USD

The US dollar had a volatile time during the FOMC statement but generally ended higher against its currency counterparts. 

The Fed didn’t give any explicit remarks on potential rate hikes but upgraded its wording to show a more optimistic assessment of the labor market. They added that they will continue to wait for some improvements in the jobs market to see if they can afford to tighten soon. The US is set to print its advanced GDP reading today and a 2.6% growth figure is eyed for the second quarter of the year.

EUR

The euro gave up a bit of ground in recent trading, even though data came in line with expectations. Germany’s GfK consumer climate reading stayed unchanged at 10.1 as expected. Today has the German preliminary CPI and unemployment change data on tap, along with Spain’s flash CPI and GDP figures. Strong data could allow the euro to regain traction against its forex rivals.

GBP

The pound gave up ground to the dollar but managed to stay strong against its other peers, despite mixed reports from the UK. Net lending to individuals was better than expected at 3.8 billion GBP while the previous month’s reading saw an upgrade to 3.5 billion GBP. CBI realized sales data came in weaker than expected as the reading fell from 29 to 21 instead of improving to 30. For today, there are no reports due from the UK.

CHF

The franc weakened against the dollar but advanced to the euro, as the UBS consumption indicator landed at 1.68. The previous reading was downgraded from 1.73 to 1.62 though, indicating that conditions were worse than initially reported. The KOF economic barometer is due today and a climb from 89.7 to 90.1 is expected.

JPY

The yen was a big loser in recent trading, perhaps driven mostly by the strong rally in USDJPY after the FOMC statement. Risk appetite also had a bit of improvement when Chinese equities stabilized after the government’s and central bank’s intervention efforts. Earlier today, Japan reported a better than expected preliminary industrial production increase of 0.8% versus the projected 0.4% rise.

Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)

The comdolls gave up their recent wins to the dollar but remained afloat against some of their currency counterparts, thanks to a strong pickup in oil prices. Earlier today, Australia reported a worse than expected 8.6% slide in building approvals versus the projected 0.8% fall while import prices logged in a 1.4% gain as expected. No other reports are due from the comdoll economies today.

By Kate Curtis from Trader’s Way