GBP gets a boost from retail sales

by Quantum Trading Comment Closed
GBP Gets a Boost from Retail Sales GBP gets a boost from strong retail sales data. Positive figures signal consumer spending strength. This supports economic growth expectations. Traders see it as bullish for the pound. UK retail sales have given GBP a real boost higher & it's occupying six top spots on the currency matrix. Number was a great improvement & market has temporarily forgotten the negative CPI number. What's interesting is at 8.00 am at the London open, there was a huge buy of cable off an important order board level at 1.5520 with retail sales then just adding the momentum. Cable is also benefiting from USD pull back from its recent bullish move higher. The 4hr currency strength indicator is particularly revealing as the USD has been overbought for some time, but is now moving lower. The move higher in the London session has now tested the VPOC level on the daily chart, and we are waiting to see if this afternoon's...
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USD now moving into overbought on the 4 hour chart

by Quantum Trading Comment Closed
Without wishing to downgrade this evening's FOMC minutes, which will no doubt result in the usual volatile market moves, stop hunting & general shenanigans, the main FED event takes places on Friday at 6.00 pm London time. This is when Janet Yellen is due to give an important speech about the US economic outlook, and so one to watch. Meantime USD strength has continued overnight across the majors and into this morning, with German PPI helping to give the eurodollar a shove lower. Other items of note this morning include the MPC (Monetary Policy Committee) of the BOE playing their standard formation (football parlance) of 0-0-9. In other words 9 defenders, no midfield & no strikers. For FED watchers FOMC Member Evans has been speaking in Munich and has been simply repeating his call for a delay in raising interest rates. No moves expected as he is re-iterating his well known stance as a dove. This is why we need to know where...
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More selling of the US dollar

by Quantum Trading Comment Closed
More Selling of the US Dollar More selling of the US dollar continues across pairs. Bearish pressure builds steadily. This reflects shifting sentiment. Traders watch for continuation or exhaustion. Despite it being a holiday across most of Europe for Ascension Day - it's quite lively out there at the moment. We've also just had an unscheduled comments from Mark Carney (not shown on Forex Factory), but came up on Forex Live feed. Greek Fin Min Varoufakis also speaking & even mentioning the word 'reform'. Meanwhile on the charts it's been more selling of USD which is propelling euro & gbp higher with volatility candles on faster time frames. For cable 1.5788 is a key level being tested up to and including the daily chart. Have reading how a lot of traders are looking to short cable since it went over 1.5550, but it's just not co-operating & the principle reason is the USD which continues to be sold off. It's only in the EUR/GBP...
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Aussie dollar and the AUD/NZD the ones to watch

by Quantum Trading Comment Closed
Aussie Dollar and the AUD/NZD the Ones to Watch The Aussie dollar and AUD/NZD are the ones to watch right now. AUD shows relative strength. This cross pair highlights relational dynamics. Traders spot opportunities in commodity currencies. Here in UK election day is almost here & we can expect reactions as soon as the exit polls start posting as well as the actual results. Heaven only knows what is going to happen. So far GBP has been fairly well behaved - moving more as a result of USD & EUR. Meanwhile in Asia - AUD has employment data to contend with. On 4hr CSI we have seen the AUD pull back & is also showing the NZD as hugely oversold, but as mentioned many times before a currency can stay stubbornly over stretched for a considerable time. And in the case of the Kiwi where it is still falling on the weekly and daily charts it is likely to stay down on the...
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Euro oversold in all timeframes on currency strength indicator

by Quantum Trading Comment Closed
Ahead of the German ZEW data this morning, markets are positioning for a move in the euro dollar, with the euro now heavily oversold and the US dollar equally over bought in the faster timeframes. Using the currency strength indicator in multiple timeframes provides a fast and visual picture of currency strength and weakness, with the euro (the gold line) now deeply oversold from the the 5 minute to the 30 minute timeframe, and preparing to reverse the longer term bearish sentiment ahead of the news. Apart from the ZEW, the only other ongoing euro news is of course Greece which continues to weigh on the single currency. Finally remember that any market or currency can remain over extended for some time, and as always patience is the key coupled with the price action on the charts. The currency strength indicator is always the starting point to identify potential strength and weakness in an individual currency. Then it's time to consider...
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Bearish tone for GBP/USD continues in early trading

by Quantum Trading Comment Closed
As the markets get under way in London this morning, and with a relatively thin day for fundamental news, the US dollar is once again advancing on the fast time frame charts and providing some excellent intraday scalping opportunities across the currency majors. Both the British pound and the euro have been selling off sharply against the US dollar, with the currency strength indicator on the 15 minute timeframe showing the US dollar, the red line rising firmly and moving towards the overbought region, with the euro (orange) and the pound (yellow) both moving strongly lower along with the Swiss franc (green). The chart alongside is of the GBP/USD in a slightly slower time frame (30m) and reflecting the current bearish sentiment at present for this pair, with the Trend Monitor at the bottom of the chart remaining firmly red, with the current volume rising, and confirming the current move lower. In addition, Cable is now breaking below the recent platform...
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Cable very bearish on the longer term charts

by Quantum Trading Comment Closed
Ahead of the manufacturing production number the British pound has been particularly lively in the past couple of hours with 6 volatility candles alone being triggered on Cable on the 3 min chart. For Cable, yesterday's rally which saw the pair bounce off support in the 1.4760 region was a move more akin to a 'dead cat bounce' as once the pair hit the major resistance at 1.4840 at the start of the US session opened the floodgates for some heavy duty selling. This took cable down 1.4684 before it finally managed to find some support as the market moved into Asia. A number of reasons have been suggested for this move, including the tensions and uncertainty surrounding the upcoming UK election, and as highlighted yesterday, we are seeing a major sell off in UK gilts. In the face of such uncertainty It appears foreign investors would much rather move their money into US Treasuries and Asia, and Japanese investors in particular...
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Another great trade on the EUR/AUD

by Quantum Trading Comment Closed
It's been another great day's trading on the EUR/AUD, which has continued the bearish tone from yesterday, following the RBA statement and a decision to keep interest rates on hold for the time being. The 60 minute chart has delivered a consistent trend today with the pair moving through the platform of support in the 1.4125 region and as defined with the accumulation and distribution indicator. The trend monitor at the bottom of the chart continues to confirm the bearish tone, supported by the trend dots indicator. Early this afternoon the wide spread down candle saw the pair close at 1.4016 on very high volume, and confirming the current bearish tone for the pair. To the left of the chart, the Quantum currency strength indicator confirms the technical picture, with the euro (the orange line) now deep in oversold territory, and with the Aussie dollar (the blue line) continuing to rise deep into the overbought region. A great trade on this...
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Terrific trend on the EUR/AUD this morning

by Quantum Trading Comment Closed
Terrific Trend on the EUR/AUD This Morning A terrific trend unfolded on EUR/AUD this morning. This cross pair delivered strong momentum. Price moved steadily higher. The London session amplified it. Traders spotted clear opportunities. In this morning's forex trading session with Anna and David, one of the currency pairs they focused on was the EUR/AUD, which was the strongest-performing currency pair in the currency matrix. The 60-minute currency strength indicator confirmed the longer-term position, with the euro (the orange line) climbing strongly towards the overbought region on the indicator, with the Aussie dollar ( the blue line) moving firmly towards the oversold region in this timeframe. The 5-minute chart alongside reflects the trend, with the trend monitor maintaining the bullish picture, and only moving into a transitional colour during the minor congestion periods. The trend monitor sister indicator, the trend dots, completes the picture and highlights these congestion phases in advance. Volumes throughout the move were in agreement and confirming the bullish sentiment for...
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Forex currency strength indicator explained

by Quantum Trading Comment Closed
Question Hi Anna, Firstly, I just wanted to say I've just finished "Forex For Beginners" and I thoroughly enjoyed the book; I found it extremely helpful and useful. Opened my first forex account on Friday of last week. Made some mistakes at first, lacked the discipline to follow my strategy, I think I was a tad over-keen to trade at first. I've just purchased "A Complete Guide to VPA" so I'll start on that tonight. I have a quick question though if you wouldn't mind answering. In Forex for Beginners, you use the Currency Strength Indicator to look for potential indicators of an upcoming reversal. And then from this, you use the currency matrix and analysis to confirm the reversal. I was just wondering if you could use the same strategy to indicate a continuing trend? If this is explained in the book I've just purchased I apologise, I just thought I'd ask. For Example For example, if both the Aus and Usd are...
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