EUR/USD consolidates in low 1.0700s as traders eye this week’s ECB meeting/US CPI

EUR/USD is trading in calm fashion in the low 1.0700s as traders eye this week’s ECB meeting and US CPI.

A hawkish ECB/easing of US price pressures combo could see the pair push above 1.0800.

EUR/USD is trading just north of flat in the 1.0725 area, in quiet trade ahead of what will ultimately be a busy week for the pair. The European Central Bank (ECB) announces policy in June and is expected to solidify expectations for interest rates going positive by the end of Q3, with traders set to scrutinise President Christine Lagarde’s tone on the prospect of further tightening as markets guage the outlook for 2023. Meanwhile, US Consumer Price Inflation data for May is set for release on Friday and could impact expectations for Fed policy.

But the first three days of the week are set to be much quieter in terms of central bank events and economic data, meaning EUR/USD is likely to take its cue more from things like risk sentiment/geopolitical developments etc. That would suggest that the pair may well remain stuck within recent low-1.0600s to upper-1.0700s ranges, with the 50-Day Moving Average likely to act as a magnet, as has more or less been the case over the past few days.

Some strategists think that the case for a push above 1.0800 and to its highest levels since mid-April is on the cards for EUR/USD later this week/next week, should the ECB come across as hawkish and US inflation show signs of easing. On the latter, growing momentum behind the peak US inflation narrative and, thus, peak Fed hawkishness, has been a major driver of the recent rebound from last month’s lows under 1.0400.

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📕 Comment on Gold on June 3, 2022:

 

📕 Comment on Gold on June 3, 2022:

 - In yesterday's session, precious metal Gold went right with the analysis trend when it bounced up from 1844 to 1870 ($26) and closed the day session with a bullish candle around 1868. The strength of the tree.  Yesterday's candle was the strongest in the past 9 sessions.  Therefore, in my opinion, the possibility of Gold will continue to increase in today's session.

 - Switch to the H4 time frame, the nearest support area for this precious metal is around 1863-1867.  Here we can refer to buying with a safe target below 1874 and above 1880.

📕 Comment on Gold on April 29, 2022:

 📕 Comment on Gold on April 29, 2022:

 - In yesterday's trading session, after precious metal fell to 1871, Gold rallied strongly to 1896 ($25), closed the day session with a bull pusher and in the early morning of this day Gold continued to rise.  up to around 1905. With the current showing of good upward momentum, my view will be to prioritize the bullish option for this precious metal.

 - On the H4 time frame, bullish force also prevails and the nearest support area for this precious metal is around 1895-1898, Here we can establish a buy position with a safe target around the threshold.  1910-1915.

USD/CHF pares intraday gains to fresh YTD peak, downside seems limited amid stronger USD

 

• USD/CHF jumped to a fresh YTD peak on Wednesday amid the prevalent USD buying interest.
• Bets for aggressive Fed rate hikes, a bleak global economic outlook continued boosting the USD.
• The risk-on impulse could undermine the safe-haven CHF and supports prospects for further gains.

The USD/CHF pair retreated a few pips from its highest level since May 2020 touched during the first half of the European session and was last seen trading just below the mid-0.9600s.

The pair prolonged its recent strong bullish run witnessed since the beginning of this month and gained follow-through traction for the fifth successive day on Wednesday. The momentum was sponsored by sustained buying around the US dollar, which climbed to a more than two-year peak amid the prospects for a more aggressive policy tightening by the Fed.

Investors now expect the Fed to raise interest rates by 50 bps at each of its next four meetings in May, June, July and September. The bets were reaffirmed by the recent hawkish comments by influential FOMC members, including Fed Chair Jerome Powell. This, along with the deteriorating global economic outlook, boosted the greenback's reserve currency status.

Expectations for rapid interest rate hikes in the US, prolonged Russia-Ukraine conflict and the latest COVID-19 outbreak in China have raised fears of stalling global growth. Investors now seem worried that Russia could follow through on its threat to halt gas flows to countries that refuse to pay for fuel in roubles and cut off supplies to Europe.

That said, extremely overbought conditions held back traders from placing fresh bullish bets and kept a lid on any further gains for the USD/CHF pair, at least for now. The intraday bias, however, remains tilted in favour of bulls amid the prevalent strong bullish sentiment surrounding the USD and the risk-on impulse, which tends to undermine the safe-haven Swiss franc.

Market participants now look forward to second-tier US economic releases for some impetus later during the early North American session. The data, along with Fed rate hike expectations, would influence the USD price dynamics. Traders will further take cues from the broader market risk sentiment to grab some short-term opportunities around the USD/CHF pair.

📕 Comment on Gold on April 20, 2022:

📕 Comment on Gold on April 20, 2022:

 - In yesterday's trading session, precious metal Gold had one day of decline from 1981 to 1943 ($38), closing the day session with a strong bearish candle around 1949. Gold has returned.  back to the upper boundary of the previous sideways range.  With Gold approaching this support zone, I think it's likely that Gold will have a rebound in the early trading session today.

 - On the H4 chart, Gold may recover to around the threshold of 1950-1951 and is expected to rise around the threshold of 1962-1965.  Here, there is a high possibility that Gold will face selling pressure and drop again.

EUR/USD Price Analysis: Extra pullbacks seen below 1.0800

 

• EUR/USD fades the initial move north of 1.0900.
• Recent lows around 1.0800 emerge as the next contention area.

EUR/USD fades the pre-ECB uptick to the 1.0920 zone on Thursday.

In light of the ongoing price action, extra losses in the pair remain in the pipeline in the short-term horizon. Against that, a break below the so far monthly low at 1.0808 (April 14 should pave the way for a quick visit to the 2022 low at 1.0805 (March 7) before the May 2020 low at 1.0766 (May 7).

While below the 200-day SMA, today at 1.1440, the outlook for the pair is expected to remain negative

precious metal Gold bounced up to 1936.

 

Comment on Gold on 05/04/2022:

- In yesterday's trading session, after falling to the 1915 price zone, precious metal Gold bounced up to 1936. Yesterday's session closed with a rising green candle, but this increase was insignificant and according to Gold will continue to move sideways in the range of 1938-1915.

- My personal view in today's trading session is biased towards #sell. We can sell short at the upper edge of the 1930-1937 flat zone with a safe target around 1915-1920. Here we liquidate the order and wait for the signal. I will update later when there is a buying rhythm.

GBP/USD eyes break below 1.3100 and towards key support amid buoyant buck

 

• GBP/USD is trading with a downside bias as the euro underperforms and 21DMA continues to act as a ceiling.
• A break lower to test last week’s 1.3050 lows looks on the cards, with bears also eyeing 1.3000 annual lows.
• Following hawkish Fed commentary over the weekend and ahead of possibly more this week, USD risks are tilted higher.

In a relatively tame start to the week for currency markets, GBP/USD is trading with a downside bias and is currently threatening a downside break of the 1.3100 level. Sterling is likely weighed by underperformance in its cross-English Channel peer the euro, which is underperforming ahead of the resumption of Russo-Ukraine peace talks later in the session and amid further chatter about a possible EU embargo on Russian energy imports. Commentary from BoE policymakers on Monday did not stray into the territory of monetary policy and thus hasn’t impacted cable, which probed last Friday’s lows in the 1.3080s earlier in the session and is eyeing a break lower towards last week’s lows around 1.3050.

“Despite much focus on the heaviest cost of living rise since British records began (1950s), the market still prices the BoE Bank Rate at 2.20% at the December meeting later this year,” noted analysts at ING. “That pricing of the BoE cycle is likely keeping GBP relatively well bid, although we do think the risks are growing of Cable breaking down to the $1.25/28 area over coming months,” they warn. Amid a light UK data schedule this week, the risks posed to GBP from fears of a weakening UK economy likely won’t be the major market focus.

 USD/JPY flirts with daily high, around 122.70-122.75 region post-US NFP report

• USD/JPY regained positive traction on Friday and snapped three successive days of the losing streak.
• The risk-on mood, the Fed-BoJ policy divergence weighed on the JPY and continued lending support.
• Elevated US bond yields, mostly upbeat US NFP data underpinned the USD and favours bullish traders.

The USD/JPY pair held on to its intraday gains, above the mid-122.00s through the early North American session and had a rather muted reaction to the US monthly jobs report.

The headline NFP print showed that the US economy added 431K jobs in March as against 490K expected, though the disappointment was offset by an upward revision of the previous month's reading to 750K. Additional details revealed that the unemployment rate dropped to 3.6% from 3.8% in February and Average Hourly Earnings grew 0.4% from the 0.1% previous.

The data reaffirmed market bets that the Fed would hike interest rates by 100 bps over the next two meetings to combat stubbornly high inflation. This was reinforced by elevated US Treasury bond yields, which underpinned the US dollar. On the other hand, the Japanese yen was weighed down by the Bank of Japan's commitment to aggressively defend its 0.25% yield cap.

This, along with a generally positive tone around the equity markets, dented demand for safe-haven JPY and acted as a tailwind for the USD/JPY pair. This marked the first day of a positive move in the previous four and assisted the pair to stall its pullback from levels above the 125.00 psychological mark, or the highest since August 2015 touched earlier this week.

With Friday's key data out of the way, the market focus shifts back to fresh developments surrounding the Russia-Ukraine saga. The incoming headlines will influence the broader market risk sentiment. This, along with the US bond yields and the USD price dynamics, should provide some impetus to the USD/JPY pair and allow traders to grab some short-term opportunities.

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