The discussions are said to have moved to sorting out the key technical details, in a sign that the SEC may soon approve Bitcoin ETFs. That being said, there are still sticking points namely whether issuers will create a cash or an „in-kind“ settlement mechanism, the sources said.

For now, the SEC has declined to comment publicly on the matter as you would expect. But as can be seen from the optimism in Bitcoin as of late, there is growing hope of a positive outcome priced in already.

This article was written by Justin Low at www.forexlive.com.

Yesterday, the Dow Jones had a negative day as the US ADP data
missed expectations which might have weighed on the sentiment heading into the
NFP report tomorrow. There might also be a general profit taking ahead of the
NFP data and the FOMC rate decision next week as the market might want some new
strong catalyst to make new highs. In the bigger picture, the market generally
peaks when the labour market weakens, and the unemployment rate starts to rise
steadily, so the bulls should be very careful heading into the 2024.

Dow Jones Technical
Analysis – Daily Timeframe

On the daily chart, we can see that the Dow Jones didn’t
do much in the first half of week as it got stuck in a consolidation. Yesterday
we got a negative day as the miss in the US ADP might have weighed on the
sentiment heading into the NFP tomorrow. In case we get a pullback from here,
the buyers should lean on the previous cycle high at 35683, while the sellers
will want to see the price breaking lower to pile in and extend the drop into
the 34150 support.

Dow Jones Technical
Analysis – 4 hour Timeframe

On the 4 hour chart, we can see that on
this timeframe the buyers will also find the red 21 moving average for confluence around
the previous cycle high. This should make the level even more important as a
break lower will increase the chances of a selloff into the 34150 support,
which is also going to be the last line of defence for the buyers.

Dow Jones Technical
Analysis – 1 hour Timeframe

On the 1 hour chart, we can see the
consolidation highlighted by the blue box. A break to the upside is likely to
lead to an extension into the all-time high at 36944, while a break to the
downside will give us the pullback into the key 35683 level. We can also notice
that the Dow Jones has been diverging with
the MACD since
the break above the 34150 resistance. This is generally a sign of weakening
momentum often followed by pullbacks or reversals, so the buyers should be
extra careful going forward, especially given the weakening labour market.

Upcoming Events

Today we get the latest US Jobless Claims figures
where the market will want to see how fast the US labour market is weakening.
Tomorrow, we conclude the week with the US NFP report which is going to be a
big market moving event.

This article was written by FL Contributors at www.forexlive.com.

There’s no stopping the Japanese yen today as it seems like those who were short i.e. long USD/JPY over the last few months, are all jumping ship. I find it hard to fathom that Ueda’s remarks earlier today can be that big of a catalyst. However, it is perhaps a trigger point coupled with a break in the technicals in USD/JPY as well as catching up to the big plunge in Treasury yields recently:

We’ve known for about a month or two now that the BOJ has kicked the can down the road to March to April next year on any real hints of a policy shift. They kept alluding to the spring wage negotiations next year and that is still the same rhetoric that Ueda has mentioned today, even if he did open up more communication on exiting the current ultra easy policy.

I’d say that this is more of the fact that yen shorts have given up hope for a return to the trend that has prevailed for the majority of this year. The trade in the yen now is whether or not the BOJ will follow through after the wages outcome and traders are convinced that they very well might.

As such, this looks to be a case of yen shorts bailing and that is exacerbating the fall in yen pairs today. The technical break from the end of last week (USD/JPY falling below the 100-day moving average) and the heavy decline in Treasury yields were already key factors but it would seem now, the BOJ is giving traders a reason to go running.

This article was written by Justin Low at www.forexlive.com.

• GDP 0.0% vs +0.1% y/y second estimate

Euro area GDP is confirmed to see a marginal contraction in Q3. Looking at the breakdown, household consumption contributed +0.2% with government final expenditure contributing +0.1% on the quarter. This was offset by changes in inventories, which was -0.3%, while there were negligible contributions from gross fixed capital formation and external balance.

This article was written by Justin Low at www.forexlive.com.

USD/JPY is down 1.4% to 145.30 currently with the low earlier briefly touching 145.05 in European trading. The drive lower owes to BOJ governor Ueda’s remarks from Asia trading before he went on to align with Tokyo to pin down the spring wage negotiations as the potential turning point on policy here. Other dollar pairs are little changed as all the action has been in the Japanese yen instead:

As you can see, other major currencies are also seeing losses around 1.3% to 1.5% against the yen as well currently.

I reckon this might be a bit of a precursor as to what traders might be looking for in Q1 next year. But the real question is, will be the BOJ actually follow through on that? Yen longs might be starting to build up as early as now, hoping for that. However, the negative carry is still something that I’d be mindful about if you want to stay structurally long in the Japanese currency. It can be a rather painful one.

And not to mention, there is still the risk of the BOJ not following through and not using the stronger wages outcome to conduct a policy pivot. I mean, that was already supposed to be the narrative this year when Ueda took over. And look where we are now.

This article was written by Justin Low at www.forexlive.com.