USD
The US dollar found some relief on remarks indicating that Trump will take another shot at the healthcare bill and that the administration is aiming for August in terms of enacting tax reform.
There were no reports out of the US economy yesterday, with only speeches by a couple of FOMC members on deck. CB consumer confidence is due and analysts are expecting a dip from 114.8 to 113.9 to reflect weaker optimism.
EUR
The euro continued to advance against its peers when data beat expectations once more. The German Ifo business climate index advanced from 111.1 to 112.3, outpacing the consensus at 111.2 to signal a much stronger pickup in optimism. There are no reports due from the euro zone today as the focus shifts to Brexit-related headlines.
GBP
The pound managed to score a few more wins even with the uncertainty surrounding UK PM May’s plan to invoke Article 50 on March 29. There were no reports out of the UK economy yesterday and none are due today so Brexit-related headlines could drive pound price action.
CHF
The franc was mostly stuck in consolidation but it managed to squeeze out a few gains against the commodity currencies on risk-off flows. There were no reports out of the Swiss economy yesterday and none are due today so the same market factors could stay in play.
JPY
The yen continued to rake in gains against its higher-yielding rivals but gave up some ground to the dollar on renewed hopes of tax and healthcare reform. There were no reports out of the Japanese economy yesterday and there are none lined up today so currency-specific factors could push yen pairs around, along with risk sentiment.
Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)
The comdolls were still the biggest losers in recent trading sessions as risk appetite remained weak. There has been a lot of talk on extending the OPEC deal until the end of the year but no official decision has been made yet. BOC Governor Poloz has a speech lined up and any effort to bolster confidence in the Canadian economy could provide some relief for the Loonie.
By Kate Curtis from Trader’s Way