USD

The US dollar gave back some of its recent gains to its counterparts when the FOMC minutes contained no clear indication that the Fed was ready to hike in September.

 In fact, the minutes showed a lot of concern when it comes to Greece and potential risks to domestic growth. US initial jobless claims data are up for release today and a speech by FOMC member Brainard is lined up.

EUR

 The euro managed to recover some of its recent losses, as traders warmed up to the idea of a Grexit. There have been no reports released from the euro zone yesterday while today has only the German trade balance on tap. Updates from Greece could continue to direct the shared currency’s movement, along with risk flows.

GBP

 The pound continued to sell off against most of its forex rivals, despite better than expected Halifax HPI data. The government’s budget release didn’t rattle pound traders so much while the upcoming BOE statement might also be a non-event. No changes to interest rates and asset purchases are expected, although BOE officials could start expressing their concerns about Greece.

CHF

 The franc also regained a bit of ground in recent trading, possibly due to profit-taking and the dollar’s slide. There have been no reports released from Switzerland yesterday and none are due today, leaving the franc to take its cue from risk sentiment.

JPY

 The yen gave back some of its recent gains when risk appetite seemed to return to the markets. Chinese equities halted their slide, but this was probably spurred by the temporary closure of some exchanges and the injection of a 260 billion CNY fund from a government-owned entity. Data from Japan was mixed, as the current account balance beat expectations while the Economy Watchers sentiment index showed a decline. Core machinery orders showed a better than expected 0.6% gain in today’s release.

Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)

 The Aussie took a break from its recent slide, thanks to better than expected jobs data from Australia. The economy added 7.3K jobs in June instead of showing a 2.1K decline in hiring while the jobless rate came in at 6.0% versus the projected 6.1% figure. Yesterday, Canada reported a 14.5% slide in building permits and led to a Loonie selloff. Canadian housing starts are up for release later today.

By Kate Curtis from Trader’s Way