Tag Archive: U.K.

Calmer Markets Ahead of the Weekend

2024-05-24

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2024-05-24

Overview: The dollar is paring yesterday's advance that was spurred by the rise in US rates following the preliminary PMI, which reached its best level in two years. The survey also picked up higher prices. The dollar is in narrow trading ranges but softer against nearly all the G10 currencies today. The Swiss franc and Japanese yen are laggards. Despite a large disappointing miss on UK retail sales, sterling has steadied after falling yesterday...

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After Hawkish FOMC Minutes, the Dollar Comes Back Softer

2024-05-23

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2024-05-23

Overview:  The dollar was aided yesterday by the hawkish FOMC minutes and the backing up of US rates. The greenback has stabilized today and is softer against all the G10 currencies. The stronger eurozone PMI masks divergence between Germany and France but keeps the recovery narrative intact. The dollar's broad gains pressured the yuan, and the PBOC's dollar reference rate was set at its highest since January. Favorable guidance by Nvidia is...

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Powell, PPI, and US Tariff Announcement on China Featured

2024-05-14

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2024-05-14

Overview: The tone in the foreign exchange market today is mostly consolidative. The two notable exceptions are the yen and yuan. Despite higher JGBs yields amid speculation that the BOJ will scale back bond purchases, as it did yesterday, to support the yen, the greenback is at its best level since the suspected intervention. The next important technical area is near JPY157.00. The US is set to announce a new set of tariffs on a wide range of...

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

2024-05-07

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2024-05-07

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...

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Yen Slips, Yuan Jumps, Dollar is Mostly Softer

2024-05-06

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2024-05-06

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...

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Dollar is Softer Ahead of the Employment Report

2024-05-03

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2024-05-03

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...

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Japan Drives Home Message

2024-05-02

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2024-05-02

Overview: The US dollar is mixed, but the spotlight is on the Japanese yen. It appears that with the market challenging Monday's intervention, Japanese officials entered the market shortly after the US equity market closed yesterday, as the Asia Pacific session got underway and sold dollars again. Initial estimates suggest the intervention amount was two-thirds of Monday's. The timing caught the markets wrongfooted. Tokyo markets are closed Friday...

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Dollar Consolidates Softer Ahead of Tomorrow’s CPI

2024-04-09

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2024-04-09

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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US Employment Data to Set Dollar’s Course

2024-04-05

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2024-04-05

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...

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Greenback Losses Extended, but Look for Consolidation in North America

2024-04-04

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2024-04-04

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...

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CNY7.20 Gives Way as Strong Greenback Proves Too Much

2024-03-22

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2024-03-22

Overview: The dollar's post-FOMC sell-off has been completely reversed and the greenback has reached new highs for the week against most of the G10 currencies. Heightened intervention fears and softer US yields has helped steady the yen, which near unchanged now, and is the best performer. The Scandis and Antipodeans are the heaviest, off 0.65%-0.90%. For the first time since last November, the US dollar has risen above CNY7.20 and continued to...

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Market Hears a Dovish Fed and Sells the Greenback

2024-03-21

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2024-03-21

Overview:  The Federal Reserve triggered a dollar sell-off yesterday and follow-through selling was seen in Asia before profit-taking emerged. That created a new dollar selling opportunity in early European turnover. The FOMC revised up this year's growth forecast, shaved the unemployment projection, and while maintaining the PCE deflator forecast, and the median dot remained for three cuts this year. The soft-landing scenario was underscored and...

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Dollar Extends Gains Against the Yen but Broadly Firmer Ahead of the FOMC

2024-03-20

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2024-03-20

Overview: The US dollar remains bid ahead of the outcome of today's FOMC meeting. No change in policy is expected, but the forward guidance, partly delivered in the updated projections, is the focus. In the last iteration (December), the Fed "dot" was for three rate cuts this year. Japanese markets were closed for a national holiday today but dollar's gains against the yen have been extended and the greenback is nearing the peak seen in...

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

2024-03-19

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2024-03-19

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.

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Consolidation Featured Ahead of Tomorrow’s US Retail Sales and Friday’s Japanese Wage News

2024-03-13

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2024-03-13

Overview: We came into this week expecting the dollar to rise on the back of a recovery in rates. The two-year note has risen from 4.40% after the jobs report to 4.60%. The dollar's rise has been less impressive.

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Ueda’s Comments Weigh on Yen as the Market Awaits US CPI

2024-03-12

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2024-03-12

Overview: The US CPI has become one of the most important high-frequency economic reports for the capital markets. The dollar is going into the report narrowly mixed against the G10 currencies. Comments by BOJ Governor Ueda about the weakness in consumption of non-durable goods was seen by some as reducing the likelihood of a change in policy next week.

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Forex Becalmed with the Greenback Mostly Firmer in Narrow Ranges

2024-03-05

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2024-03-05

(Business trip will interrupt the commentary over the next few days.  Check out the March monthly here.  Back with the Week Ahead on March 9. May have some comments on X @marcmakingsense.) Overview: Outside of the Australian and New Zealand dollars, which are off by 0.20%-0.25%, the other G10 currencies are little changed and mostly softer in narrow ranges. A firm Tokyo CPI, mostly on base effects and softer rates helped keep the US dollar below...

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

2024-03-04

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2024-03-04

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.

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While the Greenback has Tended to be Sold in Asia this Week, it has Recovered in North America

2024-02-23

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2024-02-23

Overview: Amid a light news stream, the dollar is mostly in narrow ranges against the G10 currencies. Leaving aside the Norwegian krone, the others in a +/- 0.15% against the dollar today. We note that the technical tone of the euro and sterling have improved withe the five-day moving averages crossing above the 20-day moving averages. On the other hand, the dollar is approaching the year's low set last week near JPY150.90. Emerging market...

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Risk On, Dollar Sold

2024-02-22

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2024-02-22

Overview: The post-close rally in US tech stocks after Nvidia's earnings has fueled risk-on activity today. The Nikkei closed at record highs with a 2.2% rally. China's CSI rose for the eighth consecutive session as official discourage sales at the open and close, and short sales in general. Europe's Stoxx 600 is up more than 0.5% to recoup the small losses seen in the last two sessions. US indices are poised to gap higher at the open. Benchmark...

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