USD
The US dollar was off to a weak start for the day as risk appetite weighed on the safe-haven currency.
However, rising US bond yields and positioning ahead of this week’s events allowed the currency to recover later in the day. JOLTS job openings fell from 6.18M to 6.00M versus the 6.03M forecast. US PPI data are due today, with the headline reading slated to show another 0.4% gain and the core figure to show a 0.2% uptick.
EUR
The euro was mostly stuck in consolidation as traders might be holding out for Draghi’s speech later today. Italian retail sales turned out weaker than expected with a 1.0% drop versus the projected 0.1% dip. ZEW economic sentiment readings from Germany and the region are up for release today, with the former expected to dip from 18.7 to 17.9 and the latter to fall from 30.9 to 30.2.
GBP
The pound was still in a weak spot as traders didn’t seem to impressed by the details of the Brexit deal and focused on remaining uncertainties. UK CPI is due today, with the headline figure projected to hold steady at 3.0% and the core reading also to stay unchanged at 2.7%. Underlying data such as PPI and RPI could also dictate the pound’s direction.
CHF
The franc gave up a bit of ground to some of its peers as risk appetite improved for most of the trading sessions. There were no reports out of the Swiss economy then and none are due today, which suggests that market sentiment and currency-specific factors could push franc pairs around.
JPY
The yen was in a weak spot on risk-taking and a stronger dollar. Japan’s PPI turned out better than expected with a gain from 3.4% to 3.5% versus the estimated drop to 3.3%. The tertiary industry activity index is due next and a 0.2% rebound from the earlier 0.2% dip is eyed.
Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)
The Kiwi got a strong boost from the appointment of new RBNZ head Orr while the Loonie was bogged down by falling oil prices on the heels of another gain in US oil rigs. In Australia, the HPI fell by 0.2% versus the estimated 0.6% gain while the NAB business confidence index dropped from 9 to 6.
By Kate Curtis from Trader’s Way
