Forex Trading

Traders moving assets to safer, lower yielding currencies appear to be playing a factor in the correction of the major crosses. The USD and JPY, which are seen as a safer bet than others currencies in times of market stress, will likely keep drawing demand as investors stay away from riskier assets.



USD - Dollar Extends its Gains against the EUR and Pound

The U.S. Dollar extended its gains against the EUR and Pound yesterday. The Dollar Index, which tracks the USD vs. its 6 most traded currencies, such as the EUR, Pound and Yen, showed a 0.4% increase to 79.31 on Monday. This added to last week's rise of 0.8% in the index. Monday's USD trading behavior was due to last week's better than expected unemployment, manufacturing, and consumer confidence figures. Adding to the USD's gains yesterday was the increased speculation that in the long run, the U.S. economy is likely to grow at a faster pace than the Euro-Zone, Britain and Japan.

The realization that the USD is much undervalued against the EUR was one of the main reasons for the extension of the USD's bullishness vs. the EUR yesterday. The pair fell by 70 pips to 1.4130 at yesterday. The greenback also made great inroads into the British Pound yesterday, as British banking woes reemerged, and deflation fears kicked in. This led to a massive slide in the GBP/USD pair by 235 pips to 1.6475. The USD also rose against the Canadian Dollar, as the CAD slid on the much weaker metals and energy sectors yesterday, which Canada's economy is highly dependent upon.

Looking ahead to today, we can expect much volatility in the forex market following yesterday's bullish trend in the USD. Today, unlike yesterday, the U.S. will be present when it comes to economic news. The major news events to drive USD trading today are the release of Prelim Nonfarm Productivity and Prelim Unit Labor Costs data both at 12:30 GMT, and Wholesale Inventories at 14:00 GMT.

EUR - Pound Slides on Fears of Worsening British Economy

The Pound slid dramatically against it major currency pairs yesterday, as fears increased over the health of the British economy. The Bank of England's (BoE) decision to increase quantitative easing last week, and the collapse of British banking and energy stocks on Monday raised fears that the British economy may yet again fall into the abyss. With regards the Euro-Zone, the EUR fell on the assumption that Europe's economy will grow at a slower pace than the U.S. This resulted in higher demand for the USD yesterday, adding to the EUR's losing streak.

The EUR/USD pair plummeted to the 1.4170 level yesterday. This came about as the latest misfortune for the EUR against the USD possibly signals that the best is over for the European currency. This comes about as German banks face the threat of corporate downgrades. The GBP/USD pair fell by a massive 235 pips yesterday, as the British economy is fairing worse than the U.S. at the current time. It seems that the behavior that we see now in the forex market signals that conditions may be favoring a possible Dollar rally in the medium term against the GBP and EUR.

Today we may see a further bearish move for both the EUR and GBP against the most traded currencies. This is provided that economic conditions continue to favor the USD. There are plenty of economic news events today that may determine this. These include the Trade Balance and the DCLG HPI figures from Britain at 08:30 GMT. Coming out of the Euro-Zone are the German Final CPI and German WPI at 06:00 GMT, and the French Gov Budget Balance at 06:45 GMT. These figures are likely to determine the EUR and GBP crosses in todays trading.

JPY - JPY Soars against the Major Currencies

On Monday, Japan recorded a better than expected increase in Machinery Orders in June, the first increase in 4 months. However, other data showed that the Japanese economy was still in dire straits. Despite this, the Yen gained against its most traded currencies yesterday. For example, the GBP/JPY cross fell by 280 pips to the 159.74 level. This occurred as a decline in global equity markets led to a decline in riskier currencies, such as the GBP. Also, yesterday's gains mark a correction from the bullishness we have seen in the GBP/JPY and USD/JPY crosses in the past few weeks.

Today, there is yet another opportunity for the Yen to build on its recent gains as the global economy destabilizes yet again. This is despite the fact that growth is expected to return to the U.S. economy in the 3rd quarter. There are 3 vital news events coming out of Japan that are expected to drive JPY trading for much of the day. These include the Monetary Policy Statement, Overnight Call Rate and the BOJ Press Conference. The results of these publications may see the JPY go bullish yet again today against the greenback, British Pound and EUR.

Crude Oil - Crude Oil Slips Below $71

Crude Oil slipped 40 cents to $70.70 a barrel yesterday, as the Dollar rebounded against the EUR, which in turn reduced the need for commodities as an alternative investment. Crude's fortunes were further dampened yesterday, as there was a slump in equities in both the U.S. and Europe. Additionally, commodities also suffered in yesterday's trading. One of the main reasons for this was the strong USD, which is highly important, as Crude Oil itself is priced in Dollars.

The black gold may be helped today, if we see a fall in the value of the USD. Playing on Crude Oil's downside too is the fact that demand can't keep up with prices. Moreover, it seems that the price of Oil may have been overvalued as of late, and a slight correction in the market may take place in order to determine the real value of this commodity.

Article Source - Dollar Rallies vs. Most Rivals but Loses against the Yen