USD
The US dollar managed to regain a bit of ground in recent trading, as forex traders booked profits off their short positions ahead of today’s NFP release.
Most of the leading jobs indicators suggest that a better than expected reading might be seen and this could be enough to ensure that the Fed will be able to hike interest rates by September. Analysts are expecting to see an increase of 222K, which could allow the jobless rate to hold steady at 5.4%. Average hourly earnings could also have an impact on dollar movement, as the reading is slated to pick up by 0.2%.
EUR
The euro gave up some of its recent wins when traders realized that Greece and its creditors aren’t about to reach a deal anytime soon. The talks broke down when Tsipras said that they will still work on a set of revisions for the proposed economic reforms, after admitting that they won’t be able to meet their debt obligations today. The Greek government said that they will pool their funds for their total debt repayments this month, which suggests that they might be waiting for the next set of bailout funds to be released. German factory orders and French trade balance are on the line today.
GBP
The pound managed to edge slightly higher in recent trading, even though the BOE didn’t announce anything new in their interest rate statement yesterday. Only the UK consumer inflation expectations report is up for release today and a drop from the previous 1.9% figure is eyed. Risk sentiment might be the main driver of price action among pound pairs though, as traders wait for the release of the US NFP report.
CHF
The franc edged lower to most of its major counterparts yesterday when risk aversion took hold of the markets. There have been no reports released from Switzerland then and only the Swiss foreign currency reserves data is up for release today. No major changes are expected, as the SNB probably didn’t intervene in the forex market then.
JPY
The yen resumed its slide against most of its major counterparts, except for the euro. There have been no major reports released from Japan but the slight pop higher in USDJPY may have carried on to other yen pairs. The leading indicators figure is due today and analysts are expecting a climb from 106.0% to 107.3% which might lend more support for the Japanese currency.
Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)
The Aussie was one of the biggest losers in recent trading, as Australia released a weak retail sales report and trade balance earlier in the day. Canada saw a stronger than expected Ivey PMI, which jumped from 58.2 to 62.3 and indicated a strong expansion in the manufacturing industry. Canadian jobs data is due today and a rebound in hiring of around 10K is eyed. Also lined up today is the OPEC meeting, which might contain relevant announcements on oil production levels.
By Kate Curtis from Trader’s Way
