Aussie Dollar Now in Sharp Focus Ahead of Trade Balance
The Aussie dollar is now in sharp focus ahead of Trade Balance data. This release measures exports vs imports. Strong figures boost AUD. Weak ones pressure it. Traders watch closely for commodity currency clues.
If you come along to our forex webinars you will always hear David & I explain the importance of the fundamental news & how easy it is to be ambushed by 'events'. But I must admit so far it's been absolutely relentless & it's only Wednesday! Coming up we have Aussie retail sales & Trade Balance - both very important numbers, and so far it's been a buy of the Aussie except against the euro - a trade we've been following. Of the two releases - the Trade Balance number has been negative since July last year, and whilst February's number was encouraging, coming in at -0.44b against a forecast of -0.85b, the subsequent releases have been dire.
Tonight's...
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...
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...
USD buying has continued into US session, and despite it being a holiday in Canada the USD/CAD has done really well. Question now is how far is USD likely to move higher. The key level is 11,750 on the USDX index which is the support platform which was breached last week & of which we may see a re-test.
Focus overnight is back to AUD & NZD, with a monetary policy statement from the RBA for the first, & inflation expectation for the second. Both AUD/USD and NZD/USD have had a bearish day, although Aussie dollar less so. In addition, whilst we can expect a reaction in both these pairs, we can also expect some interesting moves in the AUD/NZD cross which today has had an 80 pip move to the upside.
Since last Tuesday the pair has traded in a relatively narrow range, 1.0865 to the top & 1.0776 to the bottom, and I do believe the overnight news may be...
USD Weakness Continues to Drive Cable
USD weakness continues to drive Cable higher. GBP/USD rallies steadily. This reflects dollar selling pressure. Traders see bullish momentum in the pound against the greenback.
Cable selling off sharply on the back of poor GDP figure falling to a low of 1.5176, but recovering sharply and back over key support at 1.5220, and with USD continuing to look weak no reason why it cable can't continue higher. It has already touched 1.5260 & beyond this price level we are then looking at 1.53 and beyond.
This afternoon we have the CB consumer confidence release at 2.00 pm London. USD weakness has also played its part in these moves.
USD index is now the one to watch - running into the release and also ahead of tomorrow's FOMC.
Volume Price Analysis Confirmation
Volume price analysis (VPA) confirms the drive. Rising prices with increasing volume show buying conviction. Low volume pullbacks signal weakness in sellers. Quantum currency strength indicator ranks GBP high...
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...
In the run up to any UK news the British pound is often one of the best currencies to consider early in the London trading session, either to position ahead of the news, or to wait until the data has been released. However, this morning the most compelling currency has been the Japanese Yen which is very over stretched across a number of time frames on our currency strength indicator. The result has been a number of potential trades to sell the YEN.
This is the principle way we approach the forex market - focus on a single currency & consider its price behaviour against its counter parties to see which is offering the best opportunity to trade safely and profitably. A sell on the YEN usually denotes positive market sentiment and this morning we have seen some mildly bullish moves in Globex on the NQ & ES indices, confirming this risk on sentiment. The USD/JPY is also ticking higher, giving us additional confidence.
Of...
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...
Impact
Aussie Dollar Strengthens as RBA Keeps Rates on Hold
The Aussie dollar strengthens as RBA keeps rates on hold. This decision often boosts AUD sentiment. Steady policy signals economic stability. Traders see it as supportive for commodity currencies.
The main focus overnight was in Australia with the RBA deciding to hold the current cash rate at 2.25%, with no cut. This decision was against the backdrop of declining commodity prices and a slowdown in China with many expecting the rate to be cut to 2.00%. As a result the Aussie dollar strengthened on the news against many of the major currencies, with another nice move on the EUR/AUD on the 15 minute chart.
Quantum Indicators
The Quantum accumulation and distribution indicator initially defined the support and resistance region with the 1.4360 being the key level of support and a region that had been tested on several occasions prior to the news. The bearish sentiment was confirmed with the trend monitor to the bottom...
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