Tag Archive: ECB

Short Covering Squeezes the Yen Higher

The US dollar is firmer against all the G10 currencies but the Japanese yen. Local reports and the price action are consistent with short covering of the previously sold yen positions ostensibly ahead of next week's BOJ and FOMC meetings. Still, the greenback is holding above last week's low, slightly below JPY155.40.

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Dollar Consolidation is Morphing into Correction

Jury duty assignment prevents a more comprehensive note, but here is a snapshot. Overview: The failure of computer systems has disrupted airlines, banks, media companies, and the London Stock Exchange, ostensibly stemming from an update from a third-party software update, according to Microsoft. The dollar is trading with a firmer bias. The consolidation, we anticipated, appears to be morphing into a correction. Weaker than expected retail sales...

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Euro Trades Quietly Ahead of ECB Meeting

Jury duty assignment prevents a more comprehensive note, but here is a snapshot. Overview: The US dollar enjoys a firmer bias today, in mostly quiet turnover in narrow ranges. The Australian dollar is a noted exception, and the better than expected jobs growth may have lent it some resilience today. The greenback initially was sold to almost JPY155.35, a new low (since June 7) before recovering to nearly JPY156.60 in Europe. The UK's employment...

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Will the PCE Deflator Really Contain New Information?

Overview: The US dollar is narrowly mixed as North American participants prepare to return for the last session of the first half. Despite firmer than expected Tokyo CPI and stronger than expected industrial output, the market lifted the greenback around JPY161.25 before profit-taking pressures bought it back toward session lows near JPY160.65 in Europe. President Biden is thought to have lost last night's debate with Trump, but it does not appear...

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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.

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Yen Unwinds Yesterday’s Gains, while the Mexican Peso and Indian Rupee Stabilize

Overview: The foreign exchange market is calmer today than Monday and Tuesday, and the dollar is mixed. The yen, which rallied, yesterday, has given back most of its gains and the wage data gave the market second thoughts about next week's BOJ meeting. The Mexican peso, which has been sold aggressively in the face of the strong election showing of the Morena party and allies, is the strongest currency today, though the greenback is holding above...

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Japan Confirms Intervention, China’s PMI Disappoints, EMU CPI Firms, Ahead of US PCE Deflator

Overview: The dollar is mostly consolidating yesterday's losses ahead of month-end and the US income and consumption data. The PCE core deflator may have risen by 0.2%, the least this, year, but the year-over-year rate is expected to be steady at 2.8%. The dollar is recovering from a five-day low against the yen recorded yesterday near JPY156.40 and is near JPY157.30 in the late European morning turnover. The yen's retreat and a disappointing...

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After Limited Follow-Through Selling, the Dollar has Come Back Bid

Overview: Three of the G10 currencies rose by more than 1% against the US dollar yesterday after the softer inflation and weak retail sales readings. The Dollar Index lost almost 0.65% yesterday, the most this year. Among emerging market currencies, only the Mexican and Chilean pesos rose by at least 1%. After extending its losses against most of the major pairs, the dollar has come back bid. Only the yen and Swiss franc are firmer on the day. The...

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Dollar Consolidates but Adjustment is Not Over

Overview:  Higher than expected US CPI for the third consecutive month drove US interest rates sharply higher and lifted the greenback broadly. The market appears to be catching its proverbial breath today, but the shallow consolidation suggests the moves are not over.

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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.

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Dollar Consolidates Softer Ahead of Tomorrow’s CPI

Overview: The dollar is trading with a softer bias in mostly narrow ranges against the G10 currencies. It did not rally much ahead of the US jobs data, and it was not able to sustain the upside momentum afterwards, despite the jump in US yields. Former St. Louis Fed President Bullard, who still has a strong reputation in the market, told Bloomberg TV yesterday that three cuts were his base case this year. The Scandis and Antipodeans are the...

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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...

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Greenback Consolidates Last Week’s Surge

Overview: After surging at the end of last week, the dollar is consolidating today. Stepped up verbal intervention by Japan's currency chief Kanda and a slightly weaker dollar fix by the PBOC seemed to take the wind from the dollar sails. Except for the Swiss franc and Swedish krona, the G10 currencies are showing a slightly firmer tone. Emerging market currencies are mixed, with central European currencies leading the advancers. The Taiwanese...

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Euro’s Recovery to $1.09 Looks Vulnerable while Yen Falls to New Lows for the Week After Strong Pay Raises Confirmed

At the end of last week, the derivatives market was again pricing in nearly four Fed cuts this year, but this week's data have seen expectations re-converge with the Fed's three rate cuts signaled in December, while cutting the odds of June hike to the lowest in the more than four months.

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Becalmed FX Market doesn’t Conceal the Greenback’s Strength

Overview: The foreign exchange market is becalmed today, with most of the major pairs trading in narrow ranges. The economic calendar is light and the North American session features benchmark revisions in US CPI and Canada's January employment figures. The US quarterly refunding supply has been absorbed without much fanfare. The dollar-bloc currencies and the Norwegian krone are firmer today. A bank forecast that the central bank will hike rates...

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USD Looks Oversold on Intraday Basis Ahead of a Possible Risk-Off North American Session

Overview:  The US dollar is trading lower against most currencies, but the intraday momentum indicators are stretched, suggesting the selling pressure may not be sustained through in North America today. December US personal income and consumption data was contained in yesterday's Q4 23 GDP data, but the market want to see the monthly print, which is expected to see the core measure ease with the headline rate flat. Tokyo's January CPI was much...

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Attention turns to Lagarde’s Press Conference and US Q4 GDP

Overview: The US dollar is trading mostly quietly in narrow ranges against the G10 currencies ahead of the ECB's President Lagarde's press conference at the conclusion of the policy meeting and the first estimate of Q4 US GDP. With elevated price pressures, Norway's central bank left rates steady and reiterated its signal that rates will remain high for some time, and this has lifted the krone by about 0.5% to leader the major currencies. Most of...

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Dollar Rally Pauses, but Fuel from Interest Rate Adjustment may not be Complete

Overview: This week's dollar surge is consolidating today. Interest rates have steadied, but the adjustment, which involves pushing the first rate from March toward June does not appear complete. This suggests the dollar's recovery from last November-December's sell-off may not be complete either. Today, though, it is a little firmer against all the G10 currencies but the Swiss franc. Most emerging market currencies are also trading with a slightly...

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Fed to Express More Confidence that Policy is Sufficiently Restrictive Despite the Easing of Financial Conditions

Commentary will resume with a 2024 outlook on December 29. Overview: The dollar is trading with a firmer bias today ahead of the outcome of the FOMC meeting. Standing pat for two meetings was framed as a pause, but given the decline in price pressures, being unchanged for a third meeting is understood as the end of the historically aggressive tightening cycle. Fed Chair Powell is expected to express greater confidence that policy is sufficiently...

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BOJ Speculation Unwound, Taking the Yen Lower

Overview: The busy week of central bank meetings is off to a mostly slow start. The dollar is narrowly mixed in quiet turnover, except against the Japanese yen. Many participants seemed to exaggerate the risks of a BOJ move next week and dollar continued its recovery that began ahead of the weekend. Among emerging market currencies, central European currencies appear to be aided by the firmer euro. They are resisting the dollar's advance seen...

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