USD
The dollar dipped lower against its rivals at the start of the week as Hurricane Harvey weighed heavily on energy stocks and US equity indices.
Data from the US also turned out weaker than expected as the goods trade deficit widened from $64 billion to $65.1 billion versus the projected $64.5 billion shortfall on weaker exports of motor vehicles. The CB consumer confidence index is due today and a dip from 121.1 to 120.3 is eyed.
EUR
The euro was mostly higher against its peers as the shared currency acted as safe-haven in the European region. Data was actually weaker than expected but traders are still bullish on the euro after Draghi refrained from talking down the currency. The German GfK consumer climate index is due today, along with French consumer spending and preliminary GDP data.
GBP
The pound was able to bounce back as Brexit jitters started to fade while talks are underway. There were no reports out of the UK economy so far as banks are closed for the Summer Day holiday and only the Nationwide HPI is lined up today. Analysts are expecting to see a 0.1% uptick in house prices, lower than the earlier 0.3% gain.
CHF
The franc had a mixed run as it reacted mostly to currency-specific events and market sentiment. There were no reports out of the Swiss economy on Monday and none are lined up today so the same behavior could be seen for franc pairs.
JPY
The yen gave up some ground to its peers but was able to rake in gains against the Canadian dollar on weaker oil prices. Japanese household spending data is due today and a slowdown from 2.3% to 0.8% is eyed. The unemployment rate is also due and no change from the earlier 2.8% figure is expected. The BOJ will also print its core CPI figure and a sizeable gain could revive expectations of more reduction in JGB purchases.
Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)
The Aussie and Kiwi were mostly stuck in consolidation, waiting for bigger market catalysts for the time being. The Loonie, meanwhile, was bogged down by a sharp fall in oil prices due to Hurricane Harvey’s impact on refineries in the US Gulf Coast and talks of NAFTA termination. Underlying inflation reports are due from Canada today.
By Kate Curtis from Trader’s Way
