Swiss National Bank Chair Jordan spoke with Switzerland’s national broadcaster, Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF, „Swiss Radio and Television“), saying that in many countries:

• economic growth is too low
• productivity is too low
• the level of debt is too high
• and deficits are too large

and that this is not sustainable. Jordan didn’t offer up specific solutions beyond saying that structural reforms to increase productivity and boost growth are needed. Meanwhile, central banks need a different focus:

• „It is very important that at the same time monetary policy remains geared towards price stability, rather than monetary policy being needed to finance debt, otherwise it will not end well“

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at www.forexlive.com.

In this vieeo, I take a look at all the major currencies vs the USD and outline the bias (bullish or bearish), risks and targets.

Be aware and prepared for the new trading week.

Below is the start and end times for each pair.

• Introduction 0:00 to 2:05
• EURUSD: 2:05 to 4:55
• USDJPY: 4:55 to 8:00
• GBPUSD: 8:00 to 11:55
• USDCHF: 11:55 to 15:50
• USDCAD: 15:50 to 19:00
• AUDUSD: 19:00 to 22:53
• NZDUSD: 22:52 to 25:30

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

• Nasdaq index gets creamed as high flyers take it on the chin
• Feds Financial Stability Report: Persistent inflation/tigher policy biggest risk
• Bank of Canada’s Macklem: Inflation is continuing to become less broad-based
• Crude oil futures settle at $82.22. What are the technicals telling traders.
• ECBs Muller: Sees a few more rate cuts by year end after June
• IMFs Japan Mission Chief: Weak yens impact on Japans economic growth is net positive
• BOEs Mann: Central banks will have to use autonomy effectively
• Baker Hughes oil rig count 511 vs 506 last week
• European indices close the week with mixed results
• IMF’s Georgieva: Need to finish the job on inflation
• ECB Wunsche: I dont have base case, but unlikely we cut only once in 2024
• More from BOE Ramsden: We will take into account Forex implications for inflation
• More Goolsbee:There are some measures in the economy, that historically don’t portend well
• More Goolsbee: We have done great on the employment mandate but not on inflation
• Chicago Fed Pres. Goolsbee: Progress on US inflation has installed
• BOE Ramsden: There are likely to be bumps in the disinflation process
• Chicago Fed Pres. Goolsbee expected to speak shortly
• Kickstart your FX trading for April 19 w/ a technical look at the EURUSD, USDJPY & GBPUSD
• ECB Pres. Lagarde: if inflation criteria is met it will be appropriate cut rates
• The CHF is the strongest and the NZD is the weakest as the NA session begins
• ForexLive European FX news wrap: A round trip for markets as the jitters fade

The focus today was on the big-cap tech stocks today. The Nasdaq index got creamed with a decline of -2.05%. That was the largest decline since January 31 when the index fell -2.23% The move lower was initially off of disappointing forward guidance from Netflix after its earning announcement after the close on Thursdays. Its shares tumbled -9.09%.

The kick to the downside got another shove, just before the open Super Micro Computers announced its earnings date, but did not to pre-announce its earnings for the fiscal third quarter. SMCI has been one of the darlings of the 1Q as it tagged along with Nvidia. According to sources, in seven of the past eight quarters, the company issued a press release announcing preliminary results ahead of its routine earnings release, generally raising financial guidance. That was not to be today, and the stock fell sharply in reaction. That momentum continued in the US session with the stock plunging 23.16% to $713.65. The high price in the 1Q reached $1229.00. The decline. Nvidia as well. It shares fell $84.31 or -10.0% to $762.

BTW Super Micro Computers will announce their earnings on April 30. Nvidia doesn’t announce until May 22

Other big movers today included a number of different chip stocks:

• AMD, – 5.44%.
• Micro -4.61%
• Broadcom -4.31%
• Meta Platforms -4.13%
• CrowdStrike holdings -3.99%
• Taiwan semiconductor -3.46%
• Amazon -2.56%
• Intel -2.40%
• Qualcomm -2.36%
• Tesla, -1.92%.

Next week, the earnings calendar kicks into full gear Below is a sampling of some of the major earnings releases. :

• Monday: Verizon,SAP
• Tuesday: GM, Tesla,Visa, Texas Instruments
• Wednesday: Boeing, AT&T, General Dynamics, Meta Platforms, IBM, Ford, Chipotle, ServiceNow
• Thursday: American Airlines, Caterpillar,Southwest Airlines, Bristol-Myers Squibb,Microsoft, Alphabet,Intel
• Friday: Exxon Mobil, Chevron

In the US debt market today, yields move modestly lower.

• 2-year yield, 4.99%, unchanged
• 5-year yield 4.671%, -1.6 basis points
• 10-year yield 4.622%, -2.4 basis points
• 30-year yield 4.715% -2.9 basis points

For the trading week yields moved higher as markets reacted to the Fed’s shift toward rates steady for longer:

• 2-year yield +8.7 basis points
• 5-year yield +11.4 basis points
• 10-year yield +9.7 basis points
• 30-year yield +8.3 basis points

A snapshot of the forex market at the week’s end has the CHF as the strongest of the major currencies on the back of a safety bid.

The GBP was the weakest. BOEs Ramsden commented that:

• Over the last few months, I have become more confident in the evidence that risks to persistence and domestic inflation pressures are receding.
• Balance of domestic risks to the outlook for UK inflation is now tilted to the downside.

That helped to push the GBPUSD to the downside and the pair moved to the lowest level for the year and going back to November 14. The price is also testing the 61.8% of the move higher from the October 2023 low at 1.23635, and the high of a swing area going back to first quarter of 2023 at 1.2368. The low price today in the GBPUSD reached 1.2366.

Fed’s Goolsbee closed up the Fedspeak ahead of the quiet period (the Fed is to next announce on May 1). Goolsbee discussed the current state of the U.S. economy, highlighting a stall in progress on inflation and advocating for a cautious approach to interest rates until more clarity is achieved. He affirmed that the Federal Reserve’s current restrictive monetary policy remains appropriate but emphasized that future policy adjustments will be data-driven. Goolsbee pointed out the persistent challenge posed by high housing inflation and noted that there is room for improvement in services inflation through increases in labor supply. He questioned whether strong GDP and job numbers might indicate an overheating economy contributing to inflationary pressures, though he also acknowledged that not all data suggest labor market overheating. While the Fed has successfully maintained low unemployment, it has struggled to meet its inflation mandate. Goolsbee warned against maintaining a high level of restrictiveness for too long due to potential negative impacts on employment. He described the policy trade-offs as increasingly complex and noted that the real Federal Funds rate is historically high. Optimistically, he projected that inflation would return to the 2% target over a reasonable period, and he did not dismiss any policy options, including rate hikes if necessary, to manage economic conditions.

Meanwhile, ECB officials today including Lagarge. Muller and Wunsch advocating for multiple rate cuts starting in June.

The US core PCE data will be released on Friday and will be key for the Fed outlook going forward.

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

The US major indices closed mixed as investors flowed out of of large-cap technology stocks and into the relative safety of the industrials. The Dow industrial average rose, while the NASDAQ index got creamed with its largest decline since January 23 when the index fell -2.23%. Today the index fell -2.05%.

A look at the final number shows:

• Dow Industrial Average average rose 211.02 points or 0.56% at 37986.41
• S&P index fell -43.87 points or -0.88% at 4967.24. The decline was the 6th consecutive down day for the index.
• NASDAQ index tumbled -319.49 points or -2.05% at 15282.01.The decline was the 6th consecutive down day for the index.

The small-cap Russell 2000 rose 4.69 points or 0.24% at 1947.65

For the trading week, the Dow Industrial Average closed near unchanged, but the NASDAQ at its worst trading week since October 2022.

• Dow Industrial Average rose 0.01% which was good enough to snap a two-week decline
• S&P index fell -3.05% and closed lower for the third consecutive week.
• NASDAQ index-5.52%, and has now fallen for four consecutive weeks.

Shares of Nvidia had their worst day since March 2020. Tesla had closed at its lowest level since January 2023.

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

The Fed is out with the details of semiannual Financial Stability Report. In it they say:

• Persistent inflation, tighter monetary policy remain most cited potential risk to the financial system
• ‚Policy uncertainty,’ including escalating geopolitical tensions and upcoming US elections, cited by 60% of respondents as potential financial stability risk
• Commercial real estate and banking sector stress less frequently cited as stability risk than in Fed’s fall 2023 survey
• Nearly two-thirds of respondents mentioned policy uncertainty as a risk, significantly higher than in the October report
• Cyberattacks, US-China tensions, Middle East conflicts also listed as risks, while nonbanks and Ukraine-Russia war have dropped off risk list
• Leverage at hedge funds reached highest level since data collection began
• Concerns over uninsured deposits and other factors continued to generate funding pressures for a subset of banks
• 1,804 of more than 9,000 eligible institutions tapped the Bank Term Funding Program; 95% of those had assets of less than $10 bln

The Federal Reserve’s Financial Stability Report is a semi-annual publication that assesses and details the stability of the financial system in the United States. The key elements of this report include:

1. Risk Analysis: It identifies and analyzes potential risks to financial stability, which could include issues like asset price volatility, borrowing by businesses and households, leverage within the financial sector, and funding risks.

2. Current Assessment: The report provides an assessment of the current financial system conditions, noting any vulnerabilities that might pose risks to stability.

3. Potential Shocks: It evaluates the system’s susceptibility to shocks from domestic and international sources, such as economic downturns, geopolitical tensions, and major policy changes.

4. Regulatory and Policy Developments: The report also discusses the impact of regulatory and legislative changes on financial stability, including new rules or modifications to existing regulations.

5. Economic Outlook: Although primarily focused on stability, the report often includes insights into the broader economic environment, including aspects like inflation rates, employment, and economic growth, which all influence financial stability.

6. Stress Testing and Scenarios: The report might include results from stress tests conducted on banks to assess their resilience in adverse economic scenarios.

The goal of the Federal Reserve’s Financial Stability Report is to promote market transparency by providing a thorough analysis of the financial system’s robustness, and to signal to lawmakers, regulators, and the public about potential risks that could undermine financial stability. This helps in forming policies and taking measures to mitigate identified risks.

CLICK HERE for the full report.

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

The Bank of Canada’s Macklem is on the wires saying:

• At first glance, federal budget does not really change fiscal track since the Nov 2023 fall economic statement
• Budget contains spending measures and new taxes; federal government’s commitment to stick to fiscal guard rails is helpful
• Reiterates bank will be looking for evidence that the recent downward momentum in inflation is sustained
• Canadian inflation is continuing to become less broad-based; things are moving in the right direction
• Overall we see downside risks to the inflation outlook are lower than they were
• There are some signs of stress in household finance, mostly in non-mortgage holders; delinquencies have moved up but they are not at alarming levels
• Geopolitical tensions are a source of deep concern in the international community
• If there is a spike in oil prices that is something we’ll have to take into account

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

USD

• The Fed left interest rates unchanged as expected at the last meeting with basically no
  change to the statement. The Dot Plot still showed three rate cuts for 2024 and
  the economic projections were upgraded with growth and inflation higher and the
  unemployment rate lower.
• The US CPI beat expectations for the third
  consecutive month, while the US PPI came in line with forecasts.
• The US NFP beat expectations across the board
  although the average hourly earnings came in line with forecasts.
• The US ISM Manufacturing PMI beat expectations by a big margin with
  the prices component continuing to increase, while the US ISM Services PMI missed with the price index dropping to
  the lowest level in 4 years.
• The US Retail Sales beat expectations across the board by a
  big margin with positive revisions to the prior figures.
• The market now expects the first rate cut in
  September.

CAD

• The BoC left interest rates unchanged at
  5.00% as expected changing a line in the statement that indicated less concern
  about inflation and thus the possibility of a cut in June if the trend remains
  intact.
• The latest Canadian CPI came in line with expectations although
  the underlying inflation measures eased further.
• On the labour market side, the latest report missed
  expectations across the board although we saw an uptick in wage growth which is
  something that the BoC is watching closely.
• The Canadian Manufacturing PMI
  improved slightly in March while the Services PMI weakened further. Both the
  measures remain in contractionary territory.
• The market expects the first rate
  cut in June.

USDCAD Technical Analysis –
Daily Timeframe

On the daily chart, we can see that USDCAD pulled
back into the blue 8 moving average and
bounced as the buyers stepped in to position for a rally into new highs. From a
risk management perspective, the buyers will have a much better risk to reward
setup around the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement level
and even better around the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level as they will also
find the confluence of the
previous resistance now turned support.

USDCAD Technical
Analysis – 4 hour Timeframe

On the 4 hour chart, we can see that besides the
38.2% Fibonacci retracement level, we can also find a trendline adding
confluence around the 1.37 handle. This is where we can expect the buyers to
step in with a defined risk below the trendline to position for a rally into
new highs. The sellers, on the other hand, will want to see the price breaking
lower to pile in and target a drop into the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level.

USDCAD Technical Analysis –
1 hour Timeframe

On the 1 hour chart, we can see that the price
has been diverging with
the MACD, which
is generally a sign of a weakening momentum often followed by pullbacks or
reversals. The price broke below the trendline support, so we have higher
chances to see a drop all the way down to the major trendline. We have a black
counter-trendline acting as resistance now, so if the price gets there, we can
expect the sellers to step in to position for a drop into the major trendline.
If the price were to break to the upside though, the buyers will likely pile in
to position for a rally into new highs.

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

The poll shows that no economists are anticipating a rate hike before the end of June. But 21 of 61 economists do see that rates could rise during Q3 this year. Meanwhile, 17 of 55 economists forecast that rates will be raised during Q4 instead. The median forecast sees the upper end of the overnight call rate at 0.25% in Q4 and staying there until late 2025.

Of a smaller sample size of 36 economists who provided a specific forecast on when the BOJ might move, 19% are seeing a move in July. But October is the favourite, with roughly 36% expecting a move then. Meanwhile, 31% are seeing the BOJ move in „2025 or later“.

With regards to the Japanese yen, nearly all economists (91%) say that Tokyo will step in at some point to stop the currency from weakening further.

As for the levels they expect, 16 of 21 economists expect action at 155 for USD/JPY. The remainder see a move at 156 (2), 157 (1), and 158 (2) instead.

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

Yesterday, the Nasdaq Composite ended another day
negative with the buyers struggling to find some footing. It could have been a
mix of hawkish Fed’s Williams comments where he didn’t rule out a rate hike if
the data called for such a move, and some jitteriness due to some rumours of an
Israeli retaliation in the following 24/48 hours. Tonight, Israel did retaliate
as it carried out airstrikes on Iran, but eventually it was seen as a limited
retaliation with even Iran downplaying it. This might finally put this thing
behind our backs, and we could see some positive risk sentiment today.

Nasdaq Composite Technical
Analysis – Daily Timeframe

On the daily chart, we can see that the Nasdaq
Composite is
now getting very close to the key 15453 level. We can also notice that the
price got a bit overstretched 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.

Nasdaq Composite Technical
Analysis – 4 hour Timeframe

On the 4 hour chart, we can see that the
price got overstretched on this timeframe as well. If we were to get a final
push into the 15453 level, we can expect the buyers to step in with a defined
risk below it to position for a rally back into the 15929 level. The sellers,
on the other hand, will want to see the price breaking lower to increase the
bearish bets into the next support at
15162.

Nasdaq Composite Technical
Analysis – 1 hour Timeframe

On the 1 hour chart, we can see that we have
a trendline
defining the current downward momentum where we can find the red 21 moving average for confluence. If we
get another pullback, we can expect the sellers to step in around the trendline
with a defined risk above it to position for new lows. The buyers, on the other
hand, will want to see the price breaking higher to pile in and position for a
rally into the 15929 level.

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

As the
closing bell approaches, all eyes are turning to Netflix, the streaming giant,
poised to release its latest financial report. With share prices hovering
around the same level for the past month, can the data dump boost the company’s
stock?

Analysts
are optimistic about Netflix’s revenue and earnings, expecting growth compared
to both the previous quarter and the same period last year. Additionally,
there’s anticipation surrounding Netflix’s partnership with TKO Group Holdings to bring
WWE content to its platform, marking a significant expansion into live sports.

Projections
put Netflix’s revenue at $9.26 billion, up 13% from the same quarter last year,
with earnings per share expected to reach $4.68, a significant increase from
$3.06 a year ago. Analysts are eyeing adjusted profits of $2.07 billion.

The big
question mark, however, hangs over subscriber growth, with estimates ranging
widely. Netflix itself has projected anywhere between 1.8 million and 13.1
million new subscribers, based on previous quarters‘ performances.

After a
dip in 2022, Netflix saw a resurgence in subscriber numbers in 2023, partially
attributed to cracking down on password sharing. Despite
some backlash from users, the company’s subscriber base grew by 12% in the
fourth quarter of 2023, reaching 260.28 million paid memberships worldwide.

The
upcoming earnings report is also expected to shed light on the WWE deal, which
will see Netflix broadcasting the popular „Raw“ program starting in
2025. This move into live sports content represents a significant growth
opportunity for Netflix, signaling its ambition to diversify its offerings.

The
10-year partnership with TKO Group Holdings, which also owns UFC, positions
Netflix as a major player in the live-streaming entertainment landscape. The
exclusive rights to air „Raw“ in the US, Canada, UK, and Latin
America underscore Netflix’s commitment to expanding its audience and content
library.

Investor
expectations are high, especially given the recent volatility in Netflix stock. Despite short-term
fluctuations, the company’s shares have soared by over 80% in the past year,
reflecting confidence in its long-term prospects.

However,
Netflix’s earnings report comes at a time of uncertainty in the broader market,
with tech stocks facing headwinds amid rising US
bond yields and concerns about inflation. Netflix’s results will be closely
watched as a barometer of sentiment towards big tech companies, potentially
shaping market trends in the coming weeks.

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