Forex Trading

Last week, traders saw a flurry of economic news affecting the American economy and practically zero news emanating from Europe. This week appears to be the exact opposite. A blizzard of economic events is expected from the Euro-Zone and very little is scheduled to be released from the United States. Forex traders should definitely pay closer attention to the EUR and GBP markets this week as they will be in the driver's seat of the market for the days ahead.



USD - USD Moves Up against Rivals

After ending last week slightly higher versus most of its currency counterparts, the USD began this week's trading with a continuation of its recent uptrend, appreciating against every currency rival except the JPY. Dropping below the 1.3000 level against the EUR this morning, and near 1.4700 against the Pound, the Dollar's strength appears to be on schedule for further upward movement against these majors.

The only pair to beat out the USD this morning has been the Japanese Yen, considering many traders are beginning to hedge their bets on the value of the Dollar as the number one safe-haven investment. This may come as a result of the perception that the Dollar may see weakness in the future as investors pull out of the forex market and back into the stock market due to increased risk appetite and uncertainty in various equity markets. As the future decisions of the European Central Bank (ECB) appear to be foggy, traders are not expecting much correction to take place in the EUR/USD's recent downward movement and are instead going short on the EUR where possible.

Last week, traders saw a flurry of economic news affecting the American economy and practically zero news emanating from Europe. This week appears to be the exact opposite. A blizzard of economic events is expected from the Euro-Zone and very little is scheduled to be released from the United States. Forex traders should definitely pay closer attention to the EUR and GBP markets this week as they will be in the driver's seat of the market for the days ahead.

EUR - EUR's Movement Negative, but Busy News Week May Prove Fruitful

The EUR apparently can't catch a break these days. With a steady depreciation against the majors, the EUR looks like last week's loser, and may continue to hold that title throughout this week as well. Dropping below important price barriers against the USD and JPY, but holding steady against the GBP, the EUR's value may be due to recent analysis of the European Central Bank (ECB) than anything else.

Delivering a speech in which uncertainty seemed to be the major headline, ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet apparently only made matters worse for the 16-nation currency. This indecisiveness no doubt comes from the fundamental differences in solutions perceived to be necessary for the economic conditions of the diverse countries which make up the European Monetary Union (EMU). With a multitude of ethnic, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds, each member country brings with it a unique perspective on this recent crisis as well as a different interpretation on what is required to fix this downturn for the interests of each individual country. Disunity reigns supreme in Europe, and the U.S. and Japanese currencies are the beneficiaries.

On the upside for the EUR this week is the slew of data emanating from the Euro-Zone regional economy. With an abnormally busy news week, the Euro-Zone may, for the first time in months, outshine the Dollar and take control of the forex market this week. Traders will absolutely want to tune in to the economic indicators emanating from Europe and the U.K. throughout the week. Most importantly are the two confidence reports, the ZEW Sentiment and German Ifo Business Climate reports, due out Wednesday and Friday respectively.

JPY - Gains on Wall Street and an Indecisive ECB Leads JPY Higher

The Japanese Yen appears to be on the receiving end of large buying session as traders pounce into the Asian currency to hedge against less certain investments like the EUR, GBP and even the U.S. Dollar. Dropping below key support levels against the EUR and GBP, the JPY appears to be on a fresh bullish run which could have much more room to grow if markets continue like they have the past few days.

Slicing through the 145.80 price level against the Pound, and below 129.00 against the EUR, the Yen's recent strength may have much to do with the recent uncertainty in monetary policy decisions within the European Central Bank (ECB) and the rising uptrend in the U.S. stock markets. As usual, this week will not be seeing much economic news coming from the island economy, but with so much attention focused on Wall Street and a stale-mated ECB lately, Japan may not need to take the reins to steer its own market to new heights. Traders should be keeping an eye on the European markets this week as its news will no doubt be the guiding force behind this week's market.

OIL - Global Demand for Oil May Continue Falling; Will its Price Follow?

After last Friday's jump in oil prices, the cost of buying a barrel of Light Sweet Crude has apparently begun to fall after reports showed that the U.S. economy is still forecasting a contraction. With the world's top oil consumer declaring that it's demand for Crude Oil is going to continue falling, and with current production levels being estimated as too high to support prices, traders may be seeing the start of a new downward trend in the price of Crude Oil this week.

Starting last Friday between $51 and $52 per barrel, the price of Crude Oil subsequently jumped to as high as $53 by mid-day. However, during today's early trading hours, the price of Crude Oil has apparently begun to decline and is currently trading at $51.50. With a few analysts claiming that oil remains slightly over-valued, we could see a sell-off in black gold through late-afternoon today.

Article Source - Europe Takes the Wheel of the Forex Market this Week