Forextime.com Daily Market Analysis

WTI bulls struggle above $52.50





WTI Crude [/b]breached $53 during trading on Tuesday after industry data pointed to a potential ninth straight week of inventory builds which revived some oversupply concerns. Although OPEC members have made an effort to stabilizing the oil markets by cutting output, the growing threat of U.S shale ramping up production continues to limit gains on the commodity. While oil markets may be seen to be trapped in a fierce tug of war, a resurgent Dollar from the prospects of higher US rates could expose WTI to further downside shocks. From a technical standpoint, WTI Crude bulls are struggling around $52.50 with weakness below this level opening a path towards $51.50.



[b]Gold pressured by rate hike expectations

Gold was exposed to further downside losses during early trading on Wednesday as expectations heightened over the Federal Reserve raising US interest rates next week. A strengthening Dollar from the improving sentiment towards the United States has fuelled the metals selloff with prices trading around $1213 as of writing. From a technical standpoint, Gold is under pressure on the daily charts with sellers eyeing $1200. Previous support around $1220 could transform into a dynamic resistance that offers that encourages a selloff towards $1200 and potentially lower.



EURUSD bears eye 1.0500

The growing political risks in Europe have left the Euro vulnerable to sharp losses. Although the economic fundamentals of the Eurozone continue to look encouraging, it is the uncertainty revolving around the French elections that has haunted investor attraction towards the currency. Market participants may direct their attention to Thursday ECB meeting which most anticipate concluding with the central bank leaving monetary policy unchanged. From a technical standpoint, the EURUSD is bearish on the daily charts. The downside momentum could encourage bears to drag prices towards 1.0500 in the short term and 1.0350 in the medium to longer term.



GBPUSD struggles above 1.2200

Sterling remains gripped by the Brexit developments and the rising anxiety ahead of the Article 50 invoke should create a foundation for bears to install repeated rounds of selling. In a technical perspective, prices are trading below the daily 20 SMA while the MACD has crossed to the downside. With the pair creating lower lows and lower highs on the daily charts, the prerequisites of a bearish trend have been firmly achieved. Technical traders may observe how prices react below 1.2200 with further weakness opening a path towards 1.2100 and 1.2000 respectively.

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GBPJPY breaks below 139.00

The bearish combination of Sterling weakness and Yen's resurgence from risk aversion has left the GBPJPY vulnerable to heavy losses this week. This pair may come under renewed selling pressures in the medium to longer term as uncertainty heightens from the Brexit developments. From a technical standpoint, the pair is bearish on the daily charts as prices are trading below the 20 simple moving averages. A decisive break down below 138.50 could open a path lower to the next relevant support level at 137.00.



By Lukman Otunuga, Research Analyst

Forextime.com Daily Market Analysis

Global risk appetite remains strong





The Australian economy continues to be a roller coaster for any Aussie bulls, but one thing is certain the markets are not paying too much attention at present with the AUDUSD being one of the stand out performers in 2017 so far. However, markets should be paying attention to what is going on with the consumer economy with the weekly consumer confidence reading coming at 113.7 (previous 116.4). With the 3rd week of drops for the consumer economy the Reserve Bank of Australia may be starting to squirm slightly, especially as they head into a new year with an uncertain global economy focused on Trump and Brexit.

On the charts the AUDUSD has been a trail blazer as of late as the bulls have taken full control to run it up the charts. This has been on the back of risk sentiment being very strong in the wake of Trumps elections, but for the fundamental side of the Australian economy it's not making a lot of sense. Either way the technical's so far have been very positive with the 20 day moving average acting as dynamic support as it pushes the AUDUSD higher. Resistance has been quite strong around 0.7730 and 0.7754 and the market will certainly have to work hard to break through these levels. Consolidation between 0.7680 and 0.7730 is likely to be the next few days of trading before the market may look to retest previous levels, it would be with a degree of caution at present as there is still not a lot of clear direction globally.

Risk sentiment is not only driving the commodity currencies, but also the US equity markets which in turn saw another sharp spike today as it continued to make record highs on the back of positive economic data. Last week's Philly manufacturing index data took the market by surprise with a very strong reading of 43.3 (exp 18.0). This large jump is in part to the market believing that the Trump administration will look to boost the US domestic economy, and is likely to stimulate it and in turn give the manufacturing sector a much needed boost. Even with the threat of further rate rises the US equity markets have so far not faltered and look ever more bullish, even as the economic data points to another one right around the corner.

For the traders looking to cash in on the S&P 500 the bulls look to be in control. How long momentum can be sustained is hard to see at this stage, but the psychological levels become important as you go up the charts into new territory. With the market now sitting just above 2350 it's likely to look for the next level higher and this is looking likely to be 2400 for resistance. Past history has shown that these levels are major points for the market, and as the bulls look to see if the sky is the limits, you can expect to see some major levels of resistance around these round numbers.



By Alex Gurr, Guest Analyst

Forextime.com Daily Market Analysis

Traders look to hedge in Gold




The world and the markets continue to struggle to focus on economic data as Trumps economic policies take centre stage. This should come as no surprise these days given the power one man can wield on an economies; as we saw with Abenomics. But that was just Japan and the US market is the world's largest free market and is Trump is throwing his weight around, which in turn has led to strong movements and volatility being one of the major themes of the market. Commodities have so far been a mixed bag for most traders in the market, however trending is become a key theme and the metals market is looking tradable in its present form.

Gold has been on the upside in the recent weeks as Trump continues to put pressure on the market, especially around his comments on currencies and the fact that a number of countries should stop manipulating their currency. There is further speculation that Trump may in fact also start a currency war globally, however how that would look is still unknown and also comes with large risks for the US economy - large fluctuations might be good for traders, but for an established economy it can cause a world of pain. If exports are winners in the long run, then importers and the general consumer are worse off and vice versa.

Gold has so far but in a very bullish trend for a few weeks and it looks set to continue as people look for a hedge in the event of a currency war. Resistance at 1245 held up quite nicely when pushed over the last few days, but after the quick drop gold has found support on the 100 day moving average. Any further drops for Gold are likely to find support at 1208, but even before that the 20 day moving average would also be something to consider and watch. If Gold continues to run higher then I would expect the next major level of resistance to be found at 1262 and it may look to take a breather at this key level.

Oil has also been another major player in the market that everyone is taking a tough look at, after last week's oil inventory data shocked the market coming in at 13.83M barrels (2.53M exp). This was a quite a large inventory build up and was somewhat unexpected after the recent cuts from OPEC back a few months to help bolster prices. Additionally America picking up pace was also expected to cause further increases in demand.

Technically speaking, Oil on the charts though has so far failed to breach through the resistance level at 54.46 and unless we see further cuts of even a pick-up in demand then it could actually slide further down the charts. So far the 20 day moving average and the 50 day moving average have been slowing down any bearish movements, but it's only a matter of time before it slips lower unless we see some changes.


By Alex Gurr, Guest Analyst

Forextime.com Daily Market Analysis

Trump vs Yellen & Draghi vs Weidmann




The U.S. dollar has been on a roller-coaster this week. After dropping by more than 1% on Tuesday the dollar index recovered 0.9% from its lows. The steep drop in the currency came after comments from Donald Trump suggesting that the dollar is too strong, and this led some traders to believe the recent rally could have come to an end, but comments from Fed Chair Janet Yellen on Wednesday brought back hopes to the bulls.

Ms. Yellen did not specify the timeline or the pace of projected interest rates hikes, but she indicated the Fed will raise rates few times a year until 2019 and warned of a nasty surprise if the central refrained from acting. Although there’s no precise definition of “few” but reasonably means two to three times a year, which leave many central banks behind.

Recent economic data supports Yellen’s views as inflation rose in 2016 at fastest pace in five years. U.S. CPI jumped 0.3% in December to breach the 2% benchmark, and if oil prices held above $50 the trend is not likely to reverse. This leaves only the Fed's preferred gauges of inflation, the PCE and Core PCE Price Index below 2%. However, there is a high risk of these indices overshooting the Fed’s target if fiscal policies came into play and the Fed will be left with little options but to fasten the pace of monetary policy tightening, thus keep supporting the dollar.

On the shorter run, Trump will remain the center focus for traders and his inauguration on Friday will play a major role in the dollar’s direction. It’s highly unlikely to reiterate that the strong dollar is hurting the economy, but if his speech contains more of protectionist policies than stimulus measures, it could harm the dollar, at least in short term.

The European Central Bank is meeting today and most likely keep monetary policy unchanged after the central bank extended and reduced the monthly bond purchases to €60 from €80 in their last meeting. Although it might be considered a non-event, we’ll be carefully listening to Draghi to see if the recent improvement in Eurozone data especially when it comes to inflation, will force the ECB to start considering unwinding their QE policies.

PMI’s across the Eurozone reached 5.5 years high in December and inflation climbed to 1.12, the highest since August 2013. Meanwhile German inflation jumped to 1.7%, thanks to higher oil prices. This will undoubtedly create a battle between Bundesbank's Weidmann and Draghi on when to end the loose monetary policy. Of course, Mr. Draghi has his reasons, especially that political risks will intensify in the next couple of months with presidential elections in France, Germany and Netherland’s, but once we’re over it, I believe the ECB will start ending their untraditional QE policies. This suggests the Euro is likely to remain under pressure until probably mid-2017.


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By Hussein Sayed, Chief Market Strategist (Gulf & MENA)

Forextime.com Daily Market Analysis

Aussie dollar cracks major levels




The Australian dollar swung heavily today as US bulls finally looked to sell off in the wake of economic uncertainty around the United Kingdom. Volatility was most certainly the key player for the day, and traders took full advantage. Yesterday there were strong comments that the AUD was currently overvalued, but it would seem that the market had other ideas as it raced up the charts knocking out some key levels along the way. The market is further poised for today consumer sentiment, which will give some indication if the Trump effect has spread to Australia in the wake of recent events. Expectations have previously been very low and I would expect this to be the theme going forward but with the possibility of a surprise in economic data as we have previously seen.

For the AUDUSD traders resistance was not a problem today as it smashed through 0.7531 on the charts and looked to climb even higher, coming up just short of 0.7567. The 0.7567 level is very strong and I would expect to see some stiff resistance unless we see some positive fundamental data come out in the next few hours. In the event of a pullback I would expect that the 100 day moving average could act as dynamic resistance if it is a strong pullback, otherwise I would anticipate that former resistance level at 0.7531 looking to hold out in the long run.

One of the interesting things about a stronger USD has been the flow on effect to metals, none more so than silver which has so far seen a solid bullish trend appear in the short term and has briefly pushed through resistance at 17.133. The strong sell off today in USD certainly had a big impact in helping making this progress, but the real test is set to come as it sizes up resistance at 17.308, which I would expect to be a very strong level. The 200 day moving average is also intersecting with this strong level of resistance and has previously acted as a strong dynamic level for market movements. However, the trend is certainly your friend and this could be the case as silver looks to climb higher in the build up to Trumps inauguration on Friday.

Lastly, the NZDUSD has managed to also climb up the charts, but recent reports around the dairy auction paint a messy picture that shows that New Zealand's economy may not be as strong as recent economists had predicted. The jump higher today to resistance at 0.7222 has shown there is strong demand during patches of weakness, however this level has proved time and time again to also fight back and push prices lower.



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By Alex Gurr, Guest Analyst

Forextime.com Daily Market Analysis

Sterling slides on Theresa effect





The heightened hard Brexit fears have triggered a steep Sterling selloff during the early trading hours of Monday with the GBPUSD tumbling to a fresh three-month low at $1.1983. Although the cause behind the renewed selling pressures on the Pound was attributed to reports of Theresa May standing firm and moving forward with her hard Brexit plans during Tuesday's pending speech, the frightening low buying sentiment continues to play a critical part. It is becoming quite clear that the persistent Brexit woes and ongoing uncertainty have left the Pound vulnerable to extreme losses with anxiety over a rigid divorce from the European Union exposing the currency to further downside risks in the future.

Sterling bears have received ample inspiration from the visible lack of clarity the UK government has provided on the Brexit steps and this continues to grate on investor sentiment. With fears on the rise over a tougher EU exit negatively impacting the UK economy, the rising risk aversion, and diminishing buying sentiment may ensure Sterling remains depressed this month. While most anticipate Theresa May to provide some clarity on Tuesday on how the UK plans to move forward with the hard Brexit scenario, there is a threat of the Sterling sinking deeper into the abyss if investors are left empty-handed instead.

If this messy Brexit episode explodes out of control this quarter, there is a possibility of the Bank of England adopting a dovish stance which may spark a divergence in monetary policy between the Fed and BoE. As of now, Sterling weakness remains a recurrent theme with sellers exploiting the technical bounces to drag prices lower. Technical traders may observe how the GBPUSD reacts to the 1.2150 dynamic support which has the ability to transform into a resistance if the selling momentum persists.

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Dollar attempts to stabilize

The lingering impacts of last week’s market shaking Dollar selloff can still be seen on the Dollar Index with prices hovering around 101.65 as of writing. Dollar bullish investors have lost their inspiration to propel the Greenback higher following the lack of clarity on fiscal policies at Trump's news conference. With the initial driver behind the Dollar’s appreciation pinned on the hopes of Trump boosting US growth via fiscal spending, this new cloud of uncertainty could obstruct the Dollar’s upside gains in the short term. The next major event risk for the Greenback this week will be Trump’s inauguration ceremony on the 20th which could cause price sensitivity to intensify as anxious investors are kept on edge.

Commodity spotlight – Gold

The rising Trump fueled uncertainty, persistent Brexit woes and a weak Dollar have elevated Gold prices closer to $1210 during trading on Monday. This yellow metal has unexpectedly regained its safe-haven glimmer in the first trading month of the New Year with further gains expected in the short term if uncertainty becomes a dominant theme. With anxiety and risk aversion set to heighten this week ahead of the inauguration ceremony in the United States, investors may flock to safe-haven assets which should keep Gold buoyed. From a technical standpoint, Gold could explode into further gains towards $1230 if bulls manage to conquer the $1210 resistance level.




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By Lukman Otunuga, Research Analyst

Forextime.com Daily Market Analysis

President-elect leaves dollar bulls unimpressed




The long-awaited first press conference by President-elect Donald Trump left many investors with more questions than answers as he failed to justify the current premium priced in the dollar and equity markets.

We already knew that Trump wants to build a border wall with Mexico, bring back U.S. production onshore, and that he’s willing to be the best job creator America ever knew, but what’s his plans on corporate tax reforms? How and when is he planning to spend on roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects? Is he going to impose tariffs on imported goods from China, Mexico and the rest of the world? Unfortunately, no updates were revealed.

Thus, the greenback was dragged, falling against all major currencies on Wednesday with the dollar index falling to lowest levels since Dec 14 at 101.28. The selloff continued until early Thursday suggesting that dollar bulls are no more willing to price any additional premium until we get more clarity on his promised fiscal plans.

The continued fall in U.S. treasury yields is another factor dragging the dollar. U.S. 10 year yields have been in a down trend since Dec 14, losing 11.8% in value after spiking 42% since the election results were revealed.

U.S. stocks were less impacted, and managed to close higher despite the volatility and sharp selloff in pharma stocks which were attacked by Trump. Whether the rally can be sustained will depend on two factors, earning growth and actions from Trump’s administration as his words and tweets are clearly starting to show less influence.

The combination of dollar weakness, lower U.S. yields and doubts in Trump's policies offered gold a boost, with the yellow metal posting a high of 1,199. So far gold has recovered 6.8% from December lows, and trader higher in 11 out of 13 days. Fed Chair Janet Yellen’s speech will probably decide whether we’re going to see a break and hold above 1,200 today.



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By Hussein Sayed, Chief Market Strategist (Gulf & MENA)

Forextime.com Daily Market Analysis

Asian equities retreat as investors shift to cautious mode


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After a strong start for the year, equity markets started to cool down in the second trading week of 2017. Most Asian major indices are in red today, as Wall Street failed to make new highs and the Dow retreated further from the key psychological 20,000 mark, while oil suffered a steep selloff on Monday.

Investors who built their positions based on Trump’s victory are likely to start cashing out for the time being and shift their focus on fundamentals with the earning season kicking off later this week when U.S. big banks release their fourth quarter results. I’m not confident to call a correction yet, but certainly many investors got ahead of themselves betting on fiscal stimulus, and while business usually tends to under promise and over deliver, this doesn’t seem to be the case with the U.S. new President.

Although Kuwait’s Oil Minister Essam Al-Marzouk who is chairing the committee to oversee compliance of OPEC’s output assured the markets that OPEC and non-OPEC members will abide to the planned cuts, still both oil benchmarks dropped 4% on Monday. This clearly indicates that it’s not just an OPEC game, and the expected increase in U.S. and Canadian supplies are likely to threaten the oil rally. Data from the U.S. on Friday showed rig counts rose for ten consecutive weeks and it’s just about some time for this to translate into additional production, suggesting that downside risk may remain in play, and rather than just focusing on implementations of OPEC production cuts, investors should be looking at the bigger picture on whether supply will meet demand in the second half of 2017.

The U.S. dollar fell for a second day, extending its slide from the 14-year high hit on January 3. The pull back in the dollar came despite hawkish speeches from Fed officials suggesting that the central bank is getting closer to achieving its dual mandate. Both Fed presidents, Charles Evans and Patrick Harker aren’t ruling out three rate hikes in 2017, while Eric Rosengren called for stepping up the pace of interest rates hikes to prevent inflation from overshooting. However, traders are still not yet completely convinced and pricing in only two hikes for 2017 according to CME’s Fed Watch. With no tier one economic data on the calendar until Friday, U.S. bond yields will remain to be the key driver for the greenback.

The Pound remained under pressure after Monday’s steep selloff on comments from UK’s Prime Minister Theresa May which intensified fears of “Hard Brexit”. Although the pound looks undervalued, the risk of further selloff may remain in play as we get closer to triggering article 50. Meanwhile comments from Scotland’s First Minister on BBC that she’s not bluffing about her vow to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence if Britain leaves the single market is another factor to worry about on the medium-term.


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By Hussein Sayed, Chief Market Strategist (Gulf & MENA)