USD
The US dollar drew a bid in the latest New York session upon seeing slightly stronger than expected flash PMI readings.
The flash manufacturing PMI is up from 52.0 to 53.2, higher than the forecast at 52.3, while the services PMI held steady from an upgraded 54.2 figure. Existing home sales printed a dip to 5.52M. The CB consumer confidence index is due today and a fall from 118.9 to 116.5 is expected.
EUR
The euro was unable to sustain its climb when euro zone PMI readings fell short of estimates, with the exception of the French flash manufacturing PMI. The German Ifo business climate index is lined up today and a dip from 115.1 to 114.9 is expected. Another weak result could continue to dampen ECB tapering expectations.
GBP
The pound managed to regain some ground, despite the lack of top-tier data from the UK. Today has the CBI industrial order expectations figure lined up, which could fall from 16 to 12, along with a speech by BOE MPC member Haldane who might reiterate his dovish views.
CHF
The franc had a mixed performance as it mostly reacted to its counterparts. There were no reports out of the Swiss economy yesterday to give the currency a strong direction anyway, and there are still no reports due today so market sentiment could push franc pairs around.
JPY
The yen gave up some ground when the dollar recovered upon seeing upbeat medium-tier data. Traders had been buying up the Japanese currency leading up to the FOMC statement in anticipation of less hawkish remarks, but the latest batch of PMI reports gave hope that the Fed could maintain its rate hike timeline. The BOJ minutes were released but failed to spur volatility for yen pairs.
Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)
The Loonie was one of the biggest winners for the day as the pickup in crude oil boosted the Canadian currency. After the OPEC meeting with non-OPEC members like Russia, Saudi Arabia pledged that they will push for significant measures to boost the commodity price. Nigeria also made an informal pledge to keep their production levels limited. New Zealand’s trade balance is due next, along with a speech by RBNZ policymaker McDermott.
By Kate Curtis from Trader’s Way
