USD

The US dollar had a mixed performance, as it gave up ground to the yen, euro, pound and Kiwi but managed to stay strong against its other rivals.

There have been no major reports out of the US, leaving risk sentiment as one of the major drivers of price action. Today has the initial jobless claims and import prices data on tap.

EUR

The euro continued to advance against the dollar but was slightly weaker against its other counterparts. Data from the euro zone was still better than expected, with Germany reporting a larger than expected trade surplus of 20.8 billion EUR versus the projected 19.2 billion EUR surplus. French jobs data, CPI, and industrial production numbers are on tap for today and another round of upbeat numbers could spur more euro rallies.

GBP

The pound managed to stay afloat when the UK FPC upgraded their forecasts for the economy. Up ahead, the BOE interest rate statement and MPC minutes are on the docket and this might trigger more volatility for pound pairs. The central bank sounded dovish in their previous statement and might reiterate their cautious outlook this time.

CHF

The franc continued to trail the euro and advance against some of its forex counterparts, as risk aversion stayed in play. The Swiss jobless rate held steady at 3.4% as expected, which suggests that the SNB might not sound to dovish in their upcoming statement. Still, any downbeat remarks or currency jawboning now that the ECB has eased policy might be in the works.

JPY

The yen was the biggest winner in the risk aversion game, as improving Japanese fundamentals led the currency to be the more preferred safe-haven. Japanese core machinery orders jumped by 10.7% instead of falling by 1.5%, setting the tone for stronger manufacturing conditions. Japan’s PPI is up for release today and a 3.8% decline is eyed.

Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)

The comdolls took a break from their recent tumble when the US crude oil inventories report showed a drop in stockpiles, easing fears of an oversupply. The RBNZ decided to cut rates by 0.25% as expected but suggested that this might be the last of their rate cuts since they expect growth to pick up by next year. Australia’s jobs report is due next and a 10K drop in hiring is eyed.

By Kate Curtis from Trader’s Way