USD

The dollar managed to stay supported throughout the previous week as Fed tightening expectations strengthened while risk aversion lingered in the markets.

There were no reports out of the US economy on Friday but Fed officials had a few more positive remarks on the US economy. There are no major reports due today, with only FOMC member Quarles’ testimony due.

EUR

The euro returned some of its recent gains before the week came to a close as final CPI readings were unchanged at 1.3% for the headline figure and 1.0% for the core version. There are no reports due from the euro zone today but ECB head Draghi has a speech scheduled and any jawboning remarks could lead to more euro weakness.

GBP

The pound managed to hold its ground, except against the Loonie, even though there were no major UK reports out on Friday. MPC member Ramsden had a speech in which he talked about the economy’s productivity growth challenge. Only the High Street lending report is due from the UK today and this might not lead to huge pound moves.

CHF

The franc had a mixed run as it reacted mostly to currency-specific factors. There were no reports out of the Swiss economy then and none are due today, so market sentiment could push franc pairs around.

JPY

The yen gapped down over the weekend as market watchers are bracing for BOJ head Kuroda’s testimony. There are no other major reports due from Japan, leaving yen pairs to react to overall sentiment as well.

Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)

The Loonie had a strong run thanks to stronger than expected Canadian CPI. The headline figure turned out better than expected at 0.7% versus the 0.4% estimate, reviving talks of a BOC hike. Other underlying inflation measures also reflected a stronger pace of increase in price levels also. New Zealand’s trade balance is due in the next Asian session.

By Kate Curtis from Trader’s Way