USD

The return of US traders from their Memorial Day vacation was enough to usher in strong demand for the dollar, which was able to break to new highs against the Japanese yen. 

Data from the US came in line with expectations, as the headline durable goods orders report showed a 0.5% decline while the core figure indicated a 0.5% gain. CB consumer confidence also met expectations of a 95.4 reading, although the previous reading was downgraded. There are no reports due from the US economy today.

EUR

The euro was able to put a stopper on its latest bleeding, as news reports suggested that Greece might still be able to meet its next set of loan obligations to the IMF in June. There have been no reports out of the euro zone yesterday while today has the German GfK consumer climate index on tap. The reading is slated to fall from 10.1 to 10.0, which would reflect a small dip in confidence. Weaker than expected data could lead to more losses for the shared currency.

GBP

The pound suffered a sharper selloff against the dollar in recent trading, despite the stronger than expected report from the UK. The CBI realized sales report showed a gain from 12 to 51, higher than the projected reading at 18 and indicative of stronger consumer spending down the line. There are no reports lined up from the UK economy today.

CHF

The franc continued to sell off against its forex rivals since the Swiss employment level barely budged from 4.23 million reading instead of improving to the estimated 4.21 million figure. The Swiss UBS consumption indicator is up for release today and a reading lower than the previous 1.35 figure might lead to more declines for the franc.

JPY

The yen traded mostly lower against its forex rivals, as traders priced in the odds of seeing another round of weak figures from Japan later on. There have been no major reports out of Japan yesterday while today’s release of the BOJ meeting minutes contained no surprises.

Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)

The comdolls raked in more losses upon the return of US and European traders to their desks yesterday. New Zealand’s trade balance showed a larger than expected surplus but components of the report still revealed a sizeable decline in exports, particularly to China. Earlier today, Australia reported a 2.4% slide in quarterly construction work done, worse than the projected 1.5% dip. Later today, the BOC will announce its rate statement and any change in bias could push the Loonie around.

By Kate Curtis from Trader’s Way