Hamas says they view US Pres. Biden’s proposal for a cease-fire as positive 0 (0)

  • Views US Pres. Biden’s latest proposal for a cease-fire as a positive statement
  • Affirms its readiness to deal positively with any proposal that offers a permanent cease-fire, complete withdrawal of Israel forces from Gaza, restructuring of the strip, return of displaced and a serious prisoner hostage exchange

Israel does not want to go that far without the complete abolishment of Hamas.

This article was written by Greg Michalowski at www.forexlive.com.

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S&P cuts France to AA- to AA 0 (0)

S&P cuts France credit rating to AA – from AA. They leave the Outlook stable. The downgrade is on deterioration of budgetary position.

  • Says that the downgrade reflects projection that France’s general government debt as a share of GDP will increase
  • he leaves French economy and public finances overall will continue to benefit from structural reforms implemented over the past decade
  • Says that they expect the French economy will pick up from the second half of 2024

This article was written by Greg Michalowski at www.forexlive.com.

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US stocks rebound into the close. 0 (0)

Major indices rallied strongly into the close as month end flows erased earlier declines:

  • Dow rose 574.84 points or 1.51% at 38686.31. The gain was the largest one-day gain since November 2, 2023
  • S&P rose to 42.03 points or 0.80% at 5277.50. At session lows the S&P index was down -43.79 points
  • NASDAQ index fell -2.06 points or -0.01% at 16735.02. At session lows, the NASDAQ index is down -291.54 points

The small-cap Russell 2000 rose 13.52 points or 0.66% at 2070.12.

For the trading week:

  • Dow Industrial Average average fell -0.98%
  • S&P index snapped a 5-week win streak with a decline of -0.51%
  • NASDAQ index set it to five week win streak with a decline of -1.10%

the story was different for the month of May:

  • Dow industrial average rose 2.3%
  • S&P rose 4.8%
  • NASDAQ index rose 6.88%, its largest gain in 2024 and since November 2023
  • Russell 2000 rose 4.87% its largest gain since February 2024

This article was written by Greg Michalowski at www.forexlive.com.

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Highlights for next week: Bank of Canada and ECB are expected to cut rates. US jobs report 0 (0)

Next week two central banks meet and both are expected to cut rates.

  • The Bank of Canada will announce their interest rate decision at 9:45 AM on Wednesday. They are expected to cut their rate to 4.75% from 5.0%. The last policy change was in July 2023 when they raise rates from 4.75% to 5.0%.
  • The ECB is expected to cut their main financing rate to 4.25% from 4.5% at 8:15 AM ET. The last time the ECB changed rates was in September 2023

Other key events and releases next week include:

  • Mon, Jun 3:

    • 9:45 AM ET: USD Final Manufacturing PMI: Forecast 50.9, Previous : 50.9
    • 10 AM ET: USD ISM Manufacturing PMI: Forecast 49.8, Previous: 49.2
  • Tue, Jun 4:

    • 2:30 AM ET: CHF CPI m/m: Forecast 0.4%, Previous: 0.3%
    • 10 AM ET: USD JOLTS Job Openings: Forecast 8.40M, Previous : 8.49M
    • 9:30 PM ET: AUD GDP q/q: Forecast 0.2%, Previous: 0.2%
  • Wed, Jun 5:

    • 8:15 AM ET USD ADP Non-Farm Employment Change:Forecast 175K, Previous: 192K
    • 10 AM ET USD ISM Services PMI: Forecast: 51.0, Previous: 49.4
  • Thu, Jun 6:

    • 8:30 AM ET: USD Unemployment Claims: Forecast 215K, Previous: 219K
  • Fri, Jun 7:

    • 8:30 AM ET: CAD Employment Change: Previous 90.4K
    • 8:30 AM ET: CAD Unemployment Rate: Previous 6.1%
    • 8:30 AM ET: USD Average Hourly Earnings m/m: 0.3%, Previous: 0.2%
    • 8:30 AM ET: USD Non-Farm Employment Forecast: 185K, previous: 175K
    • 8:30 AM ET: USD Unemployment Rate: 3.9%, previous: 3.9%

This article was written by Greg Michalowski at www.forexlive.com.

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The NZD is the strongest and the CHF is the weakest as the NA session begins. 0 (0)

The NZD is the strongest and the CHF is the weakest as the North American session begins. Today at 8:30 AM, the US PCE data will be released for the month of April. The core PCE is the favored inflation measure for the Fed.

Adam previewed the release yesterday (CLICK HERE) that the consensus is +0.3% m/m but it’s on the razor’s edge as all estimates are nearly-evenly split between +0.2% and +0.3% with the average at +0.25%. Take that as downward bias to the headline..

Other inflation numbers to watch:

  • PCE core year-over-year expected at 2.8%, the same as last month
  • PCE expected at 0.3% m/m and 2.7% y/y

The focus is going to be on core and in particularly core services ex-housing but don’t discount the headline number. A reading below 2.7% — and something like 2.5% — starts to look awfully close to target even if lapping some high commodity prices is doing much of the lifting.

Adam posted that

The other half of the report focuses on income and spending. The latest round of comments from Fed officials highlighted strong wage growth as a concern. I think that’s a lagging indicator but it’s worth keeping in mind as incomes are expected up 0.3% m/m. Spending is forecast to keep pace with that at +0.3% but I wonder if the US consumer outperforms yet again.

Overnight, the ECB CPI data came in stronger than expected which helped to push up the EURUSD ahead of the interest rate decision next week:

  • EUR Core CPI Flash Estimate y/y: Actual: 2.9%, Forecast: 2.7%, Previous: 2.7%
  • EUR CPI Flash Estimate y/y: Actual: 2.6%, Forecast: 2.5%, Previous: 2.4%

ECBs Panetta said that the CPI data was neither good nor bad and that policy would still remain restrictive even after several rate cuts.

A snapshot of the other markets as the North American session begins shows

  • Crude oil is trading unchanged at $77.91 . At this time yesterday, the price was at $79.08
  • Gold is trading +$0.64 or 0.03% at $2344.40. At this time yesterday, the price was higher at $2335.46
  • Silver is trading up $0.15 or 0.49% at $31.31. At this time yesterday, the price was at $31.31
  • Bitcoin currently trades at $68,395. At this time yesterday, the price was trading at $67,811
  • Ethereum is trading at $3805.50. At this time yesterday, the price trading at $3736.20

In the premarket, the snapshot of the major indices are lower after yesterday’s declines: The major US indices are on pace for a lower close

  • Dow Industrial Average futures are implying a decline of -9.48 points. Yesterday, the index fell -330.06 point or -0.86% at 38111549
  • S&P futures are implying a decline of -6.98 points. Yesterday, the index fell -31.49 points or -0.60% at 5235.47
  • Nasdaq futures are implying a decline of -49.10 points. Yesterday, the index fell -183.50 points or -1.08% at 16737.08

European stock indices are trading higher today in the US morning snapshot:

  • German DAX, -0.07%
  • France CAC , unchanged
  • UK FTSE 100, +0.44%
  • Spain’s Ibex, -0.10%
  • Italy’s FTSE MIB, +0.15% (delayed 10 minutes).

Shares in the Asian Pacific markets were mostly lower:

  • Japan’s Nikkei 225, +1.14%
  • China’s Shanghai Composite Index, -0.16%
  • Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index, -0.83%
  • Australia S&P/ASX index, +0.96%

Looking at the US debt market, yields are trading lower after yesterday’s sharp moves to the upside. The coupon auctions this week were less than stellar, forcing yield to the upside:

  • 2-year yield 4.941%, +1.2 basis points. At this time yesterday, the yield was at 4.958%
  • 5-year yield 4.579%, +0.9 basis points. At this time yesterday, the yield was at 4.611%
  • 10-year yield 4.556%, +0.2 basis points. At this time yesterday, the yield was at 4.589%
  • 30-year yield 4.683%, -0.2 basis points. At this time yesterday, the yield was at 4.713%

Looking at the treasury yield curve spreads remain in negative territory but moved more toward parity (steeper curve)

  • The 2-10 year spread is at -38.7 basis points. At this time yesterday, the spread was at -36.8 basis points.
  • The 2-30 year spread is at -25.9 basis points. At this time yesterday, the spread was at -24.2 basis points.

In the European debt market yields in the benchmark 10-year yields are higher::

This article was written by Greg Michalowski at www.forexlive.com.

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“The best loser is the long-term winner” 0 (0)

This famous quote by
“Phantom of the Pits” basically covers what trading is all about. The society trains
us from our childhood that we need to do everything right and that we can’t
make mistakes, but that doesn’t work in trading.

Trading is not
about being right, it’s about making money. Mistakes, losses, setbacks are all
part of the process. As traders we can try to minimise them, but we can’t
eliminate them completely from the equation.

You might have
heard another famous saying that goes like “cut your losses short and let your
profits run”. This is another way of saying that when you see that your trades
are not working out as expected, you should walk away from you positions fast.

Conversely, when you
really see the ball, when you know that you are right, you should maximise your
winners by letting your profits run and even increase the position.

Druckenmiller once
said that Soros was the best loss taker he’s ever seen. He didn’t care whether
he was winning or losing on a trade. If a trade didn’t work, he was confident
enough about his ability to win on other trades that he could easily walk away
from the positions. If you’re extremely confident in yourself, taking a loss
doesn’t bother you.

Being the best
loser is all about minimising the losses and deeply accept them as part of the process. This will also keep you in the game for longer and increase your chances of success. Don’t try to flip accounts or become rich quick because 99.99% of the time it ends up in blowups.

This article was written by Giuseppe Dellamotta at www.forexlive.com.

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ForexLive European FX news wrap: Dollar mixed with PCE inflation, month-end in focus 0 (0)

Headlines:

Markets:

  • CAD leads, CHF lags on the day
  • European equities mixed; S&P 500 futures down 0.3%
  • US 10-year yields up 0.6 bps to 4.560%
  • Gold flat at $2,342.98
  • WTI crude down 0.1% to $77.83
  • Bitcoin down 0.4% to $68,180

The dollar is mixed as May trading starts to wind down, though we still have the US PCE price data coming up later.

The greenback is recouping losses against the yen and franc from yesterday but is slightly lower elsewhere. EUR/USD is up 0.1% to 1.0845, helped by a stronger than estimated Eurozone inflation report. Meanwhile, commodity currencies are also higher and that is despite a more sluggish risk mood overall. USD/CAD is down 0.3% to 1.3635 and AUD/USD up 0.2% to 0.6645 on the day.

As for USD/JPY, the pair moved up from 156.80 earlier in the day to 157.30 and is holding thereabouts now. USD/CHF is also seen up 0.3% to 0.9060, after a low of 0.9023 in Asia trading.

In other markets, European indices are looking fairly mixed as US futures are languishing further on the week. The bond market is keeping steadier but it’s all on the US PCE price data and potential month-end trickery next to see how we’re going to finish things this week/month.

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

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NZDUSD Technical Analysis – The price action remains confined in a range 0 (0)

Fundamental
Overview

The USD got a
boost from the strong US Consumer Confidence data which triggered an aggressive rise in long term
Treasury yields. The report however just showed that the labour market remains
resilient which is good news for growth and not necessarily bad news for
inflation. The greenback benefited also from the risk-off sentiment which looks
increasingly likely that it was caused more by the month-end flows rather than
a fundamental driver.

The NZD, on the other hand,
remains supported from the hawkish RBNZ decision where the central bank pushed
further out the timing for a rate cut and even added that they considered a
rate hike. Moreover, the risk-on sentiment is supportive for commodity
currencies like the NZD, so if it this were to continue, we could see even more
gains ahead for the Kiwi.

NZDUSD
Technical Analysis – Daily Timeframe

On the daily chart, we can
see that NZDUSD continues to consolidate in a roughly 60 pips range as traders
await a breakout to get things going. The price recently fell below the trendline
which increased the risk of a bigger correction to the downside, although the
price will need to break below the 0.6080 level to confirm it and see the bearish
momentum increasing. For now, the buyers remain in control with the 0.6218
level being the first target.

NZDUSD Technical
Analysis – 4 hour Timeframe

On the 4 hour chart, we can
see that more clearly the rangebound price action with the latest bounce on the
0.6084 support
as the risk mood improved yesterday with falling Treasury yields. It looks
increasingly likely that the price action of the past couple of days was caused
mainly by month-end flows.

NZDUSD Technical
Analysis – 1 hour Timeframe

On the 1 hour chart, we can
see that we got a breakout recently but all the gains were erased as the risk
sentiment soured. The buyers stepped in again around the support to position
for another breakout and target the 0.6218 level. The sellers, on the other
hand, will likely pile in around the resistance to position for a drop back
into the support and target a break lower. The red lines define the average daily range for today.

Upcoming
Catalysts

Today we conclude the week with the US PCE report. This
report is unlikely to change anything for the Fed as the central bank remains
in a “wait and see” mode. If we get a good report though (or even in line), we
might see the risk-on sentiment coming back. On the other hand, hotter than
expected figures might weigh on the sentiment a bit.

This article was written by Giuseppe Dellamotta at www.forexlive.com.

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USD/JPY looks to settle higher after back and forth week 0 (0)

After some back and forth action, the pair was more or less flat as we got into European trading today. Sellers wrestled back some momentum amid a drop in bond yields yesterday but today, we’re seeing buyers return the favour in erasing most of the decline from the day before:

The minor support around 156.55-57 has helped to keep buyers in the game, with price action holding above that as seen on the hourly chart above. Buyers did try to work with that over last few sessions but failed to move above the 100-hour moving average (red line). That is until we got to European trading today, before a push back above 157.00 as well.

Now, buyers are back in near-term control as they look to inch closer towards potential intervention territory by Tokyo. The MOF just confirmed that they spent nearly ¥10 trillion to prop up the yen in the past four weeks. So, that will likely keep traders a bit more cautious before the weekend at least.

We’ll see though. There is still the US PCE price data to come later in the day.

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

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ForexLive European FX news wrap: Dollar nudges lower in mixed trading 0 (0)

Headlines:

Markets:

  • CHF leads, USD lags on the day
  • European equities higher; S&P 500 futures down 0.4%
  • US 10-year yields down 3.2 bps to 4.591%
  • Gold down 0.1% to $2,337.01
  • WTI crude flat at $79.24
  • Bitcoin up 0.6% to $67,842

Trading in Europe today was a bit mixed, as the early gains in the dollar and opening losses in regional indices were turned around during the session.

The greenback was a little higher in Asia as the risk mood was more sour, with equity futures pointing lower. That led to a softer open in Europe but we’re now seeing stocks hold a little higher with the dollar also lagging across the board. US futures are still down though, but S&P 500 futures have at least halved losses on the day.

EUR/USD was flirting with a firmer drop under 1.0800 early on but is now a little higher at 1.0820 with large option expiries at 1.0800 and 1.0825 also in play. USD/JPY is down 0.6% to 156.70 after some back and forth trading, with the pair having fallen to a low of 156.55 then moving back up to 157.20 before coming back down.

The Swiss franc is the top performer though, with USD/CHF down 0.7% to 0.9070 with the pair poised for its first monthly drop this year.

In other markets, bond yields are down with 10-year Treasury yields seen lower by 3 bps to 4.59%. Meanwhile, commodities remain sluggish with gold down at $2,337 but at least off its earlier low of $2,322.

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

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