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Forex Analysis by LiteForex

Morning Market Review
2019-06-05 08:50 (GMT+2)
EUR/USD

EUR rose significantly against the US dollar on Tuesday, updating local highs of April 18. The growth of the euro is still promoted by the correction factors of the US dollar, which appeared after the new threats of Donald Trump to introduce import duties against Mexico. Analysts have again spoken about the risks to the US economy that these and similar restrictive measures bear. Also, USD is under pressure from the Fed policy, which may return to lower interest rates in the event of further deterioration in economic indicators. At the same time, the market is characterized by a rather low investor interest in risk. Published on Tuesday, macroeconomic statistics from the euro area prevented the emergence of a more confident uptrend in the instrument. CPI slowed down in May from +1.7% YoY to +1.2% YoY, which turned out to be worse than expectations. Core CPI for the same period corrected from +1.3% YoY to +0.8% YoY with the forecast of +0.9% YoY.

GBP/USD

GBP maintains an upward trend paired with USD, noting the new local highs of May 27. Published on Tuesday, the macroeconomic statistics from the UK was negative, but there was no significant pressure on the pound. The UK Construction PMI fell sharply in May from 50.5 to 48.6 points, while the forecast did not suggest any changes in the indicator. BRC Retail Sales Monitor in May also showed a decline of 3.0% YoY after rising by 3.7% YoY last month. Analysts expected an increase of +0.9% YoY. GBP is under additional pressure by the deadlock around Brexit. Teresa May did not manage to reach an agreement within the Parliament, which forced her to resign from the post of the Conservative Party leader. Perhaps the new Prime Minister will be able to find other ways for dialogue, but investors fear that the process may be delayed. Only the selection of a new party leader can take more than a month.

AUD/USD

AUD continues to grow moderately against AUD, updating the highs of 10 May. The growth of the instrument proceeds against the background of the publication of not the most confident macroeconomic statistics from Australia, as well as yesterday's decision of the RBA to lower the interest rate to 1.25% for the first time in 3 years. However, the decision of the regulator was quite predictable, and therefore the pressure on the Australian dollar was moderate. In the follow-up statement, the RBA noted that it is trying to maintain employment and inflation levels that remain below target levels. Moreover, RBA officials did not rule out further steps to ease monetary policy. Investors today are focused on the preliminary statistics on Australia's GDP for Q1 2019. On a quarterly basis, the economy accelerated from +0.2% QoQ to +0.4% QoQ, which was slightly below the forecast of +0.5% QoQ. YoY, the growth of the index slowed down from +2.3% to +1.8%.

USD/JPY

USD is consolidating against JPY after active decline at the end of the last trading week. The yen is supported by a low investor interest in risk, as well as corrective sentiment on the US currency. However, the activity on the instrument remains quite low. Nikkei Services PMI exerts some pressure on JPY on Wednesday. In May, according to preliminary estimates, the figure dropped from 51.8 to 51.7 points, with a forecast of growth to 51.9 points. On Thursday, markets are expecting the speech of the head of the Bank of Japan, Haruhiko Kuroda, who may reveal the regulator’s plans for monetary policy in the near future.

Oil

Oil prices are correcting after a steady decline at the end of the last trading week. The growth of quotations is largely technical in nature, while negative factors only intensify. In particular, it became known that Russia opposes further restrictions on oil production under the OPEC+ deal. The report of the American Petroleum Institute reflected the growth of oil reserves for the week as of May 31 by 3.545 million barrels after a decrease of 5.265 million barrels for the previous period. On Wednesday, investors expect to publish similar statistics from the US Department of Energy.
 
Morning Market Review
2019-06-06 08:42 (GMT+2)

EUR/USD

EUR showed ambiguous trading against USD on Wednesday. In the morning, EUR was trading higher and the instrument was able to update its local highs of April 17, but then traders began to actively get rid of long positions, which caused a significant pullback. The reason for the emergence of negative dynamics was the aggravation of relations between the Italian government and the EU leadership after representatives of the European Commission announced the validity of the claims. Italy faces a large fine for the excess of public debt, which last year amounted to more than 130%. Wednesday's macroeconomic statistics from euro area provided moderate support to the instrument. Markit Services PMI in May increased from 52.8 to 52.9 points with the forecast of the decline to 52.5 points. Markit Composite PMI for the same period strengthened from 51.5 to 51.8 points, which turned out to be better than market expectations of 51.6 points.

GBP/USD

Yesterday, GBP broke off its moderate growth against USD and showed a downward reversal. In the first half of the day, consumer sentiment on the pound was supported by good macroeconomic statistics from the euro area and the UK. Markit UK Services PMI in May increased from 50.4 to 51.0 points with the forecast of the increase to 50.6 points only. With the opening of the US trading session, correctional sentiments returned to the market, supported by strong PMI data from ISM. Non-Manufacturing PMI reflected an increase from 55.5 to 56.9 points, although analysts did not expect the indicator value to change. During today's Asian session, the pair shows flat trading, awaiting the appearance of new drivers in the market. On Thursday, investors are focused on the ECB interest rate meeting, as well as on the speech by the Bank of England Governor Mark Carney.

AUD/USD

AUD showed a decline against USD on Wednesday, departing from local highs of May 10 which were updated the day before. Certain pressure on the instrument was caused by ambiguous macroeconomic statistics released in Australia and China, but the main factor of the correction was the strengthening of the position of USD. During the Asian session on June 6, the pair is relatively stable and shows flat trading. Investors estimate Australian import and export statistics. In April, exports and imports increased by 3% after a decline of 2% last month. April Balance of Trade slightly decreased from AUD 4.887 billion to AUD 4.871 billion, which turned out to be somewhat worse than expectations.

USD/JPY

USD showed correctional growth against JPY on Wednesday, despite the publication of ambiguous macroeconomic statistics from the United States. In particular, investors paid attention to the extremely weak ADP Employment Change report. In May, the report reflected an increase in the private sector by only 27K new jobs after rising by 271K over the past month. The forecast assumed growth by 180K. Increased attention to the report is due to the upcoming publications on the US labor market on Friday.

Oil

Oil prices returned to decline on Wednesday, interrupting the development of the correction impulse formed the day before. Powerful pressure on the quotes on Wednesday was exerted by the US Department of Energy Crude Oil Inventory report, indicating a sharp increase in oil reserves in the country. For a week as of May 31, oil stocks in US warehouses increased by 6.771M barrels, after a decrease of 0.282M barrels over the past period. Analysts had expected negative dynamics to remain at –0.849M barrels. At the same time, the report also reflected an increase in oil production in the United States from 12.300M to 12.400M barrels per day.
 
Morning Market Review
2019-06-07 08:44 (GMT+2)
EUR/USD

EUR showed strong growth against USD on Thursday, recovering from a corrective decline of the previous day. The reason for the emergence of the uptrend was another weakening of USD against the background of the publication of not the most optimistic macroeconomic statistics from the United States and the growth of trade tensions between the countries. On Wednesday, the ADP Nonfarm Employment Change reflected a sharp slowdown in job growth from 275K to 27K, which turned out to be drastically worse than forecasts (180K). Thursday's data indicated a decline in Nonfarm Productivity in Q1 2019 from 3.6% to 3.4%, with a forecast of 3.5%. Unit Labor Costs for the same period declined by 1.6% after the decline of 0.9% in the previous period. European statistics was more predictable, which provided moderate support for the euro. Euro area's GDP for Q1 2019 showed an increase of 0.4% QoQ and 1.2% YoY, which fully coincided with the forecasts. The ECB kept the interest rate at 0%, noting that its growth is possible not earlier than the first half of 2020.

GBP/USD

GBP is trading flat against USD, remaining close to local highs, updated on Thursday. Despite the publication of weak statistics from the US, the pound was not able to consolidate in the uptrend, being under pressure from uncertain prospects around Brexit. On Thursday, investors were focused on the speech of the Bank of England governor Mark Carney, who is currently on a visit to Japan. The speech of the head of the regulator did not render any long-term support to the instrument, since it was largely devoted to the problems of investment funds. At the end of the week, investors expect the publication of Halifax UK House Price Index, as well as the release of an updated consumer inflation forecast. The May report on the US labor market will be more interesting.

AUD/USD

AUD showed a slight increase against USD on Thursday, weakening the downward corrective impulse formed the day before. During the Asian session, the instrument is again prone to decline, yet investors prefer to wait for the appearance of new drivers in the market. Friday's statistics from Australia was rather weak. AiG Construction Index went down from 42.6 to 40.4 points in May. Home Loans in April decreased by 1.2% after a decline of 2.5% in March. Analysts expected a decline of only 0.2%. Investment Lending for Homes in April showed a decrease of 2.2% after a decline of 2.7% in March.

USD/JPY

USD showed ambiguous dynamics against JPY, ending yesterday’s trading session with a slight decrease. Pressure on USD was exerted by weak macroeconomic data from the United States published on Thursday. In addition, investors are cautiously waiting for the release of the May report on the US labor market, because according to the previously published ADP report, the real state of the market may be significantly worse than expectations. In turn, the yen continues to receive moderate support from the risks of developing US trade conflicts with China and Mexico and a possible interest rate cut by the Fed in the foreseeable future. The process of negotiations between the US and Mexico has not yet brought visible success, but the market as a whole is quite optimistic and expects that on June 10, import duties on Mexican goods will not be introduced.

Oil

Oil prices rose significantly on Thursday, departing from local lows of January 29, updated the day before. The growth of the instrument was largely technical in nature, whereas the former negative factors are still very strong. In particular, the market fears further decline in global demand amid a slowing global economy. A previously published report from the US Department of Energy also put strong pressure on quotes, reflecting an increase in oil production rates and indicating a sharp increase in inventories. On Friday, investors are focused on the May report on the US labor market. In addition, investors are waiting for Baker Hughes US Oil Rig Count.
 
Morning Market Review
2019-06-10 08:53 (GMT+2)
EUR/USD

EUR rose significantly against USD on Friday, updating local highs of March 22. The reason for the emergence of a confident upward trend was the extremely weak report from the US labor market, which reinforced concerns about the Fed rate cut. In May, Nonfarm Payrolls grew by 75K new jobs, while analysts had expected growth of 185K jobs. In April, the indicator grew by 224K. Average Weekly Hours in May remained at the same level of 34.4 hours, with the forecast for the indicator to rise to 34.5. Average Hourly Earnings in May increased by 0.2% MoM and 3.1% YoY, which again turned out to be worse than market expectations (+0.3% MoM and +3.2% YoY). During the Asian session on June 10, the pair is trading downwards, negatively reacting to ambiguous statistics from China.

GBP/USD

GBP showed growth against USD on Friday, recovering from the uncertain dynamics of the second half of last week. The strengthening of the British currency was caused by weak data on the US labor market, while the macroeconomic background of the UK remained neutral. At the same time, investors enthusiastically greeted statistics on Halifax House Price Index. In May, prices showed an increase of 0.5% MoM after rising by 1.2% MoM last month. Analysts expected a decline of 0.2% MoM. During the Asian session on June 10, the instrument is relatively stable. Investors are in no hurry to open new trading positions, preferring to wait for new drivers to appear at the market. Today, investors focus on a block of macroeconomic statistics from the UK. Such indicators as Industrial Production, Trade Balance and GDP data for May are expected to be released. Closer to the end of the afternoon session, the speech of the representative of the Bank of England Michael Saunders is expected.

AUD/USD

AUD rose moderately against USD on Friday, noting local highs of May 8. The growth of the instrument proceeded against the background of the publication of weak data on the US labor market; however, the Australian data were also quite disappointing. AiG Construction Index of Australia in May fell from 42.6 to 40.4 points, which was worse than the average market forecasts. Home Loans in April decreased by 1.2% after a decline of 2.5% in March. Analysts expected a decline of only 0.2%. During the Asian session on June 10, the instrument is trading downwards. Australian markets are closed today due to the Queen's Birthday, so investors are focused on news from the United States. Additional pressure on AUD was exerted by contradictory statistics on imports and exports from China.

USD/JPY

USD showed a decline against JPY at the end of last week, returning to the same local lows, updated on June 5. Friday's macroeconomic statistics from the US put significant pressure on the US currency and again increased the risks of easing monetary policy by the Fed. At the same time, USD receives moderate support from optimistic signals around the US-Mexico trade negotiations. It is possible that Donald Trump will postpone the imposition of import duties on Mexican goods, which should come into force today, June 10. During today's Asian session, the dollar is trading higher, with investors almost completely ignoring strong statistics from Japan. Japan's GDP in Q1 2019 showed an increase of 0.6% QoQ and 2.2% YoY, with the forecast of +0.5% QoQ and +2.1% YoY.

Oil

Oil prices recovered significantly at the end of last week, departing from local lows of January 29, updated on June 5. The quotes are supported by positive comments by the Minister of Energy of Saudi Arabia, Khalid Al-Falih, who said that Riyadh does not plan to increase production to compensate for current oil prices, which, in his opinion, remain low and do not imply an increase in investment in the industry. Instead, Saudi Arabia is in favor of extending the OPEC agreement, which ends at the end of this month. At the end of last week, quotes were also supported by Baker Hughes report on active oil rigs in the USA, the number of which for the reporting week dropped sharply from 800 to 789 units.
 
Morning Market Review
2019-06-11 08:42 (GMT+2)
EUR/USD

EUR showed a slight decrease against USD on Monday, correcting after a strong growth of the instrument at the end of last week, when the euro updated local highs of March 22. The development of the "bearish" dynamics was due to the strengthening of USD in response to progress in the US-Mexico trade negotiations. Under the influence of a rather tough ultimatum on the part of Donald Trump, Mexico announced a number of measures against illegal migration, which ultimately made it possible to avoid an increase in import duties. Analysts are optimistic about this news, because they extrapolate this experience with Mexico to a situation with China, where a compromise has not yet been reached. Earlier, Donald Trump noted that he plans to discuss trade relations with Xi Jinping at the sites of the G20 Summit, which will be held on June 28 in Osaka.

GBP/USD

GBP showed active decline against USD on Monday, almost completely offsetting the strong growth of the end of last week. Significant pressure on GBP was put by weak macroeconomic statistics from the UK. Industrial production in April decreased sharply by 2.7% MoM and 1.0% YoY after the increase by 0.7% MoM and 1.3% YoY. Analysts counted on –0.7% MoM and +1.0% YoY. During the same period, Manufacturing Production decreased by 3.9% MoM and 0.8% YoY, which also turned out to be significantly worse than forecasts (–1.1% MoM and +2.2% YoY). Index of Services in April showed an increase of 0.2% QoQ, slowing down from the previous +0.3% QoQ. GDP in April showed a sharp decline of 0.4% MoM after a decrease of 0.1% MoM in March. During the Asian session on June 11, the instrument shows flat trading, and investors are awaiting publication of data on the UK labor market.

AUD/USD

AUD dropped significantly against USD at the beginning of this week, departing from its local highs. Australian markets were closed on Monday due to the national holiday, so the focus was on the optimistic news about the signing of an agreement between the US and Mexico, which allowed to avoid a new trade war. Some support for AUD on Monday is provided by news from China. Exports in May showed an increase of 1.1% YoY after a decrease of 2.7% YoY last month. Analysts counted on aggravating negative dynamics and reducing the index by 3.8% YoY. Imports, in contrast, fell sharply by 8.5% YoY after rising by 4.0% YoY in April. All this led to a sharp increase in the trade surplus, which reached USD 41.65 billion in May against the previous value of USD 13.84 billion.

USD/JPY

USD showed ambiguous dynamics against JPY on Monday, ending the day session with almost zero result. The dollar was supported by optimistic news about the signing of an agreement between the USA and Mexico, which made it possible to avoid imposing import duties on Mexican goods from June 10. Investors also hoped that the US would be able to make some progress in trade negotiations with China. In turn, the yen received strong support from macroeconomic publications from Japan. Japan's GDP in Q1 2019 showed an increase of 0.6% QoQ after a growth of 0.5% QoQ over the previous period. In annual terms, the growth of the Japanese economy in Q1 2019 reached +2.2% YoY after rising by 2.1% YoY in the previous period.

Oil

Oil prices returned to decline on Monday, retreating from the new local highs of the beginning of the month. Pressure on the instrument is exerted by Russia's uncertain position on the issue of extending the current OPEC+ deal, which ends at the end of the month. A negative factor is still the low demand for petroleum products against the backdrop of a slowdown in the global economy. Trade tensions between the US and China have not gone away, and after the G20 Summit at the end of the month, a new round of increase in duties is quite possible if the parties do not reach any agreement. Today, investors are focused on API Weekly Crude Oil Stock. The previous report reflected increase in volumes of 3.545M barrels.
 
Morning Market Review
2019-06-12 08:56 (GMT+2)
EUR/USD

EUR showed growth against USD again on Tuesday, returning to an uptrend after some decline at the beginning of the week. EUR remains heavily overbought in the nearest time intervals, as it shows an active growth since May 31, but this does not particularly disturb investors. The macroeconomic statistics from the US published yesterday was contradictory. Investors welcomed the growth of NFIB Small Business Optimism index in May from 103.5 to 105.0 points. At the same time, IBD/TIPP Economic Optimism index for June dropped sharply from 58.6 to 53.2 points, while analysts predicted its growth to 59.2 points. The May Producer Price Index in the USA also slowed down a bit. PPI in May showed an increase of 0.1% MoM after rising by 0.2% MoM in April. In annual terms, the indicator decreased from +2.2% YoY to +1.8% YoY, which turned out to be worse than the forecast of +2.0% YoY. It is also worth noting that European statistics on Tuesday turned out worse than market forecasts. Sentix Investor Confidence in June decreased from 5.3 to –3.3 points, while the forecast predicted a decline only to 2.3 points.

GBP/USD

GBP rebounded against USD on Tuesday, offsetting a decline of the previous day. The instrument was supported by moderately strong data on the labor market in the UK, as well as a general negative attitude towards the US currency. Average Earnings ex. Bonus showed an increase in April by 3.4% 3MoY, which turned out to be better than last month data (+3.3% 3MoY) and forecasts (+3.1% 3MoY). Average Earnings Index + Bonus for the same period slowed down from +3.3% 3MoY to +3.1% 3MoY, but turned out to be better than expectations of +2.9% 3MoY. The Unemployment Rate remained at the same level of 3.8%.

AUD/USD

AUD showed a slight decline against USD on Tuesday, retaining the "bearish" impulse formed at the beginning of the week. Yesterday, the instrument was moderately supported by the data from Australia, as well as rising pessimism about the prospects for the American economy. During the Asian session on June 12, the pair is trading downwards. Investors take a lead from ambiguous macroeconomic statistics from Australia and so far ignore the optimism of Chinese data. Westpac Consumer Sentiment in June showed a decline of 0.6% MoM after rising by 0.6% MoM over the previous period. Chinese statistics showed a rapid rise in the Consumer Price Index in May from 2.5% YoY to 2.7% YoY, which coincided with forecasts. The soft position of the RBA remains a negative factor for the instrument. Last week, the Australian regulator lowered the interest rate by 0.25% to 1.25%, noting the negative impact of external factors. By the end of the year, the RBA plans to reduce the rate to 1%.

USD/JPY

USD shows ambiguous trading in pair with the Japanese yen, remaining close to the local lows, updated on June 5. The yen is still under pressure from uncertain news background and the threat of a possible easing of monetary policy by the Bank of Japan. In addition, investors are currently not very interested in safe assets, although the situation remains rather unstable. During today's Asian session, statistics from Japan provide moderate support to the yen. Thus, the Japanese Core Machinery Orders in April increased by 5.2% MoM and 2.5% YoY, which was significantly better than the forecast of –0.8% MoM and –5.3% YoY. In turn, Producer Price Index in May showed a decline of 0.1% MoM after rising by 0.3% MoM in April. YoY, the indicator slowed from +1.2% to +0.7%.

Oil

Oil prices showed a slight decrease on Tuesday, continuing the development of a negative trend, re-formed at the beginning of the current trading week. Investors are focused on a program to reduce oil supply to the market under the OPEC+ deal. The main participants of the cartel have already agreed to extend the agreement after its termination in late June. Russia also announced the possible support of such a decision, which improved the prospects for maintaining a balance of supply and demand in the market. Yesterday's API report on Weekly Crude Oil Stock showed the growth rate for the week as of June 7 from 3.545 million to 4.850 million barrels. On Wednesday, investors expect the publication of similar statistics from the US Department of Energy.
 
Morning Market Review
2019-06-13 08:51 (GMT+2)
EUR/USD

EUR showed a steady decline against USD on Wednesday, departing from local highs of March 22, updated late last week. The reduction of the instrument was largely technical in nature, while the news background did not change much. EUR was under pressure after the speech by the head of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi, who focused on the vulnerability of the Central European countries to new threats of global trade war. With the opening of the American session, investors focused on the statistics on consumer inflation from the US. In May, CPI showed an increase of 0.1% MoM and 1.8% YoY, slowing from the previous +0.3% MoM and +2.0% YoY. Core CPI showed an increase of 0.1% MoM and 2.0% YoY, which was slightly worse than market expectations. During the Asian session on June 13, the instrument is trading in both directions, waiting for new drivers to appear at the market. The focus is on the German statistics on consumer inflation in May, as well as the dynamics of industrial production in the euro area in April.

GBP/USD

GBP continues trading in both directions against USD. On Wednesday, the instrument returned to decline, despite the publication of weak statistics on consumer inflation from the US. GBP remains under pressure from an uncertain position on Brexit and weak macroeconomic statistics from the UK. Market participants fear that the new Prime Minister may destroy all the fragile agreements that Theresa May has been able to reach with the EU, and will eventually choose Brexit without a deal. In particular, one of the candidates for the post of Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, does not exclude such an option. At the same time, British Treasury Secretary Philip Hammond said earlier that the UK’s exit from the EU on October 31 is an almost impossible task.

AUD/USD

AUD showed a steady decline against USD on Wednesday, responding to the overall strengthening of USD across the entire market. The US dollar is growing despite the publication of disappointing statistics on the US consumer inflation, which has heightened fears of a speedy reduction in the interest rate by the Fed. During the Asian session on June 13, the instrument is trading downwards. At the same time, AUD is supported by a moderately optimistic report on the labor market in Australia in May. The level of employment in May grew by 42.3K workplaces against 28.4K last month. Analysts expected a growth of only 17.5K. Participation Rate in May reached 66.0%, while the forecast assumed that the figure would remain unchanged at 65.8%. At the same time, the Unemployment Rate in May remained at the previous level of 5.2%, while experts counted on reducing it to 5.1%.

USD/JPY

USD was almost unchanged paired with JPY on Wednesday. The market almost ignored the publication of a weak report on US consumer inflation, while the demand for yen remained quite low amid growing interest in risk. In turn, yesterday's macroeconomic statistics released in Japan managed to provide slight support to JPY. Japanese Core Machinery Orders in April increased by 5.2% MoM and 2.5% YoY, which was significantly better than the forecast of –0.8% MoM and –5.3% YoY. During today's Asian session, statistics from Japan provide support to the yen. Tertiary Industry Activity Index in May showed an increase of 0.8% YoY after a decrease of 0.4% YoY last month.

Oil

Oil prices declined significantly during Wednesday trading, reacting to the disappointing statistics on stocks from the US Department of Energy. According to the data, the volume of oil and petroleum products in the United States for the week as of June 7 rose by 2.206 million barrels after rising by 6.771 million barrels for the previous period. Analysts had expected a decline in stocks of 0.481 million barrels. Production volumes in the United States during the reporting period decreased from 12.400 to 12.300 million barrels per day. The report also pointed to lower forecasts for growth in demand for oil for the second half of 2019. In turn, the quotes are supported by the expectation of an extension of the OPEC+ deal on limiting oil production. In addition, investors are optimistic about the development of the US-Chinese trade conflict and expect positive changes after the G20 summit, which will take place in late June.
 
Morning Market Review
2019-06-14 08:51 (GMT+2)
EUR/USD

EUR continues to weaken paired with USD, developing a correction impulse formed on Wednesday. USD is rising due to the ambiguous macroeconomic statistics from the US, but investors are also worried about the growing uncertainty around Brexit. It became known that the IMF negatively assesses the prospects for the EU to achieve target levels for economic growth; therefore, it is likely that the Fund will revise its forecasts in the near future. Yesterday, EUR was under pressure from the macroeconomic statistics from the euro area. The volume of industrial production in April fell by 0.5% MoM after a decline of 0.4% MoM last month. In annual terms, the decline has decreased from –0.7% YoY to –0.4% YoY, with the forecast of –0.5% YoY.

GBP/USD

GBP is trading in both directions against USD, mainly with a decrease since the middle of this week. Brexit remains the main driver for the pound. After the announcement of the resignation of the current British Prime Minister Theresa May, the volatility around Brexit has increased significantly, and the market has again started talking about the possibility of a country leaving the EU without a deal. One of the leaders of the pre-election race, Boris Johnson, is also considering the hard Brexit scenario. On Friday, investors are focused on the US macroeconomic statistics on retail sales and consumer confidence. In the UK, the speech by the Bank of England Governor, Mark Carney, is expected.

AUD/USD

AUD is declining against USD, updating local lows of May 24. The decrease in the instrument proceeds against the background of the growth of USD practically throughout the entire market, while the macroeconomic statistics from the USA and Australia remain ambiguous. The report on the Australian labor market reflected a steady growth in Employment by 42.3K jobs, which was significantly better than expectations of 17.5K. At the same time, the Unemployment Rate remained at the same level of 5.2%, contrary to forecasts of a decline to 5.1%. During the Asian session on June 14, there are no interesting statistics from Australia, so investors are awaiting the publication of data on Retail Sales and Industrial Production from China. In addition, the press conference of the National Bureau of Statistics will be held.

USD/JPY

USD fell against JPY on Thursday, being under pressure from weak statistics from the US. In addition, a high level of market uncertainty provides significant support to the yen. Thursday's data from the US indicated an increase in Initial Jobless Claims by 222K, which turned out to be worse than the data for the previous period (219K) and the forecast of 216K. Import Price Index in May decreased by –0.3% MoM and –1.5% YoY, with the forecast of –0.2% MoM and –1.4% YoY. Export Price Index showed a decrease of –0.2% MoM and –0.7% YoY, which also turned out to be noticeably worse than forecasts of –0.1% MoM and –0.5% YoY. During the Asian session on June 14, the instrument is relatively stable. Some support for JPY has been provided by macroeconomic statistics on Industrial Production published in Japan. In April production volumes increased by 0.6% MoM, which coincided with the forecasts. Capacity Utilization in April increased by 1.6% MoM after the decline by 0.4% MoM in the previous month.

Oil

Oil prices increased significantly on Thursday, responding to information about the attack on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Such news signals not only interruptions in the oil supply, but also exacerbates tensions in the market from the possible tightening of US sanctions. Analysts believe that the US can once again blame Iran for attacks, regardless of whether the state bears any real responsibility for the incident. A certain pressure on the quotes was put by the OPEC monthly report, which among other things reflected the decline in the forecast for oil demand growth in 2019 by 70 thousand barrels per day. On Friday, investors are focused on Baker Hughes Oil Rig Count in the United States.
 
Morning Market Review
2019-06-17 08:43 (GMT+2)
EUR/USD

EUR showed a decline against USD on Friday, retreating to local lows of June 6. The reason for the appearance of the "bearish" dynamics of the instrument was the strong macroeconomic statistics from the United States, as well as the general corrective sentiment at the market. The volume of industrial production in the US in May increased by 0.4% MoM after a decline of 0.4% MoM last month. Analysts had expected positive trend to recover, but counted on 0.2% MoM growth. Capacity Utilization Rate in May rose from 77.9% to 78.1%, which turned out to be better than the market forecast of 78.0%. Statistics from the euro area published on Friday turned out to be noticeably worse. France Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices slowed down in May from +0.3% MoM to +0.1% MoM, and from +1.3% YoY to +0.9% YoY. In Italy, the volume of industrial orders fell sharply. In April, the indicator fell by 2.4% MoM after rising by 2.1% MoM in the previous month. Analysts had expected growth by +2.4% MoM.

GBP/USD

GBP returned to an active decline against USD at the end of the last trading week, updating local lows of May 31. The negative dynamics of the instrument is taking place against the background of further growing uncertainty in the market, which forces investors to look for safer assets. At the same time, concerns about a rate cut by the US Fed have now faded into insignificance, since the market has partially involved this scenario in current quotes. The speech of the Bank of England Governor Mark Carney on Friday did not provide any support for GBP, since it was not devoted to the prospects of monetary policy. Brexit remains a powerful negative factor for the instrument, as well as the election of a new British Prime Minister. Markets fear that the UK will leave the EU without a deal, which will cause more harm to the national economy.

AUD/USD

AUD showed a decline against USD on Friday, having updated local lows of the beginning of 2019. The development of negative dynamics of the instrument on Friday was due to strong macroeconomic statistics from the US, coupled with increased uncertainty in the market. Macroeconomic statistics from China also put certain pressure on the instrument. Industrial Production in May slowed down from +5.4% to +5.0% YoY, while analysts predicted growth of the rate to +5.5% YoY. Fixed Asset Investment decreased from +6.1% YoY to +5.6% YoY, which also turned out to be worse than forecast of 6.1%. During the Asian session on June 17, the instrument is trading ambiguously, waiting for new drivers to appear at the market. The macroeconomic background is relatively poor today, so an increase in volatility is expected from Tuesday, when the minutes of the RBA meeting will be published.

USD/JPY

USD showed a slight increase against JPY on Friday, but still maintains the flat corridor, which has existed since June 3. Support for the US currency is provided by strong macroeconomic data from the US, as well as a reduction in concerns about the development of a recession in the US economy. Published on Friday, statistics from Japan could not provide any substantial support to JPY. Industrial production in Japan in April showed an increase of 0.6% MoM and decreased by 1.1% YoY. The data coincided with forecasts and with the dynamics of last month. Capacity Utilization in April increased by 1.6% MoM after the decline by 0.4% MoM in the previous month. Experts expected a growth of +0.2% MoM.

Oil

Oil prices showed a moderate increase on Friday, continuing the development of a corrective impulse. Technical factors contributed to the development of "bullish" dynamics of the instrument, while the former negative background remained. Last week, the International Energy Agency lowered its demand forecast for the current year by 100K barrels to 1.2M barrels per day. A similar forecast was published by OPEC, lowering the forecast of demand to 1.14M barrels per day. The quotes are still supported by growing tensions in the Middle East: last week two tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman. The US has already blamed Iran for these attacks, which could lead to a new round of sanctions pressure on Tehran.
 
Morning Market Review
2019-06-18 08:59 (GMT+2)
EUR/USD

On Monday, EUR against USD rose within the correction, recovering from a sharp decline at the end of the last trading week. The strengthening of the instrument is due to technical factors since investors are in no hurry to open new positions until the Fed’s meeting on Wednesday. Traders are waiting for comments regarding monetary easing in the near future. During the June meeting, the rate cut is doubtful but in July it looks quite likely. Today, during the Asian session, EUR is also trading in an upward manner. On Tuesday, investors expect the publication of a block of EU statistics on consumer inflation and economic sentiment. The market will also pay attention to the speech of the ECB President Mario Draghi and comments from other representatives of the Central Bank.

GBP/USD

Yesterday, GBP actively declined against USD, renewing its lows from the beginning of the year. The development of negative dynamics was due to the growing concern about the "hard" Brexit. Talk about leaving the UK from the EU without a deal resumed after Teresa May announced her resignation, and candidates who intend to withdraw the country from the EU unambiguously joined the election race. The current leader of the race is Boris Johnson. Monday’s British statistics also did not support GBP. Thus, the housing price index from Rightmove in May slowed down from +0.9% MoM to +0.3% MoM. In annual terms, the indicator did not change after a growth of 0.1% YoY in April. Today, traders are waiting for the speech of the Bank of England’s CEO Mark Carney.

AUD/USD

AUD is falling against USD, renewing the lows from January 3 of the current year. The demand for commodity assets remains low, as investors fear a further slowdown in the global economy and the expansion of trade conflicts. In addition, traders won’t change the previous trends, preferring to wait for a key Fed meeting, when the terms of interest rate reductions may be announced. Today, during the Asian session, the instrument is declining due to poor statistics on housing prices. An additional “bearish” factor for the instrument is the publication of the RBA Meeting Minutes of June 4, when the regulator decreased the interest rate by 25 basis points. Q1 housing price index fell by 3.0% QoQ after falling 2.4% QoQ last month. Analysts had expected a decrease of only 1.6% QoQ.

USD/JPY

USD is relatively stable against JPY, trading ambiguously. On Monday, few key macroeconomic statistics from the United States entered the market, so investors continued to discuss the prospects for easing the Fed's monetary policy. Published data on the market value of housing from the NAHB reflected the decline in the index in June from 66 to 64 points, while analysts expected it to rise to 67 points. The index of business activity in the manufacturing sector of the New York Federal Reserve Bank dropped sharply from 17.8 to –8.6 points in June against the forecast of a decline only to 10 points.

Oil

Yesterday, oil prices fell slightly, as investors focused on the prospects for a slowdown in the global economy and a further decline in demand for petroleum products. Industrial production in China is falling at a record pace and is already at its lowest level of 17 years. Prospects for the normalization of trade relations between the United States and China remain vague, although investors are optimistic about the beginning of the G20 summit in late June. Interruptions in oil supplies due to the tense situation in the Middle East, as well as OPEC+ policies aimed at curbing the growth of oil and oil products, continue to support the prices moderately. Today, investors are focused on the report of the American Petroleum Institute on oil reserves for the week of June 14.
 
Morning Market Review
2019-06-19 08:38 (GMT+2)
EUR/USD

The euro showed a noticeable decline against the US dollar on Tuesday, updating local lows of June 3. The reason for the resumption of active "bearish" dynamics was the speech of the ECB President Mario Draghi, who did not rule out the use of broad incentives if the economic situation continues to deteriorate. He was talking about both additional interest rate cuts and expansion of the quantitative easing program. The published macroeconomic statistics from Europe also did not support EUR. Investors were greatly disappointed with the statistics on the ZEW economic sentiment index in Germany. In June, the indicator dropped sharply from -2.1 to -21.1 points, with a forecast of a decline to -5.9 points. In the Eurozone, the index fell from -18.6 to -20.2 points. The Eurozone consumer price index in May showed an increase of 0.1% MoM and 1.2% YoY, slowing down from the previous 0.7% MoM and 1.7% YoY.

GBP/USD

The British pound showed moderate growth against the US dollar on June 18, which allowed it to partially win back Monday's losses. However, the pound managed to update the local minima of January 3, since the position of the US currency continues to be quite strong. The main driver for GBP growth were technical factors, while there was no interesting macroeconomic statistics from the UK. The speech of the head of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, also failed to provide significant support to the instrument, since it did not concern the monetary policy outlook. On Thursday, the BoE will publish its decision on rates. Analysts believe that the decision to maintain rates at the current level will be taken unanimously.

AUD/USD

The Australian dollar strengthened against the US dollar on Tuesday, recovering from a 6-day "bearish" rally. The instrument was supported by the rise in correction sentiment in anticipation of the Fed meeting on Wednesday, as the market fears a quick decline in interest rates in USA. In addition, the demand for the Australian dollar has increased after the optimistic Donald Trump publications on Twitter, where he announced his meeting with PRC President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit. Today, the instrument is traded in both directions. AUD is slightly pressured by statistics from Australia. The Westpac index of leading economic indicators in May showed a decline of 0.1% MoM while maintaining a negative trend.

USD/JPY

The US dollar showed a noticeable decline against the Japanese yen on June 18 but managed to recover by the close of the day session. The instrument was supported by optimistic comments from Donald Trump on Twitter, which announced a meeting with PRC leader Xi Jinping at the G20 summit. The US and Chinese teams should start meeting in the near future to discuss the trade conflict. Today, the instrument is trading in both directions, and investors expect new drivers and a significant increase in volatility at the end of the week. The Fed meeting will take place on Wednesday, and on Thursday, the Bank of Japan and the Bank of England will meet, too. On Wednesday, the yen is pressured by the statistics from Japan. Exports in May collapsed by 7.8% YoY after falling by 2.4% YoY last month. Imports decreased from 6.5% YoY to -1.5% YoY with a forecast of 0.2% YoY. In May, Japan’s trade balance was again in deficit of -967.1 billion yen.

Oil

Oil prices rose on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump announced a meeting with Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in late June. Investors are still hoping for a favorable resolution of the trade conflict, which significantly increases the risks in the market. Some support for quotes was provided by API report on oil reserves. For the week of June 14, oil reserves fell by 0.812 million barrels after rising by 4.850 million over the previous period. On Wednesday, investors will focus on the Fed's interest rate decision with an accompanying press conference, as well as the publication of a report on oil reserves from the US Department of Energy.
 
Morning Market Review
2019-06-20 08:53 (GMT+2)
EUR/USD

The euro showed growth against the US dollar on Wednesday, departing from local minima, updated as a result of a confident downward rally since June 12. Today, the instrument also grows actively. The reason for the appearance of "bullish" dynamics was the outcome of the US Fed meeting; half of the representatives of the regulator were in favor of lowering the interest rate by the end of the year. Also, the growth in demand for the euro was due to Donald Trump's intentions to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the G20 summit. More confident growth of EUR on Wednesday was hampered by uncertain macroeconomic statistics from Europe. German producer price index in May fell by 0.1% MoM after rising by 0.5% MoM last month. YoY, the index slowed down from 2.5% to 1.9%.

GBP/USD

The British pound is trading upwards against the US dollar, quickly regaining the losses of the end of last week. The reason for the strengthening of corrective moods became quite pessimistic comments by the Fed after the meeting on June 19. As expected, the regulator did not change the course of monetary policy but signaled the possibility of such changes in the near future. GBP, in turn, quite coldly reacted to the publication of macroeconomic statistics from the UK on Wednesday. The consumer price index in May slowed down from 0.6% MoM to 0.3%MoM, which coincided with market expectations. YoY, the index slowed down from 2.1% to 2.0%. A report by CBI reflected a sharp decline in industrial orders in June: -15 points against the previous -10. Today, the instrument is also trading upwards, but investors are awaiting the publication of the minutes of the Bank of England meeting. It is expected that the regulator will unanimously vote to maintain the current monetary policy.

AUD/USD

The Australian dollar showed ambiguous dynamics against the US dollar on June 19. The instrument was moderately supported by corrective sentiment on the US currency that strengthened amid the "dovish" Fed rhetoric. In turn, macroeconomic statistics from Australia continued to put moderate pressure on the pair. The Westpac index of leading economic indicators in May showed a decline of 0.08% MoM after a decrease of 0.05% MoM in April. Today, the instrument is trading upwards, and investors play on the publication of the RBA bulletin and the speech of the head of the regulator Philip Lowe. However, the speech of the RBA head had only a moderate impact on the AUD, since it was almost entirely devoted to the situation on the labor market and did not touch upon aspects of future monetary policy.

USD/JPY

The US dollar declined markedly against the Japanese yen on Wednesday, interrupting the flat tendency formed since June 3. The yen was supported by the results of the US Fed meeting, after which the market concentrated on discussing the prospects for easing monetary policy at the next meeting of the regulator. Today, investors are focused on the decision of the Bank of Japan on the interest rate and the accompanying press conference. As expected, the key rate was kept at -0.1%. The regulator again complained about the slowdown in exports and production in view of the deteriorating situation in the global economy and the growth of protectionist sentiment. The main forecasts and target levels of the BoJ remained unchanged.

Oil

Oil prices showed ambiguous dynamics on June 19, despite the publication of optimistic data on the dynamics of oil reserves from the US Department of Energy. According to the report, oil reserves for the week of June 14 decreased by 3.106 million barrels after rising by 2.206 million over the previous period. The report also indicated a reduction in production from 12.300 to 12.200 million barrels per day. Quotes have additional support from hopes for the conclusion of the US-China trade agreement. Earlier, Donald Trump announced a meeting with the PRC leader at the G20 summit, which caused a noticeable enthusiasm in the market.
 
Morning Market Review
2019-06-24 08:44 (GMT+2)
EUR/USD

The euro showed a sharp rise against the US dollar on Friday, updating local highs of March 22. The reason for the further weakening of the US currency is the decline in the yield of treasury bonds, the pigeon position of the Fed, and the growing risks of currency interventions in addition to lowering the interest rate. The euro was supported by macroeconomic statistics published at the end of the week. In June, according to preliminary estimates, the composite Markit Manufacturing PMI showed an increase from 51.8 to 52.1 points with a "no change" forecast. Markit Services PMI for the same period increased from 52.9 to 53.4 points, which is also above expectations. In turn, US indices showed a decline. Markit Manufacturing PMI fell from 50.5 to 50.1 points while the forecast was 50.4 points. Services PMI dropped from 50.9 to 50.7 points, with a forecast of growth to 51.0 points.

GBP/USD

The British pound is trading upwards against the US currency, updating local highs of June 12. The instrument is supported by the weak dollar position, which expects monetary policy easing at the Fed meeting in July. Also, investors are waiting for the start of the G20 summit at the end of the week and are hoping for positive results from a possible meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. In turn, the pound is pressured by the increased uncertainty around Brexit. Last week, the head of the European Council, Donald Tusk, noted that he was looking forward to working with the new British Prime Minister, but stressed that the agreements reached under the agreement are not subject to revision. This is a rather alarming signal since practically all candidates for the post of prime minister in one way or another support the revision of certain points of the agreement. The alternative is still the "no deal" Brexit.

AUD/USD

The Australian dollar showed ambiguous dynamics against the US dollar on June 21, but today it is actively growing again. The strengthening of the instrument is largely due to technical factors, while the macroeconomic background from Australia and the United States remains controversial. The market headed for the weakening of the USD amid the upcoming easing of the Fed's monetary policy, however, in many ways the possible decision of the regulator has already influenced the current level of quotes.

USD/JPY

The US dollar showed ambiguous dynamics against the yen at the end of the week, reversing near the updated local lows of the beginning of the year. The reason for the slowdown in the "bearish" dynamics was the technical correction, as well as the relatively weak macroeconomic statistics from Japan. Nikkei Manufacturing PMI in June fell from 49.8 to 49.5 points, which turned out to be worse than the expectations of 50.0 points. The growth of the national consumer price index in May slowed down from 0.9% YoY to 0.7% YoY, coinciding with analysts' forecasts. Today, investors are focused on the publication of indexes of leading and coincident indicators in Japan in April. On June 25, the market is waiting for the publication of the minutes of the Bank of Japan meeting.

Oil

Oil prices showed a moderate increase on June 21, responding to increased tensions in the Middle East after the incident with the US drone shot down by Iran. On Friday, Donald Trump canceled a strike on Iran noting that this could cause a disproportionate loss of lives, so the market is now waiting for the current sanctions to strengthen. In any case, the prospects for US-Iranian relations have noticeably deteriorated and it is obviously not necessary to count on normalizing the situation in the near future. On Friday, slight pressure on quotes was provided by the published Baker Hughes report on active oil platforms in the United States. During the week, the number
 
Morning Market Review
2019-06-25 08:35 (GMT+2)
EUR/USD

The euro showed moderate growth against the US dollar on Monday, updating local highs of March 21. The strengthening the single currency is caused by the weakness of the dollar, which reacts negatively to the prospects for reducing the interest rate by the Fed. However, the threat of easing monetary policy exists in Europe, too. Some analysts believe that before leaving, the head of the ECB, Mario Draghi, will try to convince the board members of the need for new incentives amid low inflation expectations. The macroeconomic statistics published on Monday showed no significant support for the euro. The German Ifo index of economic expectations in June showed a decline from 95.3 to 94.2 points, with a forecast of a decline to 94.5 points. The business optimism index for the same period decreased from 97.9 to 97.4 points (better than analysts' forecasts of 97.3 points).

GBP/USD

The British pound showed ambiguous dynamics against the US currency on Monday, updating local highs of 21 May. The news background of the beginning of the week remained fairly calm, so investors were focused on the former drivers. The dollar is still pressured by the greatly increased tensions between the US and Iran, as well as the uncertainty in trade relations with China in anticipation of the G20 summit, at which Donald Trump and Xi Jinping can meet. The pound is pressured by uncertainty with Brexit. Investors fear that changing the prime minister will not help the approval process of the current agreement, and the country will be forced to leave the EU without an agreement at all, which threatens another slowdown in the global economy.

AUD/USD

The Australian dollar strengthened against the US one on Monday, rising to new local highs of 10 June. Amid the lack of new drivers in the market, USD is noticeably losing to AUD due to increased tensions. This is due to several factors, including the escalation of the conflict between the United States and Iran, as well as the upcoming meeting of the heads of the United States and China. Despite the optimistic mood of the market, analysts fear that, if the June negotiations of Donald Trump and Xi Jinping come to a standstill, the next chance to normalize trade relations between the countries will not appear soon. Published on Monday, macroeconomic statistics from the United States was ambiguous. The Chicago Fed National Activity Index in May rose from -0.48 to -0.05 points, which turned out to be significantly better than forecasts (-0.37 points). The Dallas Fed Manufacturing Index in June fell from -5.3 to -12.1 points, against the forecasts of growth to 4.8 points.

USD/JPY

At the beginning of the week, the US dollar showed ambiguous and inactive trading dynamic against the Japanese yen. In the absence of significant news factors, investors continued to play on existing drivers. The yen was moderately supported by indices from Japan. The index of leading indicators in April rose from 95.7 to 95.9 points, with a forecast of 95.5 points. The index of coincident indicators for the same period strengthened from 101.1 to 102.1 points, which turned out to be better than market expectations of 101.9 points. Today, the yen is showing aggressive growth, despite the publication of ambiguous statistics from Japan. Prices for corporate services in March showed an increase of 0.8% YoY, slowing down from the previous value of 1.0% YoY. Investors are also focused on the publication of the minutes of the meeting of the Bank of Japan on monetary policy from April 24-25. However, the document did not reflect anything new and reaffirmed the commitment of the regulator to the soft policy. Probably, the rates will remain unchanged at least until the spring of 2020.

Oil

Oil prices returned to decline at the beginning of the week, departing from local highs, updated on Friday. The reason for the decline in quotes was the existing factors of low demand for petroleum products against the background of a slowdown in the global economy and an increase in tensions in certain regions. In particular, the attention is focused on the conflict between the USA and Iran, aggravated after the US drone was shot down in the Persian Gulf. The conflict between the USA and China remains unresolved. However, investors have high hopes for meeting Donald Trump and Xi Jinping meeting at the G20 summit, which will be held at the end of the week in Japan. On Tuesday, investors are focused on the speech of Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and on the publication of the API report on oil reserves for the week of June 21.
 
Morning Market Review
2019-06-26 08:30 (GMT+2)
EUR/USD

The euro showed a decline against the US dollar on Tuesday, departing from the updated local highs of March 21. The decline in the European currency was largely technical in nature since the macroeconomic background from the USA remained ambiguous and there was little interesting data from Europe. Sales of new houses in the United States in May decreased significantly (by 7.8% MoM after falling by 3.7% MoM last month). Analysts had expected growth by 1.9% MoM. At the same time, the housing price index in April rose from 0.1% MoM to 0.4% MoM, which turned out to be better than the forecast of 0.2% MoM. Today, the instrument continues to trade within a downtrend. On Wednesday, investors are focused on the presentation of the ECB representative Yves Mersch, as well as statistics on consumer confidence in Germany. The United States will publish the dynamics of orders for durable goods.

GBP/USD

The pound fell markedly against the US dollar on Tuesday, stopping the uptrend which developed since June 18. Uncertainty around Brexit continues to exert pressure on the British currency. In the light of the forthcoming elections of the Prime Minister, the issue of leaving the UK from the EU without an agreement is being discussed more and more and scares investors with additional risks for the British and world economy. Additional pressure on the pound on Tuesday was put by the published CBI report on retail. In June, sales fell sharply by 42% MoM after falling by 27% MoM last month. Analysts had expected an improvement in the dynamics and a decline in the indicator only by 10% MoM. Today, the pair is trading in both directions, and investors expect new drivers to appear on the market. The focus of attention on Wednesday is the speech of the head of the Bank of England Mark Carney at the hearing of the report on inflation in Parliament.

AUD/USD

The Australian dollar maintains a fairly confident upward trend against the US one in the short term. The demand for safe assets in the market is still increasing, as the factors of growing concern remain in place. Investors are frightened by the aggravation of the geopolitical situation in the Middle East and assess the chances of an armed clash between the United States and Iran. Also, traders are waiting for the start of the G20 summit in Japan, within which US President Donald Trump should hold a meeting with PRC President Xi Jinping. Disruption of the negotiations will put additional pressure on USD.

USD/JPY

The US dollar showed ambiguous dynamics against the Japanese yen on June 25, having managed to update the local minima of the beginning of the year. The reason for the emergence of such dynamics were the publication of the minutes of the BoJ meeting and uncertain statistics on the construction market in the United States. Regulator's protocols have once again confirmed the course for a soft monetary policy, which can remain unchanged at least until spring 2020. Today, the dollar is trading within an uptrend, which is due to investors fixing a short profit in the Japanese currency. On Wednesday, there would be no interesting statistics from Japan, so the US data will be in the spotlight.

Oil

Oil prices showed a moderate increase on June 25, which was caused by a weaker dollar and a published API report on oil reserves. According to the report, over the week of June 21, the volume of oil reserves in US warehouses decreased by a confident 7.550 million barrels, which is significantly stronger than the decline of 0.812 million over the previous period. Quotes are also supported by growing tensions between the USA and Iran after Donald Trump's administration introduced new sanctions against the leadership of Tehran on Monday. On Wednesday, investors are focused on the publication of a report on oil reserves from the US Department of Energy.
 
Morning Market Review
2019-06-27 08:38 (GMT+2)
EUR/USD

The European currency did not change much against the US dollar on June 26 but managed to keep a generally "bearish" mood. Today, the instrument is gradually returning to sales, but market activity remains moderate, and investors expect new drivers to appear. The focus is on a large block of statistics from Europe. Investors, in particular, will be interested in data on consumer inflation in Germany for June. According to preliminary forecasts, the consumer price index may slow down in June from 0.2% MoM to 0.1% MoM and maintain annual growth rates at the previous values of 1.4% YoY. In addition to statistics on inflation, the Eurozone will publish a block of indices on business sentiment for June. With the opening of the American session, attention will be switched to the publication of updated annual data on US GDP for Q1.

GBP/USD

The British currency showed a slight increase against the US dollar on June 26, partially compensating a steady decline the previous day. There were no noticeable reasons for the pound strengthening, so the growth was largely technical. Investors were focused on the speech of the head of the Bank of England, Mark Carney. He noted that recently the risks associated with the "tough" Brexit scenario have increased significantly. At the moment, the regulator's forecasts do not take this scenario into account, so they can be revised as the next Brexit deadline approaches. Published macroeconomic statistics from the UK had no significant support for the pound. The number of approved mortgage loans from BBA in June decreased from 42.898K to 42.384K, which was worse than the average market expectations.

AUD/USD

The Australian dollar showed quite active growth against the US one on Wednesday, updating local highs of June 10. The further development of the upward dynamics is due to the weak positions of USD, as well as some investor enthusiasm regarding the upcoming meeting of Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. Yesterday, the US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that the delegations of two countries managed to achieve significant progress on controversial trade issues, therefore, with high probability, the parties will be able to come to some mutually beneficial compromise. Recall that China remains one of the main trading partners for Australia with its export-oriented economy. The Australian economy reacts negatively to the slowdown in China's industrial activity. Analysts also fear new US import duties and trade barriers.

USD/JPY

The US dollar rose strongly against the yen on June 26, departing from local minima updated the day before. The American currency was supported by increased expectations of a favorable outcome of the planned meeting of Donald Trump and Xi Jinping during the G20 summit, which will be held at the end of the week. Minor support for the dollar is also provided by the speech of the Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, who did not focus on the prospects for lowering the interest rate during the July meeting, but noted that the regulator will not react to any political pressure. Today, the instrument continues to develop upward dynamics, despite the publication of optimistic macroeconomic statistics from Japan. Retail sales in May increased by 0.3% MoM and 1.2% YoY after a decline of 0.1% MoM and growth by 0.4% YoY last month. Analysts had expected the negative dynamics to worsen to -0.6% MoM. The indicator of retail sales in large stores in May decreased by 0.5% MoM, having improved from the previous value of -1.8% MoM with a forecast of -1.2% MoM.

Oil

Oil prices rose slightly on Wednesday, marking new local highs since May 30. Quotes were supported by the API report, which reflected a sharp decline in US oil reserves amid an accident at a major refinery. The published data on oil reserves from the US Department of Energy differed noticeably from the API data and reflected a decline in reserves for the week of June 21 by 12.788 million barrels, with a forecast of a decline of only 2.540 million. The report also reflected the growth of oil production in the USA from 12.200 million to 12.100 million barrels per day.
 
Morning Market Review
2019-07-01 08:25 (GMT+2)
EUR/USD

The euro showed ambiguous dynamics against the US dollar on June 28. Investors didn't want to open new positions at the end of the week amid the passing G20 summit, at which, in particular, a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping was awaited. The negotiations ended quite positively. Trump noted that they were "better than expected" and encouraged the markets with optimistic forecasts for the final deal between the countries. In the meantime, the United States decided not to introduce new import duties and allowed American companies to deal with Huawei if this does not pose a threat to the security of the USA. Moderate support for the euro on Friday was provided by preliminary data on consumer inflation. In June, the core consumer price index accelerated from 0.8% to 1.1% YoY, with a forecast of growth to 1.0% YoY. At the start of the week, European statistics on consumer lending and unemployment for May is expected.

GBP/USD

The British pound rose significantly against the US dollar on Friday, offsetting a moderate decline in the instrument the day before. Investors were focused on statistics on the dynamics of the UK GDP for Q1. As expected, the indicator showed an increase of 0.5% QoQ and 1.8% YoY. At the same time, the volume of commercial investments in the economy continued to decline. QoQ, the indicator rose by 0.4% after rising by 0.5%. YoY, it decreased by 1.5% after a drop of 1.4% earlier. The UK current account deficit in Q1 reached 30.045 billion pounds, which, however, was better than the forecast of 32.00 billion pounds. Investors today are focused on a block of statistics from the UK on business activity in the manufacturing sector and the dynamics of consumer lending in May.

AUD/USD

The Australian dollar ended the week with steady growth against the US currency, noting new local highs since May 8. The reason for the growth of the instrument on Friday was the positive expectations of a successful outcome of the US-China negotiations at the G20 summit sites, which were partially justified. The parties agreed to continue trade negotiations, but for now, the USA decided not to introduce new import duties and lifted some restrictions for cooperation with the Chinese company Huawei. Published Chinese statistics once again reminded investors of the existing problems. The NBS data on the manufacturing sector in June did not show the expected growth from the level of 49.4 points. In the service sector, the indicator dropped from 54.3 to 54.2 points, while the forecast was 54.5 points. The Caixin Manufacturing PMI declined from 50.2 to 49.4 points, breaking down the level separating growth from stagnation.

USD/JPY

On July 1, the US dollar opened with a positive gap against the Japanese yen. The US currency is supported by the results of the negotiations between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, who managed to prevent a further escalation of the trade conflict. However, analysts believe that the growth of the US currency will be only short-lived since the final agreement is still far enough from signing. In addition, now the attention of investors will switch to a possible reduction in the interest rate by the Fed during the July meeting. Statistics from Japan released today was ambiguous. The Tankan Services index for Q2 showed a moderate increase from 21 to 23 points with a forecast of a decline to 20 points. At the same time, the Nikkei Manufacturing PMI dropped from 49.5 to 49.3 points.

Oil

Oil prices are rising moderately today, recovering from a noticeable correction at the end of last week. Quotes are supported by the OPEC+ meeting, which will start on Monday. Following the meeting, the cartel is expected to decide to extend the existing agreement on the limitation of supplies. Moreover, the agreement can be expanded and supplemented with new mechanisms for regulating supply on the market. At the G20 summit, which took place last weekend in Osaka, Russia managed to negotiate with Saudi Arabia to extend the deal for 6-9 months. The Russian Minister of Energy, Alexander Novak, commenting on this decision, also noted that Russia in June reduced oil production slightly more than it was required by the OPEC+ deal.
 
Morning Market Review
2019-07-02 08:37 (GMT+2)
EUR/USD

The euro showed a steady decline against the US dollar on Monday, retreating to June 20 levels. EUR was pressured by ambiguous macroeconomic statistics from Europe and China, as well as the general correctional sentiment in favor of the dollar, which remained pressured all last week in view of the start of the G20 summit. The summit ended optimistically. Investors enthusiastically greeted the results of the meeting of Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, who managed to prevent another increase in import duties. In addition, the parties agreed to continue full-format trade negotiations, therefore, there's still a possibility of a final trade deal. Today, the pair is trading in a flat. Investors are focused on the statistics on retail sales in Germany in May and the European producer price indices.

GBP/USD

At the beginning of the week, the British pound fell against the US dollar updating local lows of June 20. Traders returned to active sales of the pound amid the publication of weak macroeconomic statistics from the UK. In addition, as the trade conflict between the USA and China gradually fades, more and more investors are following the uncertain prospects for Brexit. The Markit Manufacturing PMI in June fell from 49.4 to 48.0 points, with a forecast of a decline to 49.2 points. Consumer lending in May slowed from 0.968 billion to 0.822 billion pounds, which turned out to be worse than market expectations of 0.967 billion. The number of approved mortgage applications in May also showed a decline from 66.045 to 65.409 thousand (forecast 65.600K). On Tuesday, investors expect the publication of the Construction PMI, as well as speech by the Bank of England head Mark Carney.

AUD/USD

The Australian dollar fell significantly against the US one on Monday, departing from local highs of May 7. The decline in the instrument was largely technical in nature since it was preceded by a 9-day "bullish" rally of AUD. The instrument was additionally pressured by published macroeconomic statistics from Australia and China. The Australian AiG Manufacturing PMI in June fell from 52.7 to 49.4 points. The Chinese Caixin Manufacturing PMI in June fell from 50.2 to 49.4 points, with a forecast of 50.0 points. Today, the pair is trading in both directions. Investors are focused on the RBA interest rate decision. As expected, the regulator reduced the rate from 1.25% to 1.00%, explaining that by the need to support inflation and the level of employment.

USD/JPY

The US dollar rose against the Japanese yen on Monday, updating local highs of June 19. The instrument was supported by positive results of the meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, who managed to achieve a temporary truce in a trade conflict. The yen was pressured by published macroeconomic statistics from Japan. Nikkei Manufacturing PMI in June fell from 49.8 to 49.3 points, which turned out to be worse than the expectations of 49.5 points. The consumer confidence index for the same period fell from 39.4 to 38.7 points, against the forecast of growth to 40.4 points.

Oil

Oil prices showed a decline on July 1, although multidirectional dynamics was observed during the day. The quotes are strongly supported by the OPEC decision to extend the existing agreement on limiting oil supplies until March 2020. Thus, Saudi Arabia to some extent ignored the demands of Donald Trump to increase the volume of supplies in order to further reduce prices. On July 2, OPEC will hold talks with non-members that have previously joined the agreement. For example, Russia is also expected to support the cartel, which will provide additional support to quotes. Oon Tuesday, investors are also focused on the publication of the API report on oil reserves. Last week, the report showed a sharp decline in stocks of 7.55 million barrels.
 
Morning Market Review
2019-07-03 08:32 (GMT+2)
EUR/USD

On July 2, the euro traded in both directions, ending the day session with almost zero results. The reason for the emergence of uncertain dynamics was ambiguous macroeconomic data from Germany and the Eurozone, as well as the aggravation in US-European trade relations. Additional pressure on the euro is exerted by the "dovish" rhetoric of the ECB, which is considering the possibility of further reducing negative interest rates and expanding the quantitative easing program. However, the latter factor is balanced by the likelihood of a reduction in the Fed interest rate at the July meeting. Statistics from Germany released on Tuesday showed a decline in retail sales in May by 0.6% MoM after a decrease by 2.0% MoM last month. Analysts expected positive dynamics of 0.5% MoM. The Eurozone data indicated a stronger slowdown in industrial inflation. In May, the producer price index slowed from 2.6% YoY to 1.6% YoY, with a forecast of 1.7% YoY.

GBP/USD

On Tuesday, the British pound showed a steady decline against the US dollar updating local lows of June 19. Negative macroeconomic statistics from the UK contributed to the development of the negative dynamics of the instrument, which continues to strengthen the negative outlook for the economy against the background of the upcoming Brexit. The house prices index from Nationwide in June showed an increase of 0.1% MoM after a decline of 0.2% MoM in May. Analysts were expecting more significant growth of 0.2% MoM. At the same time, the Construction PMI in June fell from 48.6 to 43.1 points, contrary to forecasts of growth to 49.3 points. The negative was added by the speech of the head of the Bank of England Mark Carney, who spoke at the annual local government conference in Bournemouth. The speech was almost entirely devoted to the economic risks of trade wars and the threat of a Brexit without a deal.

AUD/USD

The Australian dollar rose against the US one on July 2, having won back part of the losses suffered at the beginning of the week. It is curious that the growth of the instrument proceeded amid the expected decision of the RBA to reduce the interest rate from 1.25% to 1.00%. Moreover, at the accompanying press conference, the head of the regulator Philip Lowe noted that the Bank may take additional measures of stimulation if the economic situation continues to deteriorate. Today, the pair is trading in both directions. The focus is on a large block of statistics from Australia. The AiG Services PMI in June fell from 52.5 to 52.2 points. The number of issued construction permits in May grew by 0.7% MoM after a decrease of 3.4% MoM last month. Analysts were expecting zero dynamics. Exports in May rose sharply by 4.0% MoM, accelerating from 1.6% MoM in April. In contrast, imports slowed down from 2.3% MoM to 2.0% MoM, which led to a stronger increase in the trade surplus from 4.820 million to 5.745 million AUD.

USD/JPY

The US dollar resumed a steady decline against the yen amid the next increase in demand for safe assets. After reaching some truce in the US-China trade dispute, investor attention shifted to the aggravation of trade relations between the United States and Europe. Yesterday, the administration of Donald Trump has published an updated list of European goods, which may be imposed higher import duties. However, the market is not yet prone to negativity, since no ultimatums have been put forward. Statistics from Japan released today provided moderate support to the yen. In June, the Markit Services PMI rose from 51.7 to 51.9 points, which did not reach the forecast of 52.0 points.

Oil

Oil prices showed a steady decline on Tuesday, responding to the rising risks of a further slowdown in the global economy. In turn, moderate support for the quotes was provided by the outcome of the OPEC+ meeting, following which the cartel was able to agree to extend the current agreement on supplies restriction for another 9 months. The published API report on oil reserves has also contributed to price increases. For the week of June 28, oil reserves in the USA decreased by 5.00 million barrels after a decrease of 7.55 million over the previous period. On July 3, investors are awaiting the publication of a report on oil reserves from the US Department of Energy.
 
Morning Market Review
2019-07-04 08:17 (GMT+2)
EUR/USD

The euro showed ambiguous dynamics against the US dollar on Wednesday, updating local highs of June 20. The support came from good macroeconomic statistics. The Markit Services PMI in June rose from 52.9 to 53.6 points, while the forecast was for growth to 53.4 points. The Composite Manufacturing PMI for the same period strengthened from 51.8 to 52.2 points, which also turned out to be better than forecast (52.1 points). Another factor supporting the euro remains the likelihood of lowering interest rates by the Fed as early as the July meeting. In addition, US President Donald Trump continues to exert strong pressure on the regulator, openly calling for the devaluation of the dollar. Today, EUR is correcting. Investors are focused on a block of European statistics on retail sales for May, as well as a speech by ECB representative Philip Lane and ECB Vice President Luis de Guindos.

GBP/USD

The pound finished Wednesday with a moderate decline against the US dollar, continuing the development of the "bearish" impulse formed at the beginning of the week. The British currency continued to be pressured by weak macroeconomic statistics from the UK. In May, the BRC retail price index showed a decline of 0.1% YoY after rising by 0.8% YoY last month. The Markit Services PMI in June fell from 51.0 to 50.2 points, while investors did not expect any changes. Today, the attention of the market has shifted to data from the USA, which turned out to be ambiguous. Among the negative aspects, one can note the decline in production orders in May by 0.7% MoM after a decrease by 1.2% MoM and a slowdown in the ISM Services PMI in June from 56.9 to 55.1 points with a forecast of 55.9 points.

AUD/USD

The Australian dollar strengthened against the US one since July 2, updating local highs of May 7. The instrument is growing against the background of the publication of a rather uncertain macroeconomic statistics from the USA. Also, it is supported by the prospect of a Fed rate cut in July and the overall pressure that Donald Trump puts on the regulator. The improvement in the US-China trade relations also helps AUD, which counts on the growth of Chinese production. Today, the pair is trading in an uptrend. The published statistics on retail sales from Australia in May provides little support. The indicator rose by 0.1% MoM after falling by 0.1% MoM last month but did not reach the forecast (0.2%). US markets are closed on Thursday to celebrate Independence Day.

USD/JPY

The US dollar remains pressured against the Japanese yen, trading mostly in a downtrend after the update of local maxima at the beginning of the week. The ADP Employment Report published yesterday had a moderate pressure on the dollar. In June, the report reflected the growth of new jobs in the private sector by 102K versus 41K last month. The analysts suggested an increase in employment of 140K. Initial jobless claims for the week of June 28 decreased from 229K to 221K, with a forecast of 223K. Continuous jobless claims also fell, from 1.694 to 1.686 million (forecast 1.675 million). Today, the instrument is traded in both directions. Low investor activity is caused by closed US markets on the occasion of Independence Day. Moderate support for the yen is provided by investment performance. The volume of foreign investment rose by 58.5 billion Japanese yen after a decrease of 313.3 billion over the past period. Investments in foreign bonds rose by 514.3 billion yen after rising by 497.8 billion.

Oil

Oil prices rose moderately on July 3, partially recovering from a sharp decline on Tuesday. Quotes continued to be supported by the positive results of the OPEC+ meeting, at which it was decided to extend the existing agreement to restrict supplies for another 9 months. The growth was also supported by the API report on oil reserves, published on Tuesday, which indicated a reduction by 5 million barrels. On Wednesday, the US Department of Energy published a report, which failed to meet expectations. For the week of June 28, according to EIA, oil reserves fell by only 1.085 million barrels after a decline of a record 12.788 million for the last period. The report also reflected growth in US oil production from 12,100 to 12,200 million barrels per day.
 
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