Daily Market Analysis by ForexMart

[AppleFXMart]

USD/JPY Fundamental Analysis: October 10, 2016

The JPY went higher in relation to the USD after a long losing streak in nine trading sessions after the release of a somewhat negative US Non-Farm Payrolls report disappointed investors and traders. The USD/JPY pair traded at 102.906, decreasing by -1.00% or 1.042 points.

The US Non-Farm Payrolls report came out at 156,000, way below the expected 177,000 prediction for the NFP in September. Unemployment rates also increased by 5.0% from the previous data release of 4.9%. However, the data for the Average Hourly Earnings increased from 0.1% to 0.2%, with limited trader reactions since the data met its previous expectations.

Investors are now speculating that the disappointment in the US payrolls report makes it impossible for a Fed rate hike in November, but is still strong enough for an interest rate hike in December. Market buyers were also compelled to book their profits due to a slight drop in US Treasury Futures data.

The decrease in the USD/JPY came as a surprise to some investors since the economic data release, although on the negative side, is still strong enough to maintain speculations for an interest rate hike before 2016 ends. The pair is seen to further weaken since Monday is a bank holiday, and the absence of major market players could cause the pair to lose some of its current trading value.

[AndreaFM]

EUR/USD Fundamental Analysis: December 26, 2017

The euro against the U.S. dollar started with a tight trading week in a facile environment in consideration of the current market situation. Majority of traders are on a vacation this Christmas holiday season and the New Year whereas most of them would not working. This would result to lower volatility and liquidity that would limit the range of trading for this week.

There is also not much economic data on the calendar with fewer fundamentals in the next days to come. The steady dollar was supported by the tax reform bill, which was recently passed by the Senate and signed by the U.S. President. This would benefit m0st of the companies with lots of tax benefits which is as much as important to Trump and his team. At the same time, this is foreseen to improve the labor market and boost the economy in the succeeding years.

Hence, the dollar gained a short-term boost from the bill which will most likely be in effect for this week. The euro is being traded in a right range with minor consolidation in the past few months. Although, the fundamental new was not enough to successfully break the trading range.
It is yet to be discovered where the trend will range and if it is sufficient to sustain the pair within its range until January.

For today, there is not much economic news that is anticipated to be released from the eurozone or from the U.S. It is holidays in most part of Europe, which could result to tight trading range and consolidation throughout the day.

[AndreaFM]

GBP/USD Fundamental Analysis: December 27, 2017

It was a holiday in the majority of the places in Europe, including the U.K. that makes it not surprising if the pound persisted to consolidate and traded within a tight range for the most part of trading yesterday. The GBP/USD pair falls within a tight range since there is few major economic news.

It will not be surprising to have lesser volatility and liquidity this holiday season. At the same time, there is not much placing of trades and more on profit-taking in the past week, which can be seen mostly in the smaller market such as bitcoin. Although, it was not that obvious for pound despite there is a bigger market that is why grabbing the opportunity of any selling of this pair prior to holidays is relevant.

Come the second week of January, both liquidity and volatility will most likely gain momentum. Until then, traders should get ready for choppiness within a range near the end of the year. The market has reopened following a long weekend yet, there is still fewer traders this week since most still wanted to extend their vacation until New Year. Hence, consolidation of the pair within a tight range will persist in the next few days.

When it comes to data the Conference board’s Consumer confidence data from the U.S. is anticipated to be released today but this would not bring much volatility in the market. There is no major economic news from the U.K. Thus, there will be low trading and slow movement in the market for the rest of the day.

[AndreaFM]

GBP/USD Fundamental Analysis: January 9, 2018

The GBP/USD pair trades around a tight range yesterday considering the fact that consolidation period is already expected in the markets. The US dollar remained unchanged, as it traded initially for the week, the course showed mainly about trade positioning and the price action was monitored by the market participants which limits market’s actions.

The British economy is predicted to recover if the Brexit process will flow according to the plan. The economic data issued from the United Kingdom last week was choppy and should be regarded as an indication for negotiators about the importance of Brexit talks to go as planned r else it might bring adverse effect for the UK economy. This was avoided almost be everyone since uncertain UK economy is far from the goal of international leaders. With this, the leaders of Euro and the UK will be responsible for this and should outline some good trade agreement for both sides.

On the other hand, the United States are waiting for the incoming data because the figures sent last week was choppy and obscure. The market expects for a three-time rate hike this 2018, however, the new Fed Chair Jerome Powell will take over in February and it remains uncertain about his plans and the way he works. Hence, this could lead to some risks for the dollar and the American economy as well. The Federal Reserve and the upcoming data should coincide in order to drive away this concept, resulting in stability for the dollar which is essential for the world economy.

Generally, there are no fundamentals or economic data from the UK or the US for today but the ranging between the levels of 1.35 and 1.36 should resume in order to engage more participants, particularly the day traders.

[AndreaFM]

GBP/USD Fundamental Analysis: January 16, 2018

There is a hint of bullishness in yesterday’s trading session of the pound since there is no fundamental news to affect the market aside from the bank of the holiday in the U.S. As a result, the pound bulls have become relax in trading. Most likely, this is one of the reasons why the pair has been steady in the past few days but failed to break the level of 1.38 amid the weakness of the dollar.

Other than that, it could possibly be because of a big news expected to come this week, particularly the inflation data and retail sales data. Traders and investors anticipate the data prior to positioning themselves to any direction The incoming data from the U.K. came out stronger which brought choppiness to trading while others came in weak, which has brought further uncertainty to the Brexit negotiations and affect the U.K. economy.

Yet, the pound was able to take advantage of euro strengthening and the weakening of the dollar. Although, this may not last for a long time. More importantly, the pound is beginning to gain momentum to move higher regardless of its condition. Also, rate hikes from the U.K. are also becoming an issue after its one rate hike last year. The succeeding hikes are deemed to be more important and the central bank has to be certain on its support actions from last year to boost the U.K. economy and confidence of investors.

There is no major news from the U.S. for today but the U.S. is presumed to return to the market following their long weekend holiday. On the other end, the inflation from the U. K. is highly anticipated later this day as it will have a significant insight on the movement of the market and give a hint on which direction does the GBP/USD pair will go.

[AndreaFM]

USD/JPY Technical Analysis: January 17, 2018

There has been a choppy trading for the U.S. dollar during the Tuesday session, the day of returning to work for Americans. Looking at the hourly chart, a slight downward occurred. There are also some major levels and expect the presence of noise in the market.

The U.S. dollar swayed back and forth yesterday. The next trading level would be at 111 which is a bit resistive. If the market breaks higher, it will probably be at 112 which has been significant in the past. It seems that there will be downward pressure and push the market towards 110. Overall, there will be noise in the market that puts the global economic outlook at a better position and at the same time, there is general selling of the U.S. dollar.

Hence, there will be high volatility in the market, which will attract more traders. If the pair breaks lower than the significant level of 110, the market will probably move down towards 108 soon after. Moreover, there are a lot of areas to cover which will highlight every 100 pips. Amid the presence of noise, the market could bounce back which would become an important pullback.

[AndreaFM]

USD/JPY Technical Analysis: January 19, 2018

The U.S. dollar pulled back during the Thursday session and move towards the 111 level, which was offered both as support and resistance in the past that made it not surprised. There is a possibility for the price to rebound and reach the level of 112. Taking into consideration that the market is highly sensitive to risk appetite as a whole. The noise will probably persist in the market but there is nothing new for the Japanese yen in general.

As a rule, traders should buy when the S&P 500 and sell when it breaks down. Generally, the market proceeds to find support. Eventually, the market proceeds to find support close to the level of 110 with 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level. As a buyer, I realized that this market is good for short-term but not long-term ones. However, there is still choppiness in the market which should be taken seriously with respect. The attitude of the market changes every day and traders should be cautious in this regard with risk in the market. If it breaks down lower than the 110 level, this is likely to move lower towards 107.50 level. Although, this will most likely not happen soon since there is support below.

[AndreaFM]

GBP/USD Fundamental Analysis: January 29, 2018

The British pound against the U.S. dollar has been declining in the past few days as the dollar strengthens, which seems to be the focus at the present time. Following the comments of Trump, the dollar is steadfast due to the positive economic data in the U.S. This resulted in a reversal of profit for the dollar.

The dollar has been behind since the middle of December and the pound has been one of the strong contenders for this period of time. It gained more than 800 pips against the greenback. There are indications of exhaustion and weakness for the pair. However, it is not just the weakened dollar that buoyed up the pair, the strong pound along with all the soft Brexit plans at the end of the talks.

This supported the pound to rise across markets, especially against the dollar which has been weak recently. However, besides the rhetorics from Trump, there is an increasing expectation for the new Fed chief Powell to take his post, as well as strong incoming data that would strengthen the dollar and induce Fed for rate hikes. The center of attention will be on the dollar in the next few days which is also anticipated to persist for a short period of time.

There is no major report anticipated from the U.S. or from the U.K. today, which is not surprising as it is the first day of the week. However, since the end of the month is approaching, a lot of flows is already expected and trades to be positioned prior the new month which would bring volatility to the pound. This is likely to persist in the next few days since the end of the month is near. Pressure will be eminent in trading but support will be in the area of 1.40.

[AndreaFM]

EUR/GBP Technical Analysis: February 7, 2018

Volatility was predominant during the Tuesday trading session as the U.S. dollar dominates the market, which had an unfavorable effect on both currencies. The market shows the relative strength of the market.

It has been bullish during the Tuesday trading session as the British pound declined against the U.S. dollar. Nonetheless, the euro did not fall, as much as, the British pound. For now, the pair will be based on their relative strength but since the euro did not drop as low as the British pound, traders are anticipated to trade and push the pair higher. The market is close to the level of 0.89 which is a fair value in the consolidation area. The upward momentum implies the uptrend of the pair towards 0.90 level.

A massive resistance was seen at the area of 0.90 which has been the upper boundary in the past and it will be not easy to break this level. Although, there is a bit of noise found lower than the level of 0.8875 which proceeds to offer support in the market. I would suggest buying on the lows but it will be part by part instead of a big move. The pair will break out of the consolidation area and proceeds to move up towards the level of 0.95. Alternately, it is also possible to a have a new low which would send the market to reach the level of 0.86 based on the long-term charts.

[AndreaFM]

USD/CAD Technical Analysis: February 12, 2018

The American dollar rallied versus other currencies around the globe, and the Loonie seems different. The USD/CAD rally due to declining prices of the oil. The Canadian dollar is commonly used by currency traders as a substitute for the oil markets which means that when the WTI Crude Oil drop, the Loonie will typically follow.

The US dollar attempts to create some stand to resume the bullish pressure, this could be done if the oil markets continue to remain weak. An unidentified employment figure will be released on Friday from Canada but failed to help things. Looking forward, the interest rates in the United States are rising which indicates a good sign for the currency. With this, the buying pressure is projected to continue, however, there is a tendency that the opposite thing may happen. We could consider this upon breaking down under the hammer formation last week. Basically, it is a breakdown beneath the 1.22 handle. In the past, there are a lot of short-term volatility in the USD/CAD which normally occur upon the intertwining of the two economies.

It should be noted that the United States and Canada are each other’s biggest trading partners which often grind each other. It can be assumed that this point can be defined as a “crucial inflection”, so it is advised to maintain a small position and add when the market establishes itself well.

[AndreaFM]

GBP/USD Fundamental Analysis: February 19, 2018

The single European currency and the British pound shared the same fate on Friday, as it showed high volatility during the first half of the day due to the weakening of the US dollar. While in the afternoon, the strength of the American currency prevailed which helped regain the profits of the sterling of the past few days. It further helped the GBP/USD pair to end the weak in a sluggish approach which indicates correction in the following days.

The pound was secured because of the dollar instability and pushed the Cable pair to reach the 1.38 zone until the psychologically important level of 1.40. Briefly, the pair moved away from any danger for good and the pound bulls attempt to stabilize the momentum in continuing the upward movement in the near term.

As the decline of the dollar does not have enough economic data or fundamentals to support it, the rebound in the US currency did the same. This resulted in the downturn of the pound, pushing through the 1.41 mark and traded underneath the 1.40 area for a short period of time. Subsequently, the pair successfully closed the week above the 1.40 level. As of this writing, the Cable pair continued trading on top of that region and the price level is expected to remain on that point, relative to the bulls and bears. In case the pair remained steady above 1.40, the bulls will take control which would likely to be seen in the coming weeks.

Ultimately, there is no major news from the United Kingdom while there is a bank holiday in the United States today. It is safe to say that consolidation and ranging are possible while market players anticipate for bigger investors to show up its intentions and start to move in a certain trend in order to tag along. It is believed that the USD will gain strength in the medium term.

[AndreaFM]

EUR/GBP Technical Analysis: February 21, 2018

The single European currency paired with British pound had broken down during the course of Tuesday’s session. The EUR/GBP pair moved lower near the 0.88 mark which is a previous support and resistance. Hence, it should be expected that the market will have plenty of noise around that level.

Generally, the market will be noisy due to potential headline risk brought by the euro/pound pair in line with the negotiations of the European Union and the United Kingdom. Therefore, this problem might continue until the next couple of months that make trading tough over a long period of time.

Breaking down under the 0.88 region will allow the market to touch the 0.8740 zone. Otherwise, a rally from that point will push the market above the 0.8860 level or even to 0.90 eventually. This type of market requires players to take profits hurriedly for it’s nearly impossible to hover a trade in the longer-term, except when one is able to deal with wild swings for both profit and loss. Nevertheless, the general upward trend will resume since participants favor the EU stability against the uncertain future of the UK. It is possible to move on top of the 0.93 area.

[AndreaFM]

EUR/GBP Technical Analysis: February 26, 2018

The euro against the British pound broke lower than the Friday trading session and reach lower than the level of 0.88. There is a massive support around the area with a lot of noise in the long-term.

The presence of noise will most likely persist with the headlines as the result of negotiations between Brussels and London which is likely to influence the pair. At the same time, traders should anticipate for volatility. Looking at the weekly chart, the pair ranges 300-pips and it will remain for some time until there is a definite proposition for the negotiation. The market should anticipate for this to continue in a while.

Traders could utilize in accordance to the stochastic oscillator as they will be trading back and forth in short-term. There is also a probability for negativity with the level of 0.87 in the floor below. The closer this level can be reached, it is wise to buy in this market and will be the focus on this move. Traders could sell at some point and volatility is likely to persist unless it turns around higher than the level of 0.8840. Hereinafter, buying is possible and continues to be volatile. However, if you are not strong enough and focus on the consolidation of the area and a lot of opportunities to gain profit in a well-defined rectangle.

[AndreaFM]

EUR/USD Fundamental Analysis: March 6, 2018

The EUR/USD pair constantly trading in a strong manner as it moves away from the election results in Italy. The focus remains to be on the dollar weakening felt across the markets. It is somewhat surprising for those who expected that the Italian election will bring an impact towards the euro area but the results of further led concerns of the EU leaders.

Italy is the third biggest economy in the European region and the election results indicate the increasing anti-establishment votes. This event is common from all over the countries especially from the United States to Asia. Hence, this should be one of the main concerns of the Euro officials since this kind of trend may grow continually which could hurt the euro and its existence in the following years. However, this does not necessarily mean that the euro is free from any burden while traders appear to be happy about the maintained current situation. This the reason behind the move of the euro/dollar pair through the 1.2350 level as of this writing

Ultimately, there are no important economic news or data from the EU or the US for this day but this reflects some ranging and consolidation in the near-term. Also, the markets anticipate further set of data in the second half of the week from the United States, indicating a short-term trend for the greenbacks.

[AndreaFM]

EUR/USD Technical Analysis: March 9, 2018

The euro paired with the dollar had whipsawed yesterday and pulled lower after the monetary policy meeting of the ECB. The focus of the meeting was back again about removing the easing bias. The European Central Bank (ECB) decided to kept the interest rates unchanged and further confirmed the timeline of the Quantitative Easing (QE) until the end of September. Moreover, the unemployment claims edged higher from its 48-year low over the past 24 hours. But the US labor market remained tight to support the American currency.

The EUR/USD pair moved downwards and formed a triple top followed by a head and shoulder reversal pattern. The resistance entered the 1.2446 region which is close to its March highs, while the support touched the 1.2308 level around the 10-day moving average. The momentum had a reversal and approached the negative territory. The MACD index showed a crossover sell signal as well as the fast stochastic indicator. As of this writing, the MACD histogram prints in the red with a descending sloping momentum which reflects lower prices.

[AndreaFM]

GBP/USD Fundamental Analysis: April 2, 2018

The GBP/USD pair continued trading around the 1.40 support zone which is expected to be the battleground between the bears and the bulls in the near term. However, it is difficult to make a conclusion since today is a holiday in many countries in celebrating the Easter Sunday. Hence, liquidity and volatility are predicted to be extremely low.

The Cable managed to move over the 1.42 level in the past few weeks amid the dollar weakening and also because the BOE’s hawkishness which continues to become a stronger economy as the Brexit process become smoother. The process resumed a slow, steady and continuous manner and it would take less than a year prior to the completion of the process.

So far, the British economy supported for such improvement as the process continue to smoothen and the UK had a positive performance which helped the Bank of England to conduct a rate increase during this period.

The resumption of a stable economy is beneficial for the central bank to consider further rate hikes ahead and this helped the BOE to maintain a hawkish stance. These events pushed the pair near its highs in the short-term range but it met a lot of selling as the American currency strengthen. As a result, the GBPUSD pair hovered around the significant level of 1.40. In case that the support was broken, the bears will have an opportunity to dominate again the market.

Ultimately, there is no major news from the UK or the US since its holiday in most parts of the world which indicates that the volatility and liquidity would be low for that day.

[AndreaFM]

EUR/USD Fundamental Analysis: April 16, 2018

Missile launch directed to the specific target in Syria from the U.S. and their allies although the effect is not that big impact. Last week, there are topics regarding the possibility of a war between the U.S. and Syria. The situation is worsening that resulted in choppiness in the market.

A lot of investors has become anxious because of choppiness and the market has become more appealing. Hence, the trend was seen to have consolidated and trades in a range. The attacks over the weekend were said to be from the United States. On a lighter note, this is just for short-term which happened one time that cooled down concerns about a war. This has largely calmed down the market that is reflected in the market in the present condition.

Euro has been trading in a range for a number of weeks already and the tendency to break out in any direction is not clearly visible at this time. Although, there are breakout attempts on either side but did not come out with anything due to uncertainties caused by various factors including the area of Syria, the trade war between China and the U.S. as well as, the QE program.

For today, the retail sales data from the U.S. is unexpected to be released today as the first day of the week. Nonetheless, there is a slow data for today. Excluding the geopolitics concern, this data is anticipated to be more appealing that could initiate the trend for short-term.

[AndreaFM]

GBP/USD Technical Analysis: May 9, 2018

The British pound declined almost throughout the Tuesday session in order to test the major uptrend line once again. The 1.35 level is still significant given that it is psychologically relevant. There is also a lot of buying and selling in this area previously, which, at the same time, coincides with the major upward line. Hence, in consideration of these factors, there will be a decision soon.

The British currency dropped during the Tuesday session in reaching the uptrend line at 1.35 level. Essentially, a breakdown below could push the price further towards 1.33. Ultimately, a breakdown could loosen up sharply since the uptrend line is important. The level of 1.30 if a significant level as much as the 1.35 handle. I presume that a breakdown is logical since the U.S. dollar continues to strengthen in the summer season.

The European Central Bank has already announced that interest rates will be maintained a bit lower for a period of time that previously considered, which, in turn, added pressure on Sterling. Although this might be just for short-term and in the next few months, it is likely for buyers to return in this currency. However, the U.S. dollar will probably grow in the upcoming months which would greatly affect the currencies relative to the bond market and of course interest rate expectations. Alternately, if a breakout occurs at 1.3650 level, then there is a chance for a kick in upward momentum.

[AndreaFM]

EUR/USD Technical Analysis: May 17, 2018

The U.S. dollar moved along against the Canadian dollar on Wednesday but slid down following the release of a lower inventory data that came out during the day. This is favorable for the Canadian dollar but there are factors in play for long-term.

The result went for a bullish sentiment for oil, as well as, the Canadian dollar. It dropped as low as 1.2770 at the beginning, prior to a rebound. There is also an important support found just below the level of 1.2750. Thus, I anticipate for bounce off since there is more interest on the interest rate differential more than anything else just below 1.2450 handle as of the moment. Indeed, loonies can be used as a proxy in the oil market which is likely to persist but the headline is no focus on the 10-year interest rates in America.

The rate hike attracts more demand for the greenback, which will then lead to a higher exchange rate, especially since the economy is cooling down. Interest rates are likely to rise higher soon. Actually, the oil market is one of the factors that support the loonies. If this is reversed, it will rally to the upper region. We should expect some bounce later on, which would open buying opportunity, especially when the 10-year interest rates in the U.S. break higher than the 3.06% level, which is an indicator that more investors are looking out for. Shorting this pair may not be possible until it reaches a fresh new low.

[AndreaFM]

EUR/USD Fundamental Analysis: May 21, 2018

The single European currency had a quite unfortunate week due to its own fundamentals. The predicted break of the EUR/USD pair under the 1.20 mark indicates the possible weakness to be nearly accurate. In the previous week, the euro/dollar pair had lowered down by 200 pips which are fairly huge considering that market players employ a tight 200 pip range in the past few weeks prior to that.

The tight range lasted for a long period of time and showed that the breakout would be massive. The upcoming data from the European region remains to be sluggish, which implies that there is a little bit of possibility for the QE tapering to happen in the next few weeks and led this speculation to a sell-off in the euro this week.

Also, the dollar resumed gaining strength in general combined with the weakening of the European currency that pushed the pair towards the 1.20 zone and beneath the 1.18 level amid the trading course of the week. As the currency pair closed the week under the region of 1.18, it indicates further weakness in the near term.

Ultimately, this week would have a slight pause for the euro and the focus for next week is the FOMC minutes of meeting which is widely anticipated to continue its hawkishness, pointing to further rate increases in the future. The market had already priced for two more rate hikes while the markets are expecting that the Fed will announce the raise at the end of the year. Aside from that, the inflation report hearings from the EU is expected but none of these data are in favor of the single currency. Hence, the euro would likely resume its sluggishness at the 1.15 mark.

[AndreaFM]

GBP/USD Technical Analysis: May 22, 2018

The British pound slightly declined at the beginning of the Monday session as it reached the level of 1.34 before finding buyers. Since there are still signs of support, it looks like it supported the fight for buyers. Yet, there are some major concerns above.

Trading the British major currency pair slid down towards the psychological level of 1.34 before going up again. It has shown a significant amount of bullish pressure but there could also be signs of significant resistance in the previous uptrend line, established in the yellow ellipse on the chart. This gives a significant amount of resistance with a high probability of a rollover then we could look for the level 1.34 below, which was also supportive in the past. A breakdown below would allow the market for a decline up to the level of 1.33 and further to 1.30.

We should be cautious of any rally, at least not until a successful breakout to 1.3550. For now, we could reverse the whole situation completely, but I think there will also be a continuation of dollar strengthening in the short-term, which is likely to extend for the rest of the summer and continue its rally in the U.S. When a breakdown occurs below the uptrend line, this could become a problem for the British pound. Although, it may not necessarily be a problem as much as the strengthening of the U.S. dollar. I would look for some type of exhaustive candle near the area of 1.3475 to begin shorting this pair.

[AndreaFM]

NZD/USD Technical Analysis: May 23, 2018

The New Zealand currency rallied during Tuesday’s trading session and further reached the level of 0.6975, prior a rollover and wiping out throughout the day. The ascending triangle was broken in the previous session and currently testing the possible support area. Nevertheless, the NZ dollar looks like to continue struggle under the hands of the US dollar since America have higher interest rates that could continue dominate the greens in general. Moreover, the commodity markets would likely to suffer also except the oil.

Looking forward, the market has the potential to cut through the 0.70 zone based on the trend from the ascending triangle. A move closer to the 0.70 region will enable us to meet more aggressive sellers that would take advantage of the cheap greenbacks. In this regard, selling the rallies could be an option and it takes some time before the break down of the market to the 0.6850 mark again. Eventually, it will test the 0.68 zone which serves the bottom of the longer-term consolidation.

The NZD/USD pair should be expected to be volatile but with some downward slant generally. While most rallies will not last long.

[AndreaFM]

EUR/USD Technical Analysis: May 24, 2018

The euro had a significant decline during the Wednesday session and broke the area below 1.17. It seems that the market will proceed to lower, which could lead to the downfall of the euro. There are other problems with the European Union, as well as, Italian concerns.

The euro has broken lower as mentioned earlier and it seems that it goes down much lower. The major support level below would be the 1.15 level and will likely remain to be the goal. Short-term rallies could offer opportunities in selling this market against the greenback. The level of 1.1825 is slightly a ceiling although, it seems difficult to see a situation where there is a continuous short-term rally and lead to exhaustion later on.

If the pair breaks below the area of 1.15, the market could take out quite a bit of a value in there. I suggest to be careful about relying on the rally with a lot of negativity from the European Union as a whole. As the interest rates in the United States increases, it seems that greenback will gain more attention and have an effect on the forex market. There is a tendency for the market to look for the bottom as the euro declines importantly that could easily deceive new traders. The downtrend may be significant but it seems difficult to be sustained in longer-term and at least try to reach the level of 1.15.

[AndreaFM]

GBP/USD Technical Analysis: May 28, 2018

The British pound against the U.S. dollar is moving higher towards the area of 1.3350 in a calm manner during the Monday session. Hence, we can expect a muted Monday session since the Memorial Day and the U.K. has also extended their Spring Bank holiday. Since most major pairs are not active at the beginning of the week, there is very low volatility for the week and less economic calendar for most of the week. The first data to be released will be on Wednesday, followed by Non-Farm Payrolls on Friday. Investors will monitor carefully for any signs that could induce volatility for the week.

The British major pair is trading close to the cyclical lows of 1.3305 at the last week of May after scheduled data for the week failed to support against the greenback. The macroeconomic of U.K. is influenced by two significant headlines including sluggish economic growth and decelerating inflation. The inflation target of 2 percent by the central bank is moving at a faster rate in line with the bank rate. This is due to the inflation-adjusted real wage amid the stale growth in the first quarter of the year. Both actions support the argument of the Bank of England following the bank rate with the forecast of Bank rate hike by 0.25% in February next year referring to the efficiency of money market rates.

Sluggish inflation of the Sterling is not so good as it gives them more time for the BoE before acting on the interest rates. The Bank of England Governor, Mark Carney, and the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) external member, Gertjan Vlieghe, have the same sentiment when it comes to the monetary policy where they deem the interest rates to go up gradually in the next few years. The bearish trend resumed as exhibited on the daily chart after a period of consolidation at the beginning of the month, but has not yet found a bottom following the previous decline where the indicators showed moderate easing. We should anticipate the support level at 1.3280 / 1.3245 and resistance level at 1.3365 / 1.3400.

[AndreaFM]

USD/JPY Technical Analysis: June 5, 2018

Yesterday, the U.S. dollar swayed sideways and reached the level of 109.50. The next target will probably be the 110 handle given a large whole number. It has shown some amount of resistance recently.

The greenback moved sideways against the Japanese yen during the Monday session, which was highly bullish in the past few days. As expected, the pair formed a hammer pattern on the weekly chart and the pair is likely to rise higher when it breaks the level above. It would probably reach the level of 110 and until it does, I would be cautious before placing a lot of money on it. If the pair declines from here, it would not be easy to short this pair since there is a lot of support found below.

The market will probably be sensitive in regards to trading the pair, given the rising concern on the trade war with the United States. If the market becomes anxious on the trade war, this is likely to affect the market with the greenback have a hard time in general. I think short-term pullbacks would offer a lot of opportunities, which can be seen in the present time. Thus, I would think twice before placing trades at least until a successful breakout on the said level of 110. We should bear in mind that the pair movements will be relative to the risk appetite that is why we should give attention to the stock market especially the S&P 500. Thus, it won’t be easy to work on this pair. If it rallies on the market, then this pair will probably rise higher as well.

[AndreaFM]

GBP/USD Fundamental Analysis: June 6, 2018

The British pound is being traded above the 1.3400 level prior to the upcoming London market session driven by better risk sentiment. The currency has reached new highs this month after reaching as low as 1.3204 on 29th of May. It reached the levels higher than 1.3400. The dollar has further weakened amid better market sentiment which has a big impact on the Sterling Pound. The news on amenability to discuss the possibility of tapering the QE by the central bank could support the currency, yet this still remains on the hopeful list. Nonetheless, traders will probably opt to buy across the Eurozone that could push the pound higher as a consequence. There is a positive action in the previous two trading session in major macro data releases and the U.S. greenback could be on advantage today if the pound falls behind or the macro data from the U.K. turns out bearish.

Traders are looking out for Brexit related news, yet, Prime Minister may delays the publication of the government’s plan until the leader’s summit this month. Let along the upcoming GBP data on London is insufficient to induce momentum, except for a correction to the lower boundary of the channel.

There are speeches expected from the BOE Monetary Policy Committee member Silvana Tenreyro at 10:40 GMT and MPC member Ian McCafferty speaking at 16:00 GMT. Meanwhile, traders will center their attention to the US Trade Balance figures alongside Nonfarm Productivity and Unit Labor Costs for the first quarter to be released at 12.30 GMT. On a technical note, the pair will rise higher and a major breakout is yet to happen. Readings for short-term will give more gains in the future. We can expect the resistance level to be at 1.3420 / 1.3460 and support level at 1.3370 / 1.3335.

[AndreaFM]

GBP/USD Technical Analysis: June 7, 2018

Yesterday, the British pound rose significantly after breaking the level of 1.34. It seems that there are signs of continuing the current trend. There is a massive support found at 1.33, at least in the short-term, which has been an important level more than once.

The British currency shows signs of strength a bit of a relief given the uptrend. The initial target would be above the level of 1.35 but if it can break higher then there is a chance for the price to reach 1.3650. Short-term pullbacks would offer a lot buying opportunities below and it seems that the market is trying to turn around for short-term. There are speculation of dollar shortage because of global liquidity that makes it unstable to be considered for long-term. Yet for short-term, it seems that buyers are leading the trend.

If it successfully turns around then we could break the level below 1.33 to test the level of 1.3250 and potentially reach 1.30. Choppiness would still be a problem that makes it ideal to trade in small positions. Then, once the market adjusted to how we want it to be, we can increase our trades. If the price break above 1.3650, this would be highly bullish and allows the price to further move. In the given rate, I am looking for a “buy-and-hold” strategy. For now, we can expect volatility at the very least in the next few days. The market will probably continue to give emphasis on short-term trades.

[AndreaFM]

GBP/USD Fundamental Analysis: June 11, 2018

The pound/dollar pair continued to trade around the 1.3430 region on the back of the failure to create bullish momentum in the previous week, as it was beaten by the major handle and the markets are waiting for further progress in Brexit this week. Due to the scheduled FOMC rate hike in the upcoming week, the interest rate differential of the GBP and the USD is predicted to move in different directions which could hold the Pound on its starting position and push the British currency into the recent lows. Following the recently rejected Irish border solution, market participants await for further news within this week while the United Kingdom continue to negotiate in looking for the middle ground for the hard-line Brexiteers and the EU leadership in Brussels. Nevertheless, Prime Minister Theresa May was caught in between and trying to find fair solutions for both sides.

The upcoming week is projected to be really busy for the Sterling pound since 4 out of 5 trading session this week brought extreme impact to the UK calendar that could support a high level of volatility for market players. Today has plenty of data for Britain which will be all published at 08:30 GMT, however, the focus will be on the Manufacturing Industrial Production data which is expected to remain unchanged at 2.9%. The US session today appears to be in smooth sailing according to the economic calendar, but traders might deal with the G7 summit blowout, wherein US President Donald Trump leave the summit earlier and depart the US’ support of the G7 communiqué, following a Tweet from POTUS aboard Air Force One heads to Singapore for the Trump-Kim summit.

At the same time, the figures for Average Earnings Index +Bonus (Apr), Claimant Count Change (May), Core CPI & PPI input and Core retail sales in the next three consecutive trading sessions. Moreover, the daily chart indicates that the GBP/USD currency pair corrected higher from the lows of 1.3205 alongside the diverging technical oscillators. On the other hand, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) had an unexpected move towards the oversold area and bounced back to the GBP, which descends to the levels of the beginning of last week. The Slow Stochastic resumed moving in an upward trajectory. The daily chart of the 50-day and 100-day moving average formed a death star crossover, this means that there is an initial downside potential of the Cable pair to break the 1.3300 region prior attacking the area of 1.3200. The upside of the pair is necessary to break back above the 1.3380 to the 1.3450 target, which is the last week’s high.

[AndreaFM]

GBP/USD Technical Analysis: June 18, 2018

The British pound was able to dodge the immediate impact of the rise of the dollar while the euro dropped by two significant points that dominate the market in the previous week. The dollar gained from the rate hike which started by the Fed and the positive outlook of the Fed in the economy.

The hawkish sentiments gave t chance to the dollar to rise and the dollar bulls to plan ahead with two more rate hikes to look forward to. The Fed gives similar signals which still yet to be seen if they would continue the process and they would implement this in a specific period of time later on. We have witnessed that the rate hike would have minimal impact on the market, especially on the pound.

It seems that everything is going smoothly in the UK as the Brexit negotiation starts to advance and there are no signs of risks yet. Hence, the pound maintained its position in the support area despite the strengthening of the dollar and activities in the eurozone. The European Central Bank decided to extend the easing program which in turn, weakened the euro. Although, these things did not really affect the pound as it continues to trade close to the area of 1.32.

There are some strong purchasing in this area, as well as at the level of 1.30. Once this is achieved, the lead will be in the hands of the bulls which is likely to be maintained in short term. It seems that there is also no major event to affect the movements and we can say that the price is in consolidation and persists to be within the range for the day.

[AndreaFM]

USD/JPY Technical Analysis: June 21, 2018

The USD/JPY pair closed higher inside day during the Wednesday session, reflecting uncertainty and expected volatility with a tendency to move up.

The Forex pair also underwent a transition period after the momentum changed to a downturn at the beginning of the week. However, even if the momentum changed, the main uptrend remains solid.

On the other side, there was a short-rally to cover after sellers moved below after a sharp sell-off on Tuesday.

The Japanese yen major pair moved higher on early Thursday with a strong compulsion in purchases from the Wednesday and Thursday highs. Hence, this northward sentiment induces the market to move their positions in the attempt to test the psychological level of 110.859 and the main top at 110.905.

Higher demand for risky assets drove the price action of the pair and losing the Japanese Yen as a safe-haven. On a deeper perspective, the tension on trade war between the U.S. and China is the main impetus of the trend.

The pair is being traded 110.559 and increased by +0.19% or 0.215 at 2.04GMT. It is likely to uphold its positions taking into account rising of stocks and unsettled trade war between the two big nations continues to advance peacefully.

[AndreaFM]

EUR/USD Technical Analysis: July 2, 2018

The euro major pair began the day at a muted note to slower decline across the Asian session. Yet the downtrend seems to be above the 1.16 as it lacks headlines to drive the price change in the background of political conflicts in Germany. There is an issue on the disagreement between Horst Seehofer and German Chancellor Angela Merkel concerning migration related deal secured in the EU summit. Although the government is steadfast on Horst Seehofer’s offer to resign from office, CSU hardliners are deemed to have attempted to talk with the assertive interior minister to stay.

Traders wait for the official result of a press conference scheduled later this day to find out if both parties will proceed and in case the Horst Seehofer resigns, the CSU would offer a replacement to the support the coalition government. Investors will also wait for Eurozone Manufacturing PMI & Unemployment rate data, at the same time, the ISM Manufacturing employment and ISM Manufacturing PMI data from the U.S. are expected to be published. Meanwhile, the EUR/USD is anticipated to trade within the range between 1.16 and 1.17 during the European session as traders wait for the news on updates from the official press conference and the end result to support Merkel and coalition government that could induce the euro major pair to go back to the level of 1.18. The resistance of the pair would be at 1.1690 / 1.1720 and the support will be on the area of 1.1620 / 1.1600.

[ObasiFXMart]

GBP/JPY Technical Analysis: July 17, 2018

The British pound rallied a little during the Monday session and reaches the level of 149.50 before apparent signs of exhaustion. Higher than 150 signifies exhaustion in the market with expected resistance. Thus, we could strike on the opportunity to short this pair. It looks like the market has overexpanded and faces strong psychological level above 150.

Although it is still suggested to short this pair in a smaller move, the long-term selling will bring the rates back to 150. A break higher would give the green light to traders in applying the “buy and hold” strategy yet, the strong political tension around Britain could strengthen the Sterling pound for long-term. The pair will continue to chop around and eventually make way for some clarity that the trend lacks as of the moment. For the short term, sellers are anticipated to be present while more sellers will join in the long-term above the trend. Nevertheless, we should keep the possibilities open as it may change anytime. Noise will still be present because of the political tension in the U.K. and global risk appetite. Hence, small trades will be the ideal approach for this market since noise will be the main impulse in overall trading while headlines will likely cause sudden movements in short-term.

[ObasiFXMart]

EUR/USD Technical Analysis: July 18, 2018



The euro rallied at the beginning of the Tuesday session and reach up to 1.1750 prior to retreating back at 1.700 below, which were the trades began for the day. We can expect noise to be present in the pair considering that there are Brexit negotiations and a strong dollar. Yet, looking at the charts, clearly, it shows that the true resistance would be above 1.1850 while the floor of the pair can be found at 1.15 below.

Given the high frequency in trading, there is a huge amount of volatility in the EUR/USD pair. At the end of the day, the 1.17 level offers support which is a good indicator or further goes up on Wednesday. Also, the 1.1675 level offers support where there is also a high demand. I assume that the market will look for value on dips, especially for hunters. Yet, traders should still be careful in putting money at stakes. Hence, I would suggest to trade slowly and then gradually add more to reach new fresh highs.

In general, the pair could stay long in consolidation range which should be considered given that there will be a lot of noise and headlines could influence the pair for sudden movements.

[ObasiFXMart]

Obasi ForexMart, Official Representative

[ObasiFXMart]

EUR/USD Technical Analysis: July 19, 2018



The euro against the U.S. dollar is traded slightly in the area of 1.1650 but profits can be gained during the European session. The uptrend took place in the early hours of Asian market session due to recent bullish trend across the globe booking profits on the dollar. Yet, the outlook of the greenback is still optimistic because of hawkish rhetorics from the U.S. Fed chair Jerome Powell, which would probably affect the European and American session. Stocks on major world market reached a one-month high on Wednesday after strong corporate earnings. Meanwhile, the U.S. surpassed the levels on a three-week high against major currencies with more bidding involving the dollar. Yet, the profit booking activity slowed down the momentum of the dollar for a while. According to Powell, the United States would go for a steady growth in the course of trading and held back risks of the U.S. economy on worsening trade conflict.

The dollar index grew towards 95.4, reaching a three-week high against other currencies and then settled in the area of 95.08 with an increase of 0.2%. Two more rate hikes are anticipated this year from the Federal Reserve in reaction to rising inflationary pressures. On the other hand, the ECB is presumed to raise their rates only in the middle of next year. The eurozone grew for the first time last year since the financial crisis between 2007 and 2008. Yet, the most recent survey of 100 economists results showed growth momentum has already reached the highest point. Nonetheless, the worsening trade war between the U.S. and their trading partners still presents real risks to the eurozone and influenced economists to lessen their growth forecast.

[ObasiFXMart]

EUR/USD Technical Analysis: July 20, 2018



The single European currency had broken down amid trading course on Thursday while a lot of negativity continue to be in this market. Forecasts say that the market would likely continue to be volatile but the market is determined to move lower near the 1.15 region, an area which has been a significant support in the past and a little bit of buying pressure can be seen in this zone. While the current point of at issue is whether or not traders can break down beneath that level. A successful break down will be a great destruction for the Euro.

Otherwise, a rally from that level and regain the 1.16 zone has a high probability to happen. In that case, we could determine a move on top of the 1.1660 region followed by a potential rally. We can see the overall consolidation below the 1.15 area, which serves as the floor and 1.1850 above as the ceiling of consolidation where we are currently fixed.

It looks like that we will be stuck in this range for the next couple of days or weeks since it's already mid-summer and there many large traders from all over the world who are out of their offices. Aside from that, there are also varying issues regarding the Brexit which causes trading quite noisy and difficult for the EUR/USD currency pair.

[ObasiFXMart]

AUD/USD Technical Analysis: July 23, 2018



The Australian dollar against the U.S. dollar trades a bit higher during the Monday session. A bit of a reaction was observed as the dollar weakened due to the added pressure on the Trump’s remarks to the Fed policy and his struggle with the strengthening of the greenback.

Investors reaction to Trump’s rhetorics lead to the tight trading of the pair against the different monetary policy between the hawkish Fed and a dovish central bank of Australia that makes the dollar appealing for investment to traders alike.

Also, traders are hesitant about their positioning prior to the weekly quarterly consumer inflation data of Australian and increasing Treasury yields from the U.S.

The major trend has decline based on the daily swing chart. The trend will move up on trades towards .7443 and if it further reaches the level of .7318, the downtrend is likely to continue.

Short-term trading of the pair will be between .7310 and .7484 with 50% pivot level at .7397. It seems that pair is being traded strongly at this level that could assist an early uptrend tendency. Traders should act on it to counter the support level on the first test today. However, if it fails to hold this level, the price could weaken with the main range at .7677 to .7310. If the trend goes up, then we can expect the retracement zone to be at .7494 to .7537 which will become the primary target in the upside.

On a technical aspect, the AUD/USD pair will be based on the reaction of the pair for short-term trading at .7434.

[ObasiFXMart]

USD/JPY Technical Analysis: July 24, 2018



Once again, the U.S. dollar dropped against the Japanese yen in day trading on Monday session. There was sufficient support found on the trendline and crossed below the level of 111 yen. It seems that the market is attempting to recover from here. Thus, a short-term bounce might still be far from happening. Predominant selling activity is due to the currency war but, nonetheless, hunters will still find this appealing to reverse the situation.

As shown on the chart, the price plunged to the uptrend line with intention to bounce up. This can actually be considered as a perfect test of the uptrend line and it looks like value hunters are will attempt to join the market now. A rebound can be bought but there will still be some noise around regardless of what happens next in the days to come. Hence, it is ideal to trade in smaller trade. Although there is sufficient amount of demand below, a lot of noise is present above. In long-term trades, there is a tendency of the pair to move because of the risk appetite. Therefore, in case that trade tension mitigates, the market might turn around.

On the other hand, if the market breaks lower than the uptrend line, the next target of the market will be the level of 110, which can serve as a support. Hence, it is likely for a correction to happen given the oversold condition of the pair, at least the in the next few trading sessions. Assessing the trend as a whole, there are higher risks on the upper channel than below but with high volatility around, traders should still be careful in trading this market.

[ObasiFXMart]

GBP/JPY Technical Analysis: July 25, 2018



The sterling pound moved sideways amid trading session yesterday, with an exception for a slight reversal and bullish pressure. As of this writing, the ¥146 level above was unable to break. While the previous ascending trend line was broken through which stimulate a little bit of resistance. In case of a slice above the ¥147 region will prove the strength of the recovery. On the contrary, we can expect for a lot of sideways action in the near term.

There are forecasts that the area under the ¥145 will be supportive which would likely require some pressure to cut through that region. Generally, the market will contain plenty of noise with a slightly downward proclivity as to the concerns about trade battles and the like.

It should be noted that the GBP/JPY currency pair is very sensitive to global risk appetite alongside the added issue of political chaos in Great Britain, which slightly puts off this market downwards. The presence of some reversal is very difficult to deal with but if we reach higher than the ¥147 level, then new profits will pour in the trading place and would accelerate further. While a break down underneath the ¥145 level would probably open a way through the ¥142.50 region.

[ObasiFXMart]

GBP/USD Technical Analysis: July 26, 2018



The British currency drove higher amid trading course yesterday and attempt to grind above the 1.32 level. Generally, we can expect for the resumption of short-term pullbacks which may act as buying opportunities with a slower motion. In this case, shorting this market is not recommended due to the recent formation of some “basing pattern”. Also, there is a possibility of a move through the 1.32 region or 1.3250 eventually.

Traders should take note about the headlines which could possibly trigger issues with the sterling pound aside from the conflict between the Conservative Party and Theresa May, which argues for the common ground of the Brexit. Forecasts show that the market will begin searching for the level below 1.30 as the “absolute floor” of the GBP, hence, longer-term traders will buy the dips based on its value.

For some time, the pound became quite oversold and the “buy-and-hold” traders in the longer-term will return to the market to acquire benefits from lower prices. Ultimately, the dips can be seen turning around with impulsive trends and the top of 1.33 handle would likely be broken but may require a series of attempt to overcome that level.