Thread: Daily Market Analysis from ForexMart

EUR/USD. February 22, 2021 – Euro grows weakly from the level of 1.2100

Last Friday, trading closed at 1.2100, and today the pair opens the day with growth to 1.2130. The European currency is supported by strong macro statistics from the Eurozone.

In particular, the February business activity indices of the Eurozone manufacturing sector were published last Friday. The indicator rose to 57.7 points against the forecasted decline to 54.3 points. The composite PMI of the euro zone was 48.1 points, while analysts had expected an increase to 48 points. At the same time, the indicator remains below the level of 50 points for the fourth month in a row, which indicates a decline in economic activity in the region.

On Monday, support for the European currency was provided by the data on the business climate index from IFO in Germany: the indicator rose from 90.3 to 92.4 points. Analysts had expected the index to reach 90.5 points. The index of business expectations in the largest European economy also came out better than forecast, showing an increase from 91.5 to 94.2 points.

The trading day promises to be calm, as the macroeconomic calendar is almost completely empty today. In the evening hours, you should pay attention to the speech of the ECB Heads Christine Lagarde.

GBP/USD. February 24, 2021 – Sterling renews three-year high

The pound sterling continues to confidently renew highs, rising above the 1.42 level. The current quote for the GBP/USD pair is 1.4172. The last time such values ​​were observed at the beginning of January 2018.

The currency was supported by the speech of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who noted that he was satisfied with the rate of vaccination and the general epidemiological situation. The prime minister also announced a reduction in quarantine restrictions from March 8. Note that the rate of vaccination in the country today remains the fastest in the world.

Additional support for the British currency was provided by yesterday's data on the labor market in the UK. According to the United Kingdom Office for National Statistics, the unemployment rate rose from 5% to 5.1% in December, better than expected to rise to 5.2%. The number of applications for unemployment benefits fell by 20 thousand against the projected growth of 35 thousand. The average level of wages, taking into account bonuses, increased by 4.7%, experts had expected an increase of 4.1%.

Today you should pay attention to the inflation report from the Bank of England: as a rule, on its basis, the regulator decides on the further course of monetary policy.

EUR/USD. February 25, 2021 – Euro hits local highs

On Thursday, the euro continues to rise, reaching 1.2233. The currency is still supported by macroeconomic statistics from Europe. According to the published data, the German economy grew by 0.3% in the IV quarter of 2020. The economic recovery was driven by the growth of investments (by 1%) and exports (by 4.5%), which offset the decline in consumer spending (by 3.3%) and government spending.

At the same time, a strong pressure on the US dollar was exerted by the speech of the head of the US Federal Reserve before Congress on Tuesday and Wednesday. Jerome Powell noted that the regulator intends to continue a soft policy without raising interest rates for a long period of time. Until inflation reaches the 2% target and employment returns to pre-crisis levels, rates will remain at historic lows.

Another important factor influencing the dynamics of the EUR/USD pair is the issue of agreeing on new fiscal stimulus measures in the United States. The Democrats are slated to pass a $1.9 trillion Senate bailout tomorrow, after which the bill will be sent to President Joe Biden for signature. If the stimulus package is adopted in full, huge cash infusions can accelerate inflation, which will have a very detrimental effect on the US currency.

Brent. February 26, 2021 – «Black gold» is losing ground

The oil market began to correct: Brent quotes fell on Friday to $64.90 per barrel. Earlier, oil strengthened amid comments from the Fed about keeping interest rates at extremely low levels for a long time, until the regulator sees a noticeable improvement in the situation in the US economy. Additional support for oil quotes was provided by signs of recovery in energy demand, as well as a reduction in oil reserves in the United States. Since the peak levels of US crude oil inventories in June 2020, they have dropped by more than 90 million barrels, according to the latest figures from the US Department of Energy.

However, despite the positive external background, Brent still started to decline. The sell-off was driven by a general deterioration in market sentiment, which triggered a risk aversion for investors. Additional concerns are raised by the upcoming OPEC+ meeting next week, which is expected to change oil production quotas from April. Experts predict that the organization could discuss an increase in production by 500 thousand barrels per day.

It is worth noting that at the upcoming meeting, Saudi Arabia may announce the cancellation of the unilateral commitment to further cut production. And this could return another 1 million barrels of oil a day to the market. Thus, under these conditions, the decline in «black gold» may continue to $60 per barrel.

EUR/USD. February 26, 2021 – Euro fell to the level of 1.2100

On Friday, the euro began to correct, falling to the level of 1.2100. The dollar was supported by macroeconomic statistics from the United States: data on the volume of orders for durable goods in January reflected an indicator growth of 3.4% y/y, expecting an expansion of 0.9% m/m and the previous fact of a rise of 0.5% m/m.

GDP statistics for the IV quarter came out neutral: the economy grew by 4.1% against the forecast of growth by 4.2% and the previous estimate at 4.0%.

Positive news came from the employment market as well. The weekly report on the number of applications for unemployment benefits in the United States reflected a decrease in the indicator to 730 thousand against last week's data at 841 thousand and forecasts of about 828 thousand.

Today you should pay attention to the parameters of personal expenses and income of Americans for January. In terms of income, an increase of 9.4% is expected. In addition, the final value of the consumer confidence index from the University of Michigan for February will be published. If the data does not disappoint again, the dollar will continue to strengthen.

GBP/USD. March, 1, 2021 – Sterling is back below 1.4000

At the end of last week, the sterling fell to 1.3890 amid the global strengthening of the US dollar in the market. The current quote for the GBP/USD pair is 1.3950.

The head of the Bank of England said last Friday that the regulator expects negative growth in the first quarter of 2021. Andrew Bailey also noted that several sectors of the economy, including retail, hospitality and tourism, were hit harder than expected by the second and third blockages. At the same time, the head of the Central Bank also noted good prospects, mainly due to the active recovery of the trade sector.

The regulator also said that inflation risks are generally balanced. And the rise in British securities yields is a consequence of more positive news in the economy, rather than worries about inflation.

The UK released preliminary February business data today. PMI in manufacturing rose better than expected: 55.1 points against the forecast of growth to 54.9 and the previous value at 54.1 points. In the evening hours, you should pay attention to the similar figure from the USA.

USD/CAD. March 02, 2021 – Loonie weakens amid sales in the oil market

The USD/CAD pair dropped to the key support level of 1.25, which was already an obstacle in the way of the «bears» in 2016 and 2018. In 2021, the asset again failed to gain a foothold below this level and bounced off it, breaking through the resistance level of 1.27. The current quote for the pair is 1.2670.

The Canadian dollar was supported by a strong rise in oil prices to $66.75 per barrel last week. However, today oil is showing a correction, which also puts pressure on the CAD rate.

At the same time, the US dollar is receiving support from growing Treasury yields and positive economic statistics. In particular, in January, orders for durable goods grew by 1.4%, GDP in the IV quarter added 4.1%, and the number of applications for unemployment benefits amounted to 730 thousand, which is below forecasts.

Also, the dynamics of the dollar was influenced by the agreement in the US House of Representatives of Biden's proposed fiscal stimulus package in the amount of $1.9 trillion. Now the document must be approved by the Senate, and only then will it go to the president for signature.

On Tuesday, the RSI indicator is consolidating in the neutral zone, which signals the formation of a flat below the level of 1.27.

EUR/USD. March 3, 2021 – The pair is volatile in the corridor 1.20-1.21

The EUR/USD pair demonstrates high trading volatility in the 1.20-1.21 range. The current quote for the pair is 1.2060. Such activity was caused, first of all, by the comments of monetary politicians. In particular, Fed Governor Lael Brainard said that the outlook for the American economy looks positive, since the vaccination process is at an active pace and means an early victory over the pandemic. However, this does not mean that the Fed will quickly roll back its stimulus programs.

Brainard also noted that someday the Fed will have the opportunity to raise rates, but such changes will occur gradually.

Today we should pay attention to the final values ​​of the index of business activity in the services sector for February in the eurozone and Germany. The index of the euro zone came out better than the forecast (45.7 against expectations of 44.7 points), but the German index fell short of expectations (45.7 against 45.9 points). In the evening hours, the US will present statistics on the number of jobs in the private sector from the ADP. Average forecasts assume growth by 203 thousand after strengthening earlier by 174 thousand. The stronger the report, the better for the dollar.

GBP/USD. March 04, 2021 | Pound falls on weak statistics

The British pound weakened slightly during the trading session on Thursday. The current quote for the GBP/USD pair is 1.3950.

The pound was pressured by the weak macroeconomic data from Great Britain published yesterday. The index of business activity in the services sector in February fell from 49.7 to 49.5 points, and did not reach the level of 50 points. An additional driver of sales was the presentation of the UK budget, which provides for an increase in corporate taxes from 19% to 25% in order to combat the growing national debt of the country (2.1 trillion pounds). Also, the government will suspend the income tax thresholds until 2026.

Economic statistics from the United States came out ambiguous. In particular, the index of business activity in the service sector from Markit rose from 58.9 to 59.8 points, while the similar index from ISM, on the contrary, fell sharply from 58.7 to 55.3 points.

The markets were also somewhat disappointed by the ADP report on employment in the US private sector, which reflected the growth of jobs only by 117 thousand in February after increasing by 195 thousand in January. Today the focus is on the speech of the head of the US Federal Reserve Jerome Powell, as well as statistics on the dynamics of applications for unemployment benefits in the US.

EUR/USD. March 4, 2021 – Consolidation at 1.2050

The EUR/USD pair continues to trade within the 1.20-1.21 range. The current quote for the asset is 1.2050. Yesterday, the yield on US government bonds rose sharply, which contributed to the strengthening of the US dollar across the entire spectrum of the market.

However, the further rally of the dollar remains questionable, and the blame is weak macroeconomic statistics. According to the ADP, the economy created just 117,000 new jobs in February, which is significantly less than the forecast of 177,000. Activity in the service sector also slowed: the ISM index fell from 58.7 to 55.3 points. Today we should pay attention to the release of data on applications for unemployment benefits, it is expected that the figure will once again decline.

Also important will be the statistics from the eurozone, which can exert strong pressure on the euro. The 0.6% growth in retail sales in Europe is expected to be followed by a 1.2% decline. In other words, consumer prices have finally begun to rise, while sales have plummeted. This indicates the instability of inflationary processes in the region, and Europe may once again slide into deflation.

The RSI indicator has consolidated in the neutral zone, which signals the continuation of the sideways trend at 1.2050 until the release of economic statistics, which will determine the further direction of movement of the EUR/USD pair.

EUR/JPY. March 08, 2021 | Consolidation at 129.00

During the trading session last week, the EUR / JPY currency pair formed on the daily chart a series of pin-bar and doji candlestick patterns at the resistance level of 129.00, giving a signal to sell.

Earlier, the EUR / JPY price renewed its maximum since November 2018 at 129.96, after which it corrected to the nearest strong support level - 129.00. There is still not enough strength to continue the upward trend, it may first be necessary to rewrite local minimums near 128.00, near the EMA 21 line.

Selling according to this pattern is risky because it is against the trend. I will monitor the appearance of buy signals. The immediate target for growth and strong resistance is at the round level of 130.00.

EUR/USD. March 9, 2021 | Euro falls to 1.1830 after US Senate stimulus package

The US dollar continues to strengthen in the market, the current quotation of the EUR/USD pair is 1.1865. The American currency was supported by the adoption by the US Senate of the stimulus project in the amount of $1.9 trillion on Sunday. Trades in America are quite volatile due to fears of rising inflation, which may accelerate against the backdrop of new infusions of funds.

The EUR/USD pair may become one of the most vulnerable pairs this week. Moreover, the increased demand for the dollar and the «dovish» rhetoric of the European Central Bank may lead it to new 4-month lows.

In addition, the unexpected slowdown in industrial production in Germany from 1.9% to -2.5% also exerted strong pressure on the single currency. And combined with the low rates of vaccination, the protracted quarantine and the growth in the profitability of the public debt in Europe, this does not bode well for the euro.

Today it is worth paying attention to the third estimate of the eurozone's GDP, which should once again show an acceleration in the rate of economic decline from -4.3% to -5.0%. However, the two previous estimates showed the same results, and this fact is already incorporated into the value of the European currency. Therefore, we do not expect any strong movements during the day, and the pair will continue to trade in the area of ​​local minimums.