USD

The US dollar was able to advance against some of its counterparts yesterday but gave up most of its recent gains in today’s Asian trading session. 

As expected, the US Q1 GDP was upgraded from -0.7% to -0.2%, reflecting a smaller contraction than initially reported. For today, initial jobless claims and the core PCE price index is up for release. Personal income and spending reports are also due, and stronger than expected figures on all fronts might be enough to allow the dollar to regain ground.

EUR

The euro bounced back from its recent slide to the safe-havens but continued to chalk up losses to the commodity currencies. There still hasn’t been a deal struck between Greece and its creditors, increasing the odds of seeing a default and a Grexit. Data from the euro zone was weaker than expected, as the German Ifo business climate index fell from 108.5 to 107.4. For today, the German GfK consumer climate report is up for release and a decline is expected as well.

GBP

The pound was unable to sustain its previous rallies when the BBA mortgage approvals report fell short of expectations. The figure climbed from 42.0K to 42.5K, lower than the projected gain to 43.0K. The CBI realized sales index is due today and a sharp drop from 51 to 32 is projected, which might be indicative of weaker consumer spending figures down the line.

CHF

The franc was able to advance against some of its rivals, thanks to an improvement in the Swiss UBS consumption indicator from 1.67 to 1.73. SNB head Thomas Jordan is set to give a testimony today and might repeat his comments on the franc’s strength and how they’d like to see lower exchange rate levels.

JPY

The yen had a mixed trading performance as it mostly acted as a counter currency against its rivals. The BOJ monetary policy meeting minutes contained no surprises, as it simply indicated that policymakers believed that their easing efforts are working. There are no reports lined up from Japan today so risk sentiment might continue pushing yen pairs around.

Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)

The comdolls got a strong boost in today’s Asian trading session from the Chinese central bank’s decision to increase liquidity by 35 billion yuan this week. This could lend support to businesses and spur demand for raw material products from Australia. No reports are lined up from the comdoll economies today, which suggests that the recent PBOC decision might continue to affect price action for the rest of the day.

By Kate Curtis from Trader’s Way