USD
The US dollar regained ground to the higher-yielders, except for the euro, franc, and yen.
Risk aversion allowed the safe-haven currency to get back on its feet even though there were no major reports released. JOLTS job openings and wholesale inventories data are due today.
EUR
The euro advanced to the dollar and comdolls but lost ground to the yen and franc. Euro zone Sentix investor confidence slipped from 9.6 to 6.0, worse than the projected drop to 7.2. German industrial production and trade balance are due today, with weak data likely to weigh on the shared currency’s gains.
GBP
The pound was one of the weakest performers of the bunch as there were no reports to keep it supported. UK BRC retail sales monitor data showed a 2.6% rebound but was still unable to give the currency a boost. UK trade balance and a speech by MPC member Cunliffe are lined up today.
CHF
The franc resumed its rally from last week, as the SNB foreign currency reserves showed no evidence of intervention. Swiss unemployment rate is due today and a rise from 3.4% to 3.5% is eyed, likely to push the franc a bit lower.
JPY
The yen was one of the biggest winners, as it advanced against its currency rivals thanks to risk-off moves. Data from Japan was actually weaker than expected but traders appeared to prefer the Japanese currency against its other safe-haven peer, the US dollar. Preliminary machine tool orders data is due today.
Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)
The comdolls chalked up a lot of losses at the start of the week, even as the absence of Chinese traders kept markets in the green during the Asian session. The meeting between Venezuela and small oil-producing nations failed to bear fruit, weighing on oil prices again. In Australia, the NAB business confidence index held steady at 2, not showing any improvement.
By Kate Curtis from Trader’s Way