a quarter point cut discounted for July. As recently as...

Read More »

China PMI is Better than Expected but the Greenback Still Rises above CNY7.23

Overview: The dollar is trading quietly against the G10 currencies as European markets remain on holiday. Narrow ranges have prevailed. The dollar-bloc currencies are leading with minor gains, perhaps helped on the margins by better-than-expected Chinese PMI, but the Scandis, which also typically do well amid a better global growth profile are the laggards. This may speak to the light liquidity conditions. Japan may have missed a tactical...

Read More »

Greenback Surges after BOJ Hikes and Ends YCC and RBA Delivers a Dovish Hold

The US dollar is surging today against most of the G10 currencies, and although the intraday momentum is stretched ahead of start of the North American session, there may be little incentive to resist before the end of the FOMC meeting tomorrow.

Read More »

Japan’s Q4 23 Contraction Revised Away, Helping Keep Yen Bid

Overview: News that the Japanese economy expanded rather than contracted in Q4 23 has fanned expectations that rates could be as early as next week. This is helping keep the yen supported, though it remains in the pre-weekend range, albeit barely.

Read More »

Narrowly Mixed Dollar to Start the Big Week for Europe and North America

Overview: The dollar is narrowly mixed against the G10 currencies to begin the week that features a Bank of Canada and ECB meetings, US jobs data, Federal Reserve Chair Powell's two-day testimony before Congress, and US President Biden's State of the Union address.

Read More »

Ueda’s Comments Knock the Yen Back, while the Euro Flirts with $1.08

Overview: The US dollar is mixed today. The dollar-bloc currencies and the Scandis are enjoying a slightly firmer tone, while the euro and sterling are edging higher in European turnover.

Read More »

Yen Pops on BOJ Comments on Inflation, but the Dollar holds Most of Yesterday’s Gains against the other G10 Currencies

The dollar is mixed as the market awaits the US personal consumption expenditure deflator, which is the measure of inflation the Fed targets. While there is headline risk, we argue that the signal has already been generated by the CPI and PPI releases.

Read More »

Dollar Jumps

Overview: A less hawkish Reserve Bank of New Zealand and a slightly softer than expected January CPI from Australia appears to have sparked a broad US dollar rally.

Read More »