USD
The US dollar staged a late rally on Friday when CPI readings beat expectations and revived hawkish hopes for this week’s FOMC statement.
Headline CPI showed a 0.2% gain versus the projected 0.1% uptick while the core reading showed a 0.3% increase versus the estimated 0.2% rise. The UoM preliminary consumer sentiment index came in short of expectations, though, as the September reading was unchanged from the downgraded 89.9 August figure. There are no major reports due from the US economy today.
EUR
The euro gave up ground against most of its peers at the end of the week even though there were no major reports from the euro zone. Today has the euro zone current account balance and the German Buba monthly report on tap, likely affecting market sentiment for the euro in the absence of other top-tier data.
GBP
The pound made a sharp selloff on Friday even though there were no major releases from the UK. There are still no reports up for release today so overall risk sentiment could be responsible for pushing the pound around today.
CHF
The Swiss franc returned most of its recent wins to the dollar but managed to take advantage of the weakness in the euro and the pound. There were no reports out of the Swiss economy on Friday and none are due today so consolidation could be seen among the franc pairs.
JPY
The yen regained ground as risk aversion seemed to dominate the markets on Friday. Traders are also likely lightening up on their yen positions ahead of this week’s BOJ interest rate statement. Japanese banks are closed for the holiday today so liquidity could be light.
Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)
The comdolls were weighed down both by the declines in commodity prices and in risk appetite but they managed to advance against their European counterparts. Canadian data came in below expectations while crude oil prices slid. Over the weekend, New Zealand reported a rise in its Westpac consumer sentiment index from 106.0 to 108.0. There are no reports due from these economies today.
By Kate Curtis from Trader’s Way
