ForexLive European FX news wrap: Dollar rallies on higher yields, RBA continues rate pause 0 (0)

Headlines:

Markets:

  • USD leads, AUD lags on the day
  • European equities lower; S&P 500 futures down 0.2%
  • US 10-year yields up 5.5 bps to 4.228%
  • Gold down 0.4% to $1,930.52
  • WTI crude down 0.3% to $85.26
  • Bitcoin down 0.4% to $25,738

The return of the bond market, or more specifically Treasuries, from the long weekend was the key driver across broader markets today. Higher yields are once again the talk of the day, carrying over the sudden turn in the mood on Friday after the US jobs report.

That is helping to bid up the dollar while weighing on the general risk mood. The greenback was bid across the board and all through European trading, continuing the momentum from Friday.

EUR/USD moved down from 1.0780 to 1.0730, its lowest levels since June, while GBP/USD also declined from 1.2620 to 1.2530 before holding around 1.2540-50 levels now. Amid higher bond yields, USD/JPY is trading up near the highs for the year in a push back above the 147.00 mark.

Meanwhile, the antipodeans are the ones beaten down the most due to a couple of factors at play today. At first, China worries weighed on the aussie with AUD/USD down to around 0.6425. Then, the RBA left the cash rate unchanged for a third straight meeting and the extended pause alongside a bid in the dollar carried AUD/USD all the way down to 0.6360 and is trading thereabouts now.

NZD/USD is also down over 1% to 0.5865 currently, as a more cautious risk mood is also not helping with sentiment for commodity currencies.

Things were shaping up much rougher for stocks early in Europe but they have pared losses a fair bit. That said, with the bond market at the wheel, higher yields could yet bite at equities again later in US trading.

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

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Equities pare some of its earlier drop but the bond market remains the one to watch 0 (0)

The good news for stocks is that the rough start to the session has abated somewhat. Here’s the snapshot of the equities space currently:

  • Eurostoxx -0.1%
  • Germany DAX -0.1%
  • France CAC 40 -0.3%
  • UK FTSE +0.1%
  • S&P 500 futures -0.1%
  • Nasdaq futures -0.2%
  • Dow futures flat

The bad news is that bond yields are continuing to hold higher, carrying over the momentum from Friday last week. It was a US holiday yesterday but with the return of Treasuries trading today, it could yet trigger some cautious tones in equities as yields hold on the higher side later.

For now, the FX market has already responded with the dollar finding bids all across the board. We’ll see if stocks will also turn later or if dip buyers can somehow find the appetite to keep their cool.

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

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USD/JPY closes in on the highs for the year, building from the Friday rebound 0 (0)

After the US jobs report on Friday, it looked like USD/JPY was set for a break lower in a drop below the 145.00 mark. However, a major turnaround in the bond market helped to drive yields higher and was a saviour for USD/JPY buyers. The pair closed higher at the end of last week above 146.00 and is now in the hunt for a third straight day of gains.

This comes as Treasury yields are once again pushing higher, with the bond market returning to play after the long weekend. 10-year yields are up 5.1 bps to 4.224% currently and that is underpinning USD/JPY especially as the dollar itself is strongly bid across the board.

The pair is now closing in on the highs for the year with plenty of breathing room still from 145.00 to 150.00 at least from a technical perspective.

What is perhaps also helping buyers feel more confident is the lack of pushback from Japanese officials as of late. They’re not really attempting to jawbone the yen, so that does free up some room to maneuver as bond yields continue to track higher.

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

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AUDUSD Technical Analysis – Watch this key support 0 (0)

US:

  • The Fed hiked by 25 bps as
    expected and kept everything unchanged at the last meeting.
  • Fed Chair Powell reaffirmed their data dependency
    and kept all the options on the table.
  • Inflation measures
    since then showed further disinflation.
  • The labour market
    displayed signs of softening although it remains fairly tight.
  • Overall, the economic data started to surprise to
    the downside lately.
  • The Fed members are leaning more towards a pause
    rather than another rate hike.
  • The market doesn’t expect the Fed to hike anymore.

Australia:

  • The
    RBA kept its cash rate unchanged as widely expected as they are
    seeing signs that the economy is indeed slowing and that will help to return
    inflation back to target.
  • The
    data is supporting the RBA’s stance as the Australian jobs, wages and inflation data all missed expectations
    lately.
  • The
    Australian PMIs also missed expectations remaining
    in contraction.
  • The
    market expects the RBA to hold rates steady at the next meeting as well.

AUDUSD Technical Analysis –
Daily Timeframe

On the daily chart, we can see that today the
AUDUSD pair sold off as the Chinese Services PMI missed expectations by a big
margin. The RBA also seems to be done with their tightening cycle, so there’s
not much support for the AUD on the fundamentals side, while there’s support
for the USD as a safe haven currency. The pair is now at the previous lows, and
we might see a bounce as we await the US data next. The bearish trend
nonetheless remains intact and the target for the sellers is the 0.6168 level.

AUDUSD Technical Analysis –
4 hour Timeframe

On the 4 hour chart, we can see that we’ve been
ranging between the 0.6370 support and the
0.6500 resistance. The last week it seemed like the pair could at least correct
into the 0.6616 level as China stepped up support for the economy and the US
data missed expectations, but fears of a bigger global slowdown are likely
prevailing. A break below the support should see more sellers piling in and
extend the drop into the 0.6168 level.

AUDUSD Technical Analysis –
1 hour Timeframe

On the 1 hour chart, we can see that the
price is now overextended as depicted by the distance from the blue 8 moving average. In
such instances, we can see the price pulling back into the moving average or
consolidate before the next move. The buyers are likely to step in here with a
defined risk below the support to target the 0.66 handle. The sellers, on the
other hand, will want to see the price breaking lower to pile in even more and
target new lows.

Upcoming Events

This week is a bit empty on the data front with just the
US ISM Services PMI tomorrow and the US Jobless Claims on Thursday being the
main highlights. The market pricing is unlikely to change unless the data comes
in really hot in which case, we should see the US Dollar strengthening. On the
other hand, weaker readings might just bring forward rate cuts expectations and
weigh on the greenback in the short term.

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

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GBPUSD Technical Analysis – The sellers remain in control 0 (0)

US:

  • The Fed hiked by 25 bps as
    expected and kept everything unchanged at the last meeting.
  • Fed Chair Powell reaffirmed their data dependency
    and kept all the options on the table.
  • Inflation measures
    since then showed further disinflation.
  • The labour market
    displayed signs of softening although it remains fairly tight.
  • Overall, the economic data started to surprise to
    the downside lately.
  • The Fed members are leaning more towards a pause
    rather than another rate hike.
  • The market doesn’t expect the Fed to hike anymore.

UK:

  • The BoE hiked by 25 bps as expected at the last meeting.
  • The central bank seems to be leaning
    more on the less hawkish side as a key line in the statement was tweaked to
    indicate the propensity for a “higher for longer” stance rather than keeping
    with additional rate hikes.
  • Recent key economic data like the
    latest employment report showed even more wage growth
    despite the unemployment rate ticking higher again, and the UK CPI beat expectations pointing to stagflation.
  • The UK PMIs missed expectations across the board with the
    Services sector plunging into contraction.
  • The market expects the BoE to hike
    by 25 bps at the upcoming meeting.

GBPUSD Technical Analysis –
Daily Timeframe

On the daily chart, we can see that GBPUSD seems to
be bottoming out around the key support at
1.2593 level. The bias is still bearish though as the price has been printing
lower lows and lower highs and the moving averages are
crossed to the downside. Nevertheless, the buyers should be leaning on this
support with a defined risk below it to target the 1.3141 high. The sellers, on
other hand, are likely to lean again on the red 21 moving average to position
for a break below the support zone.

GBPUSD Technical Analysis –
4 hour Timeframe

On the 4 hour chart, we can see that the price
recently got rejected from the downward trendline and a
previous swing level, but the buyers keep on defending the support zone. A
break above the trendline should open the door for more upside with the buyers
targeting the 1.28 resistance first and eventually a breakout.

GBPUSD Technical Analysis –
1 hour Timeframe

On the 1 hour chart, we can see that GBPUSD
broke below the support again and set a new low. The sellers are firmly in
control, but the price is now overextended as depicted by the distance from the
blue 8 moving average. In such instances, we can generally see a pullback into
the moving average or some consolidation before the next move. If the price
pulls back into the previous swing low around the 1.2580 level, we can expect
the sellers to pile in with a defined risk above the level to target a new
lower low. The buyers, on the other hand, will need the price to break above
the last swing high around the 1.2640 to start positioning for more upside.

Upcoming Events

This week is a bit empty on the data front with just the
US ISM Services PMI tomorrow and the US Jobless Claims on Thursday being the
main highlights. The market pricing is unlikely to change unless the data comes
in really hot in which case, we should see the US Dollar strengthening. On the
other hand, weaker readings might just bring forward rate cuts expectations and
weigh on the greenback in the short term.

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

Go to Forexlive