Daily Fundamental ForexTime ( FXTM )

EM Currencies slide as Dollar appreciates






Emerging market currencies have been treated without mercy by a broadly stronger Dollar, yet again.

The Dollar Index appreciated to its highest level this year above 95.50 due to heightened expectations over higher US interest rates this year. The Chinese Yuan, Malaysian Ringgit, Indonesian Rupiah, Singapore Dollar and most other major EM currencies have all felt the heat. With Dollar strength likely to remain a dominant market theme and global trade tensions negatively impacting risk sentiment, EM currencies appear destined for further punishment.

In regards to the Chinese Yuan, price action continues to suggest that the local currency remains heavily influenced by external forces. With the Yuan already weakening to a fresh yearly low, further losses could be expected amid an appreciating Dollar. Taking a look at the USDCNY, a decisive daily close above 6.750 could inspire an incline to levels not seen since June 2017 around 6.810

Dollar bulls are back in town

It has certainly been an incredibly positive trading week for the Dollar.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s bullish testimony could be one of the primary drivers behind the Dollar’s appreciation, especially when considering how he reinforced expectations of higher US rates this year.

Taking a look at the technical picture, the Dollar Index has scope to venture towards 96.00 and 96.40 if bulls are able to secure a daily close above 95.00.

Commodity spotlight – Gold

Gold is poised to conclude this week in heavy losses thanks to an appreciating US Dollar.

The yellow metal remains under intense pressure on the daily charts with prices trading marginally below $1220 as of writing. With the combination of Dollar strength and prospects of higher US interest rates eroding appetite for the zero-yielding metal, Gold is firmly bearish. Sustained weakness below $1200 could inspire a decline towards $1209 and $1200, respectably.

Daily Fundamental ForexTime ( FXTM )

Global tensions set to boost metals






North Korea is on the move again when it comes to upsetting the western world, as reports are now surfacing that they will test launch another ICBM and potentially point it towards pacific targets. With the latest rounds of sanctions having little to no effect, it seems likely that the US may rattle its sabre once more at North Korea with further tough talk, this could in turn have a flow on effect in the markets which will look to hedge on any escalation risk. Albeit at the last possible moment if traders can help it, but so far the bounce off these events has been substantial. One of the key winners of such trades is indeed precious metals, which speculators enjoy to the fullest when it comes to hedging against risk. While traditionally a hedge against inflation, it has since become the go to move for traders look to hedge against political events as well.





Silver for me is the key metal I will be watching for a number of reasons. Firstly it's a little more robust technically than gold, and secondly it seems to be less likely to spike wildly on big movements but instead take a direction and go with it. Also for silver traders support was recently tested at 17.696 and the market quickly pushed back on the occasion. So far the bulls are trying to hold and are holding out on a weaker USD and further political upheaval. In the event it does slide further the next level can be found at around 17.352, however, the 20 day moving average should also be treated as dynamic support in this instance as well. On the upside it's clear to see that resistance can be found at 18.214 and 18.607, beyond these levels might be quite hard as silver does start to struggle above the 20 dollar mark, but any massive unrest could certainly send it flying higher.

If you're looking for further excitement in your trading day then the Australian dollar is set to swing low or high depending on your views of the current employment data due out shortly. The Australian labour market has been full of surprises recently, and many Australians are expecting the Reserve Bank of Australia to perk up more if the labour market continues to expand at the present pace. Today's reading is expected to come in at 20K, but the previous reading of 27.9K is what the market may be hungering for here. Certainly any movements in the participation rate will also be closely watched as well.






At present the AUDUSD has slipped back under the 80 cent market and is trending lower on the stronger USD. Resistance can be found at 0.8000 and 0.8110 with the 80 cent market likely to break on positive employment data. In the event we see weaker than expected data then I would expect the AUD to plunge sharply down to support at 0.7901 and potentially 0.7821 in the coming weeks.

Daily Fundamental ForexTime ( FXTM )

USD beats monday blues




The dollar has begun a strong rally on the charts and US markets are surprisingly upbeat, most likely on the bipartisan actions that have occurred in the US, with Trump working with the democrats to push through debt ceiling reform and provide aid for Harvey and Hurricane Irma as it hits Florida. This US resolve has been somewhat missing over the previous month, with many struggles and failures for the Trump administration as well as added heat from the investigation into Russia and its influence in the recent US elections. Some economic information also had a boost with consumer credit lifting positively to 18.5B (15B exp) showing that the consumption based economy which is the United States is still going ahead full steam and there may be plenty more left in the tank.

With all the turmoil recently for the USD the one winner may in fact be the S&P 500, which has been lifting on speculation that the FED will not lift interest rates in December as many had been expecting. The mindset is that the hurricanes will have an impact on the economy, and force the FED to act more dovish in the later part of the year. So with the FED being dovish the S&P 500 is looking to close at record highs and the market is poised to continue its bullish run against all odds.



With the S&P climbing through resistance at 2484 and closing above the market is looking quite bullish an extension up to the magic 2500 mark looks on the cards. Anything above the 2500 mark would most likely be aiming for the next psychological level at 2524. In the event we did see a strong pull back on the chart my focus would be on 2484 and 2459 with the 100 day moving average being the real test if the markets start to become bearish.

The other key pair which has certainly been in the headlights today has been the cable which saw some stiff resistance at 1.3224. Now the UK economy has been undergoing a tough time with the uncertainty around Brexit and this has not been helped by comments from the Euro-zone which have tried to undermine the position of the British. But for the most part it has been dollar weakness which has enable the pound to climb so high. A reversal of this position could certainly be in the works after failing to climb any higher at 1.3224.



Expectations are now building that we could see the bears taken a decent swipe as the market swings lower. I would certainly be aware of the 20 day moving average which does have a habit of providing support. Traders are likely to target the key area of 1.3000 which is a psychological level, but also a strong area of support and could be the land in the sand for the bulls to look to regain control - it certainly has a lot to play for around this level given the recent history.

Daily Fundamental ForexTime ( FXTM )

US woes cause dollar bears to strike




It's been a perfect storm for the USD bears today as the USD plummeted against major pairs and commodities. For some time the USD has been quite weak and major pairs have capitalised on it when possible, however there has been a major weather event recently with Hurricane Harvey causing major flooding and causing a large amount of damage, and also another storm likely to hit and impact Florida. Couple to this the huge backlog of political work that needs to be done by the end of the month and you can see why markets are not happy with the current US situation. The major bearish sign though was the durable goods orders m/m which fell to -6.8% (-2.9% exp) which gave the dollar bears another chance to dump the USD.



No where was this felt more than the commodity currencies which surged higher on the back of the USD weakness. After recent bearish behaviour after the last few months the NZDUSD has surged higher today on the back of the weaker USD, and also positive Australian outlook from the Reserve Bank of Australia. The push upwards today was very strong and cracked through the trend line before hitting resistance around the 20 day moving average. The bears have since pushed it back down but the new daily candle is searching to find weakness and it may find it with the current weak USD. I'm not sure how much further it can however rise, but resistance at 0.7323 and 0.7400 are likely to be strong targets for traders in the market. If we do see a fall back down the charts and the trend continuing then I would expect to see support at 0.7219 and 0.7157 be the focus.

Oil has surged today on the back of a number of key things. Firstly there are talks that Saudi Arabia and Russia are looking to extend further rate cuts. Additionally, the USD has been somewhat weaker and this always leads to a rise in the value of oil in the short term. Further adding to this is the fact that refineries in the US are starting to come back into full swing, and there demand for oil products will increase to make up for lost ground - if they're not already at full capacity. US oil inventory data would normally be the next thing also to focus on for oil traders but due to the US public holiday it's going to be a day later than normal.



Technical traders will be focused on the failure of oil to break through resistance today at 48.82. For some time now there has been a bearish expectation for the market and it had been trending lower, but the last few days have seen jumps and expectations are the bulls might be looking to take control again. Certainly oil is big on trending, but each wave has been weaker. If the market fails to break and hold above 48.82 then I would expect it to swing lower to 46.50 and 45.47.

Daily Fundamental ForexTime ( FXTM )

US markets surge on GDP figures





US markets clawed back ground today as the hurricane started to let up in Texas and move across to Louisiana giving some reprieve for the embattled state. This was further boosted by GDP figures out today, which showed the annual rate q/q jumping to 3.0% (2.7% exp) - a strong result in for the US economy despite the recent turmoil. There will be question marks now about the economy and if it can growth further though with the Trump effect wearing off, but this lends strong weight to a potential December rate hike from the FED. There will now also be strong bets on a positive initial jobless claims report tomorrow, however the month to come may see it boosted by the damage caused by the hurricane.

For the market, turning heads today, the EURUSD was like no other, after recently hitting a high not seen since 2015 it has done an about turn after some stiff resistance. This is not to say the EUR is losing ground, it certainly has been making up plenty against the ever weaker GBP. For me though the EUR is likely to continue to be a strong currency in the foreseeable future as data continues to be positive and some of the weaker countries are now starting to show strong signs of growth with the accommodative monetary policy laid out by the European Central Bank.



The EURUSD hit stiff resistance at 1.2060 and the market is looking to jump higher on the charts in the near future as it travels up the bullish channel. Today's announcement has certainly given the bears a good swipe, and allowed traders to unwind positions. It's likely we could see further trending down and the 20 day moving average will be interesting to watch to see if the bears have really taken hold, a push through would confirm some bearish sentiment with a target at support at 1.1800. Further support can be found at 1.1798 and 1.1621 with the likelihood that these levels will be key to stopping further falls. The reality is that the USD could strengthen and push things lower, but with Germany recently recording a record trade surplus it seems that any weakness in the Euro may be a temporary thing.



Back on US soil and with the storm slowly subduing it's clear that the S&P500 is back in business when it comes to volatility with some strong movements over the last two days as traders once again defended bearish swipes on the 100 day moving average. This bullish sentiment around the moving average lends weight to the idea that we could see a resurgence and eager traders will be wanting to see if they can take another crack at the 2484 level which has acted as strong resistance recently. I would be surprised to see a push through however unless US economic data does improve a bit more, which could take some time after the impact in one the US's most

Daily Fundamental ForexTime ( FXTM )

Gold surges on U.S. hurricane woes




It's been a quiet day today globally, with little in the way of movements on the currency markets and in equities. However, gold has jumped into action and broken through the 1300 barrier for the first time since November. This is quite unusual given it's a bank holiday in the UK and that the market has been quiet, but it could be a case of traders hedging their bets on further issues with the hurricane, which is causing so much damage to Texas at present. What is abundantly clear, is that there has been a double top in the gold market and for some time and it has been itching to get higher on the charts; and after breaking through it looks like the upside may actually win here. The only way I can really see it being pulled back down is by either a stronger USD in the market, or the next FOMC being hawkish on the possibility of a rate rise.



Either way gold is looking remarkably bullish on the charts and was shortly stopped by resistance at 1313. Tomorrow with London and NY open will be the real test to see if gold can sustain above the 1300 mark, but I am certainly a believer in it with all the uncertainty. For bullish traders looking for new targets then 1338 is likely to be the next big line in the sand to target, but it may take some time or worsening economic information to push it that high. If the bears do take back some control and look to push it lower and I would be focused on the 20 day moving average. Thus far it has acted as dynamic support on a number of occasions and there is every reason for this to continue in the long run given traders bullish temperament in the market.

Oil has also been one to watch today with the hurricane causing issues in Huston, well known as an important oil region where a large amount of oil is refined the flooding has caused oil prices to drop. As a result traders are now expecting to see a rise in oil surpluses in the upcoming Department of Energy (DOE) inventory data over the next few weeks, and a likely possibility of a drawdown in gasoline supplies.



On the charts oil has certainly been pushed lower and is showing continuing signs of a bearish trend despite the recent drawdown's from the DOE. Thus far the push through the bearish level at 46.50 has failed and pulled back slightly, however if the current trend is anything to go by we could indeed see another movement lower and the possibility of a further extension to 45.47.

Daily Fundamental ForexTime ( FXTM )

Risk aversion reigns supreme in markets




Markets continue to be risk off today, as commodity currencies took a beating - no more so than the NZD. Recently markets had been piling into fixed interest rate currencies as economic optimism boomed, however that has recently turned as Trumps allure has worn off, and the markets remain more cautious than ever. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has not helped as they attempted to jawbone the NZDUSD last week as well; this is not really much of a surprise though anymore as the governor tends to every chance he gets. However, it's not all doom and gloom for the pair with trading balance data due out shortly and markets expecting to see -200M (NZD) as a reading, which will certainly be negative compared to the previous surplus. A fall here would be bearish signal, however trade balance data has shown in recent times to be quite resilient and could easily surprise the markets here as well. Exports will also be a key focus for traders, as a jump here would also boost the case for a stronger NZD.



So far the NZDUSD has had a very rough day with a sharp fall on today's attack on anything risky. At present it's held up on support at 0.7219 ahead of today's trade balance data reading. If we see a negative result, I would expect it to drop down to 0.7157 over the course of the evening. If we do see a positive result them a jump higher to 0.7323 would not be far off and even the possibility of further extensions to resistance at 0.7400. A push past the 74 cent mark may be a bit of a struggle though with the current conditions and the Jackson Hole meeting giving the potential to cause surprises in the markets.

Crude oil I touched on yesterday and for good cause as Department of Energy data came through and showed another drawdown of -3.33M barrels, just under expectations of -3.48M. However, it also showed a drawdown in gasoline reserves of -1.22M barrels as well, so the market has taken this as a positive. It's likely that analysts will take this as a positive sign and that OPEC which has imposed production cuts efforts are likely to be working. I am inclined to agree, but at the same time US production is increasing, and if it does taper off then we could see markets naturally relax a little more and the bulls take control.

[img]https://www.forextime.com/images/maa/crudedaily_31.png?itok=6MpT-QVA[/img]

For crude bulls resistance at 48.82 is the target to look to break with further extension at 50.21 likely to be the strong point and key area to break into going forward. If we do see USD strengthening however this could slow things down and even force oil down lower. In that event support levels at 46.50 and 45.47 are likely to be the key targets here and would most likely be the line in the sand for bulls with the recent trends.

Daily Fundamental ForexTime ( FXTM )

Oil set to turn on data




Crude oil has been doing the rounds on media as it sits at a key turning point according to various analysts, and it's easy to see why given that market trending seems to have slowed down. Many in the market now believe that we are going to see the bulls make some sort of resurgence and they point at the current drawdown's from private and public data as the catalyst for further surges in the future. Tonight's drawdown of -3.5M barrels was to be expected by most, however the surge in gasoline is still a little worrying at this stage and it will be interesting to see how markets treat that tomorrow with the Department of Energy (DOE) figures. I also believe that in the long run oil prices are likely to rebound given OPEC's recent efforts, but it will come about when the US shale industry actually slows down, and does not keep boosting production further. Many believed that shale would die off with low prices; nevertheless they become more efficient, meaner and aggressive than ever before and have survived thus far as a result.





Crude on the charts has seriously slowed down and the DOE data due out tomorrow will give it some serious movement as usual. Today's market is responding to a weak US dollar, and if we do see a strong US dollar well you can expect that to impact oil as well with further tests on support at 46.50 and 45.47. When the bulls do come back into the market and they will, I expect to see large tests on resistance at 48.82 and of course the level to beat which is 50.21, but encompasses that psychological 50 dollars a barrel zone. With a large push on here markets could quickly rally behind the bulls in the short term, especially if the US continues to post drawdown's with its crude oil inventory.

The Canadian dollar has been a strong against the USD in Q2 and is looking to further extend that going into Q3 this year. This has been underpinned by USD weakness, but also by a resurgence in the Canadian economy as of late with retail sales lifting to 0.7% m/m (0.1% exp) - a positive sign for an economy so underpinned by its resources and the fluctuations in the markets. While the Trump effect wearing off will have a positive effect and oil prices starting to look a little more bullish, it could be a good chance for the CAD to claw back further ground against the USD.





Chart wise the USDCAD has been in a bearish trend for some time, and the trend is always your friend. After a brief pull-back led in part by USD shorts being oversold, the CAD looks poised to make some strong moves again and is currently held up at support at 1.2553, with the potential to extend further to 1.2429. Given the recent movements we could see a bounce higher to resistance, but the potential for a double top certainly exists at 1.2757 in the current market environment.

Daily Fundamental ForexTime ( FXTM )

Equity markets struggle to hold off the bears




The markets have been in minor turmoil today as US equities continued to dip on each rise. This in part was brought on by more bearish weakness in the US economy over the last few days, but also disappointing economic surveys carried out by the New York Fed, which showed that there were more people looking for work, and wage growth was not picking up at all. This comes at a somewhat interesting time, as the labour market has been the cornerstone of the US rebound after the financial crisis, so markets are fearful of anything bad happening to it - especially with a consumer based economy. The trump effect is also continuing to wear off, with neither congress or the administration working together it seems it's very hard for Trumps economic policies to be advanced at present.



This in turn has spilled over into equity markets in a rather ferocious way, the concern with many is that if the market does indeed start to turn and pull-back we could in turn see more aggressive bearish behaviour - as a number of analysts continue to feel it's overbought. On the charts at present the only thing holding back the S&P 500 is continuing to be the 100 day moving average, which has so far slowed down the bears on two occasions now. The clear rejection is a good sign if you're bullish, however I am still expecting the bears to strike as Trumps grip looks to weaken (unless anything drastic changes). Support levels below the current 100 day moving average can be found at 2406 and 2353 and I would expect to see a lot of volatility around these levels as it moves lower, so expect big swings. Also, the 200 day moving average is trending up the charts and this will be a key target as well for bears.

[img]https://www.forextime.com/images/maa/xauusddaily_310.png?itok=c_-mQ-dT[/img]

Gold traders are having a field day at present on the back of this uncertainty, and it's clear that with any weakness in the equity markets we will see people look to hedge against the bad times in speculative metals and of course safety currencies. Gold has thus far trended strongly, with the bulls looking very strong with the potential to breakout. Previous movements where hindered by strong resistance at 1295 and a double top sent gold tumbling for some time. Fridays test though showed there is certainly a large amount of resolve to push through and look to touch higher resistance levels at 1313 and 1338, all of which are looking strong targets - 1338 being the strongest level at present. If Gold does a reversal then certainly support at 1258 and 1233 are likely to be where the bears look to aim, however the bulls have thus far been quite promising and the trend is generally every traders friend.

Daily Fundamental ForexTime ( FXTM )

RBA poised to act in current market




The Australian dollar continues to be in a bit of a freefall as traders rally on the back of a resurging USD as well as a risk-off attitude when it comes to commodity currencies as of late. One of the major developments though around the Australian economy has been the rise in household debt which is being fed by low interest rates in Australia. Now the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is getting a bit worried and today's wage growth figures are likely to be quite major, on the basis that if the figures are showing sluggish growth then the RBA may be forced to act in the market. If the RBA does act it will be in the form of a rate rise and this would certainly be a double edged sword for the AUDUSD. It could be the case that it does help reduce debt levels, but fixed interest rate traders would look to jump back on board the AUDUSD train in a hurry, and a weak result today with wage growth could actually trigger a jump for the pair.



On the charts the AUDUSD has cruised lower recently as the bears take hold, and it's looking very much like a classic retracement on the charts. So far it has pushed through the 20 day moving average and is looking like it will test support at 0.7761 and 0.7657 in the future if this slide continues. In the event it does look to push back upwards resistance levels can be found at 0.7901 and 0.8000, but a push through the psychological 80 cent level would be a very hard ask for the AUDUSD unless we saw a major turn in its economic good fortunes in the near future.

One of the more interesting developments has been the movements of the S&P 500 which had a large pull back in the previous week, but has managed to find some legs this week on the chart. American data was positive today on the basis that retail sales jumped to 0.6% m/m (0.3% exp) which is a positive for the US economy. However, there is still a large amount of worry in the markets around the current state of American politics which can swing on a day to day basis. This in turn has seen equity markets a little coy, and also a resurgence in speculative metal markets where traders are looking to hedge.



The S&P 500 though has struggled to gain momentum today after a strong Monday opening. The push upwards today to come through the trend line was met with resistance and the likelihood of pushing through resistance at 2484 continues to be problematic as the market has show time and time again that any movements to this region seem to encounter bears who believe that we need a lot more information to go higher. If it does fall I'm still watching for that 100 day moving average to act as the first target level for traders and support levels at 2406 and 2353.