USD

The US dollar had a mixed performance but it was able to scrape in some gains before the end of the session. 

Data from the US economy was stronger than expected, as wholesale inventories shrank 0.5% versus the projected 0.2% decline. FOMC member Dudley has another testimony lined up today and a Fed announcement is scheduled.

EUR

The euro managed to advance against the dollar but gave up ground to the yen and its comdoll counterparts later on in the day. Data from the euro zone was mixed, as the German trade balance beat expectations but the French industrial production report fell short. For today, only the Italian industrial production report is lined up.

GBP

The pound was still in a very weak spot at the end of the previous trading week, especially since UK data came in way below expectations. Manufacturing production shrank 1.1% versus the projected 0.2% dip while industrial production fell 0.3% instead of posting the projected 0.1% uptick. There are no reports due from the UK today but traders might price in expectations for the UK CPI and BOE statement set later on.

CHF

The franc had a mixed performance but was able to lock in some gains, thanks to risk aversion in the financial markets. Swiss CPI came in line with expectations of a 0.3% uptick. There are no reports due from Switzerland today.

JPY                                                                          

The yen resumed its rallies against its forex counterparts as traders didn’t seem to believe that the BOJ is ready to intervene in the forex market anytime soon. Data from Japan was stronger than expected today, as the core machinery orders printed a smaller 9.2% decline versus the estimated 11.6% slump. 

Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)

The comdolls managed to score some gains when the Baker Hughes report showed another weekly decline in US oil rigs. Data from Canada was much stronger than expected, as the economy added 40.6K jobs in March while the jobless rate improved from 7.3% to 7.1%. Chinese inflation reports came in mixed today, with the CPI steady at 2.3% instead of improving to the estimated 2.4% figure and the PPI up from -4.9% to -4.3%.

By Kate Curtis from Trader’s Way