WEEKLY ANALYSIS: POUND APPROACHING NEAR 6-YEARS LOW, EURO CAPPED BY TECHNICAL LEVELS
EUR/USD
Weekly Analysis: Last week was characterized by choppy movement and a lot of back and forth action, without a clear winner. The pair touched support as well as resistance, but didn’t manage to break either one.
Technical Outlook
The pair bounced higher at 1.0800 support and during the last day of last week, touched 1.0980 resistance but price action lacks clear direction and we expect this ranging period to continue until either support or resistance is broken decisively. The Stochastic and Relative Strength Index are both mixed and don’t show a lot about future direction but the last daily candle shows a long upper wick, which is a sign of rejection (although not very strong on its own). This week’s ECB press conference will probably generate a breakout but the direction is hard to anticipate at the moment.
Fundamental Outlook
Monday we are likely to see a slow day as U.S. banks are closed in celebration of Martin Luther King Day and Europe doesn’t release any major indicators. Tuesday’s headline is the release of the German ZEW Economic Sentiment, a survey of about 275 German investors and professional analysts regarding current economic conditions as well as an outlook for the next 6 months.
Wednesday the World Economic Forum Annual Meetings start in Davos and will continue for the whole week, possibly generating market volatility. The same day we take a look into U.S. inflation with the release of the Consumer Price Index, while Thursday the Euro takes center stage as the ECB will announce the interest rate and ECB President Mario Draghi will hold the usual press conference. Friday’s only notable event is the release of the German Manufacturing PMI, a survey of purchasing managers from the manufacturing sector that acts as a leading indicator of economic health.
GBP/USD
The Pound continued to deteriorate against the US Dollar last week, without any sign of a move up. The Bank of England kept the rate unchanged as expected but the overall stance was dovish, further weakening the currency.
Technical Outlook
The pair is approaching the low reached in 2010, located at 1.4229. Although the level was touched a long time ago, when it was hit it generated a strong bounce, so this time we are likely to see a move up as well. The Stochastic and Relative Strength Index are both in deep oversold territory for a relatively long while and this suggests that a push up is next; however, from a technical point of view this correction to the upside is long overdue, but there’s no trace of it. Nonetheless, the importance of the level at 1.4230 makes us believe that this week we will see bullish price action.
Fundamental Outlook
The first important event of the week for the Pound is the release of the British Consumer Price Index scheduled Tuesday and followed Wednesday by the Average Earnings Index (shows changes in the price paid by businesses and government for labor) and the Claimant Count Change (tracks changes in the number of unemployed people). Both are high-impact indicators and can affect the direction of the Pound so caution is recommended. The last event of the week is the release of the British Retail Sales, scheduled Friday.