Forex Trading

With rising fears about additional monetary easing by the Federal Reserve, speculators have begun to exit many of their USD positions in favor of higher yielding assets. Bank intervention in Japan also has many investors weary of entering yen positions in the near future, but poor fundamentals out of Europe have traders just as concerned about their investments in the euro zone, but have the added benefit of less government tinkering. The EUR's best bet for the moment could be to lie low and reap the benefits of a rapidly dropping USD and JPY.



USD - USD Stable despite Monetary Easing Speculations

The US dollar has been holding steady against most of its currency rivals, despite fundamentals showing a shift away from the safety of the greenback. A positive jobs report pushed the USD/CAD towards 1.0380, while conflicting reports out of Europe have the EUR/USD stalling at 1.3340 and the GBP/USD appearing to consolidate just below 1.5700.

With rising fears about further monetary easing by the Federal Reserve, speculators have begun to exit many of their USD positions in favor of higher yielding assets. A narrowing of the yield gap between the US and Japanese bonds also put pressure on the greenback as traders exited their carry trades, adding downward momentum to the dollar.

Today's durable goods orders out of the United States have a chance to add modest support to the USD if the figure is in line, or above, expectations. Rising durable goods orders is representative of increased demand for US manufacturing goods and services, which has a residual effect across the American economy.

EUR - EUR Gaining Amid Global Monetary Changes

The euro's rise continued in today's Asian trading sessions, but some analysts have begun to anticipate a softening of the EUR in the hours ahead. The EUR/USD saw a healthy 60 pip gain since the opening of the Asian session, currently trading at 1.3350. The EUR/GBP also rose modestly, sitting just above 0.8505.

Bank intervention in Japan has many investors weary of entering yen positions in the near future, but poor fundamentals out of Europe have traders just as concerned about their investments in the euro zone. Today's German Ifo Business Climate report could show a minor decline in economic sentiment in the region's largest economy. However, most analysts do not expect the Ifo report to carry much weight given the load of speculation emerging from the US and Japan.

With Japanese bank interventions and potential monetary easing by the US Federal Reserve, the euro's best chances of weathering the storm may be to lie low and do what it can to downplay its negative data releases. No news may be the best news for the euro zone's single currency for the moment.

JPY - JPY on Shaky Ground; Traders Awaiting Second Wave of Bank Intervention

The Japanese yen slumped against the US dollar and the EUR in today's early trading on speculation Japan is selling its currency after intervening in the market last week. The yen slid 1% to 85.22 per dollar from 84.38 in New York yesterday, however, it since stabilized back around $85.

Japan has yet to express satisfaction at the current value of its currency. This has led many speculators to anticipate a second wave of bank intervention sometime in the near future. The speculation alone has helped drop the yen against many of its currency counterparts. But should the Bank of Japan (BOJ) intervene in the market once more, traders are likely to see a very sharp drop in the value of the yen, primarily against the US dollar.

With no news expected out of Japan before the weekend's close, European and American reports will likely control today's movements, setting the pace for early next week. Traders would be wise to follow today's two leading events, the German Ifo Business Climate and the US Core Durable Goods Orders report.

Crude Oil - Crude Oil Fundamentals Could Be Weaker than Many Expected

The price of Crude Oil continues to float between $73.50 and $76.50 as markets digest the impact of Japan's bank interventions and speculation about further monetary easing in the United States. The summer driving season in Europe and America did little to support oil prices this year. Fundamentals remain weak for Crude Oil, and few expect growth levels to return to pre-2007 levels anytime soon.

With the current price of Crude Oil trading just below $75.00 a barrel, there appears to be technical pressures mounting to push the price higher in today's trading. Retreating optimism in Europe and a possible boost to American manufacturing growth both provide fundamental support to oil prices, but the specter of additional quantitative easing in the United States remains overhead.

Traders appear weary of purchasing the dollar, and the expected result should be a rise in oil prices. On the contrary, though, the support currently being experienced seems softer than expected and has many analysts concerned that fundamentals are in fact weaker than most have forecast.

Technical News

EUR/USD

The price of this pair has been floating in the over-bought territory on the daily RSI for some time now, suggesting strong downward pressure. A fresh bearish cross on the daily Stochastic (slow) supports this notion. As the price tests an important psychological barrier near 1.3350, going short may be a wise tactic for fast profits today.

GBP/USD

The recent uptick on this currency pair has just pushed the price into the over-bought territory on the daily RSI, suggesting an increase in downward pressure today. The price has also recently turned downward and exited the over-bought territory on the weekly RSI, suggesting that a cascading downward movement may have already been initiated on a larger time-scale. Going short may turn out to be the preferred strategy before the weekend's close.

USD/JPY

The price on the USD/JPY has recently shifted into an upward direction on the weekly RSI, also just exiting the over-sold territory, suggesting a rise in upward momentum. With impending bullish crosses on the daily and weekly MACDs, it may turn out that bullishness is on the way. Traders may want to take advantage of this movement by entering long positions on this pair throughout the day.

USD/CHF

This pair continues to decline, pushing the price into the over-sold region on the daily RSI, and even deeper into the weekly RSI, indicating that an upward correction is expected. An impending bullish cross on the daily Stochastic (slow) supports this notion. Going long may not be a bad idea.

CHF/JPY

The movements of this pair seem to suggest that the price has reached a recent high which is unsupported. The 4-hour, daily and weekly RSI show the price as over-bought, while the daily Stochastic (slow) and MACD have impending bearish crosses. Forex traders may want to evaluate their positions on this pair, especially since it appears that a bearish correction may be imminent. Going short on this pair could turn out to be an excellent gamble before the weekend's close.

The US dollar traded near a five-month low versus the EUR before a U.S. report today that may show existing home sales are close to a 10-year low, adding to signs the world's largest economy is struggling to recover.



USD - US Dollar Extends Losses

The US dollar fell against most of the major currencies on Wednesday, a day after the Federal Reserve said it was ready to take further action to boost the U.S. economy and fend off any deflationary threats. As a result, the dollar fell to its lowest level versus the yen since Japan intervened last week and closed around 84.50. The dollar experienced similar behavior against the EUR to trade at session highs above 1.3400.

The U.S. Federal Reserve's policy-making open market committee on Tuesday set the tone after it said it was prepared to take new stimulus measures if necessary. While the Fed left interest rates at record lows, it suggested further credit easing in a statement. Those measures would likely include buying treasury bonds, causing the market to brace for further dollar losses. The Fed comments will likely keep the dollar weak in the near-term, as the bank's stance is expected to keep downward pressure on U.S. interest rates, analysts said.

Today's Unemployment Claims and Existing Home Sales releases are expected to have a strong impact on the US currency. Any result could be a surprise, and the dollar could go either way as a result. In any case, traders are unsure how the market will react to today's data. A weak report could feed risk aversion, boost Treasuries and actually aid the US dollar. Then again, a better than expected result might be seen as a sign of relative US economic strength, and lift the dollar. Or it could also encourage risk-taking and aid commodities and higher-yielding currencies at the dollar's expense.

EUR - EUR/USD Hits 5-Month High

The EUR experienced a bullish trading session yesterday, as it appreciated in most of its major currency pairs. The 16-nation currency extended gains versus the dollar during yesterday's trading session, rising to its highest level in five months to trade above 1.3400 amid a broad sell-off in the USD. The European currency finished around 60 pips higher against the JPY to finish yesterday's trading session at the 113.30 level.

The pound slipped against the EUR on Wednesday to the lowest level since May, after the report showed the British budget deficit widened in August more than expected, increasing the possibility of further budget spending cuts. The EUR/GBP reached today 0.8560, the highest level since May 28th, after it dropped to the intraday low of 0.8462.

The UK public sector net borrowing was £15.9 billion in August, compared to the borrowing of £14.1 billion in a year ago. The current budget posted the deficit of £13.3 billion in August. Analysts say that the pound may fall further versus the EUR.

JPY - Yen Makes Big Gains on Dollar

The Yen rose on Wednesday to its highest level against the dollar since Japan intervened last week, fuelling speculation of more intervention after the Federal Reserve raised expectations it would print more dollars to help the U.S. economy. The USD/JPY fell yesterday as low as 84.26 before correcting itself. Currently the pair is trading around the 84.60 level.

Top Bank of Japan officials flagged rising risks to the nation's growth as the yen climbed in the aftermath of the US Federal Reserve signaled its willingness to consider more monetary stimulus. The remarks came a week after Japan sold yen for the first time in six years in response to a strengthening currency that threatened to derail the economy's recovery. The BOJ may be pressured to consider further liquidity injections after the government's decision to intervene and the Fed's signal it may ease more.

Many traders expect Japan to step in between 83.00 and 85.00 yen. They said the authorities had called banks to ask if they will be staffed on Thursday, a Japanese national holiday, in an apparent attempt to keep traders cautious over intervention.

OIL - Crude Oil Rises Above $75 a barrel

Oil prices rose above $75 a barrel Wednesday, boosted by a weaker dollar. But gains were limited by a report showing an unexpected rise in US supplies last week, a sign demand for crude oil may not be improving.

Oil and other commodities denominated in dollars for global trading tend to rise when the U.S. currency falls as they become cheaper for holders of other currencies. A move away from dollar-based pricing of the world's leading commodity could further weaken the greenback.

As for today, traders should pay attention to the US Crude Oil Inventories report as it tends to have a large impact on Crude Oil prices recently, especially for the short-term.

Technical News

EUR/USD

After a strong rally over the last few days, the pair is finally seeing some downward correction with some room for the trend to continue. Looking at the daily chart, a breach of the upper Bollinger Band is evident with the RSI for the pair floating in the overbought territory. A bearish cross is evident on the 4 hour and 8 hour chart's Slow Stochastic. Going short with tight stops may be preferred for the day.

GBP/USD

The pair is currently range trading between 1.5630 and 1.5690 with most indicators in neutral territory. The RSI for the pair floats near the overbought territory on the 4 hour and daily chart indicating some downward movement may still be expected from the pair. Going short with tight stops for the day may be advised.

USD/JPY

After a strong downward move some correction may be expected for the pair as the RSI is floating in the oversold territory on the 4 hour and 8 hour charts and a bullish cross is evident on the 8 hour chart's Slow Stochastic. Going long for the day may be a good option.

USD/CHF

A breach of the lower Bollinger Band is evident on the daily chart with the RSI for the pair floating in the oversold territory on the 8, 4 and 2 hour charts. Furthermore, a bullish cross is evident on the 8 hour chart's Slow Stochastic. Going long with tight stops may be advised for the day.

AUD/CAD

After a long bullish run, some correction may be in store for the pair. A bearish cross is evident on the daily chart's Slow Stochastic with the RSI for the pair floating in the overbought territory on the 4 hour, 8 hour and daily charts. Moreover, a breach of the upper Bollinger Band can be seen on the daily chart, indicating an imminent downward move. Forex traders are advised to go short for the day.