USD
The dollar is tossing and turning ahead of the FOMC statement this week and the lack of top-tier data yesterday kept price action subdued.
US PPI figures are due today, with the headline reading expected to show a 0.1% uptick and the core figure projected to come in at 0.2%.
EUR
The euro gave back some of its recent gains when polls reflected a lead by French presidential candidate Le Pen once more. Draghi didn’t talk about monetary policy plans in his latest testimony, choosing to highlight the need to ramp up production growth in the euro area instead. German ZEW economic sentiment data is due today, along with euro zone industrial production data.
GBP
There was a lot going on in the UK but the pound barely reacted to the news as it seemed to be pushed and pulled by opposing forces. For one, the House of Commons gave the green light for PM May to invoke Article 50 without giving lawmakers a larger say in the Brexit bill. Meanwhile, Scottish First Minister Sturgeon confirmed that she will seek permission to hold another referendum on independence by autumn 2018. Only the CB leading index is due from the UK today.
CHF
The franc clawed its way back against its peers as the lack of ECB dovishness meant lower odds of SNB intervention. There were no reports out of the Swiss economy yesterday and none are due today so traders could keep pricing in expectations for the upcoming SNB decision.
JPY
The yen had a mixed performance as the lack of top-tier data left pairs trading on country-specific events and market sentiment. Japanese tertiary industry activity fell flat instead of showing the projected 0.2% uptick. The BOJ decision is also coming up and traders might be positioning for this event.
Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)
The comdolls were still in a weak spot, as traders are anticipating slower global demand for commodities once the Fed increases borrowing costs. Economic data from China was mixed, with retail sales falling short of estimates at 9.5% versus the projected 10.5% reading. Industrial production improved to 6.3% while fixed asset investment came in stronger than expected at 8.9% versus 8.2%.
By Kate Curtis from Trader’s Way
