Overview: The US dollar is mostly firmer today ahead of what promises to be an eventful week. Sterling is bearing the brunt today, off a little less than half-of-a-cent as expectations creep up of a rate cut this week and Chancellor of the Exchequer Reeves plays up the poor state of public finances left by the Conservative government. Sterling (and the euro's) five- and 20-day moving averages have crossed. The yen is mostly within the pre-weekend range. Outside a of...
Read More »Is the Dramatic Yen Short Squeeze Over?
Overview: The powerful yen short squeeze that has roiled the capital market this week has stalled today. It is the first day this week that the dollar has not fallen below the previous day's low and has risen, though slightly, above previous session's high. The Antipodeans and Scandis are trading with a firmer bias. The yen and Swiss franc are the only two G10 currencies that are not stronger today. The stability of the yen appears to have removed some of the...
Read More »Dollar Consolidation is Morphing into Correction
Jury duty assignment prevents a more comprehensive note, but here is a snapshot. Overview: The failure of computer systems has disrupted airlines, banks, media companies, and the London Stock Exchange, ostensibly stemming from an update from a third-party software update, according to Microsoft. The dollar is trading with a firmer bias. The consolidation, we anticipated, appears to be morphing into a correction. Weaker than expected retail sales has driven sterling...
Read More »Dollar Crushed, Stocks Slump
Jury duty assignment prevents a more comprehensive note, but here is a snapshot. Overview: The dollar is broadly lower, and stocks are under pressure. Comments by a Japanese official, which did not appear to break new ground, coupled with Trump's interview in BusinessWeek, where he was critical that Japan was benefiting from a weak yen, despite having apparently spent some $80 bln this year trying to stop it from falling, may have been the trigger. The dollar has...
Read More »Euro is Little Changed, while the Yen is Softer to Start the New Week
Overview: The dollar is narrowly mixed against the G10 and emerging market currencies today. The euro is little changed, holding on to last week's gains, after the surprising French election results, where the focus shifts finding a prime minister that can carry a majority of the new and closely divided National Assembly. Despite firm underlying wage data, the Japanese yen has given back its initial gains, and the dollar is pushing back above JPY161 in the European...
Read More »No Turn Around Tuesday as Greenback Remains Firm
Taking the next few days off. Will be back with week ahead commentary on July 6. Overview: The sharp jump in US long-term interest rates has helped lift the greenback in recent sessions and it remains firm against most of the G10 currencies today. The Canadian dollar is the best performer, and it is nearly flat. The intraday momentum indicators warn that after a mostly consolidative Asia Pacific and European morning, the greenback may probe higher in North...
Read More »Will the PCE Deflator Really Contain New Information?
Overview: The US dollar is narrowly mixed as North American participants prepare to return for the last session of the first half. Despite firmer than expected Tokyo CPI and stronger than expected industrial output, the market lifted the greenback around JPY161.25 before profit-taking pressures bought it back toward session lows near JPY160.65 in Europe. President Biden is thought to have lost last night's debate with Trump, but it does not appear to be much of a...
Read More »Double Whammy: US CPI and Federal Reserve
Overview: Position adjustments ahead of today's US CPI and FOMC meeting are giving the dollar a modestly heavier tone today. Each of these events are typically a source of volatility in their own right and together they promise an eventful North American session. The yen is the only exception among the G10 currencies, but even there, the dollar is holding below yesterday's highs. Even sterling's relative resilience this week was unmarred by the flat April GDP. Led...
Read More »The Greenback is Mostly Softer
Overview: The dollar initially extended its pre-weekend and yesterday's heavier tone before finding a better bid in the European morning. Still, as North American dealers return to their posts the dollar is still mostly softer against the G10 currencies, but it is little changed to slightly firmer against the Japanese yen. Most emerging market currencies are firmer, but the South African rand is softer ahead of their election, the Mexican peso is paring its recent...
Read More »Dollar Consolidates Softer Ahead of Tomorrow’s CPI
Overview: The dollar is trading with a softer bias in mostly narrow ranges against the G10 currencies. It did not rally much ahead of the US jobs data, and it was not able to sustain the upside momentum afterwards, despite the jump in US yields. Former St. Louis Fed President Bullard, who still has a strong reputation in the market, told Bloomberg TV yesterday that three cuts were his base case this year. The Scandis and Antipodeans are the strongest today, up about...
Read More »