Daily Market Review - 25th July 2012

 | Jul 25, 2012 08:18AM ET

Today’s highlights
  • German Business Expectations + German Ifo Business Climate Index (GER, 09:00 GMT)
  • GDP (QoQ) (GB, 09:30 GMT)
  • CBI Industrial Trends Orders (GB, 11:00 GMT)
  • Treasury Secretary Geithner Speaks + New Home Sales (U.S, 15:00 GMT)
  • RBNZ Rate Statement + Interest Rate Decision (NZ, 22:00 GMT)

Bloomberg News reported that demand for new U.S. homes probably climbed in June to the highest level in two years, economists’ project a report today will show, another sign the housing market is recovering. Purchases increased to a 371,000 annual rate, the most since April 2010 and up 0.4 percent from the prior month, according to the median forecast of 74 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News.

The International Monetary Fund said China’s slowing economy faces significant downside risks and relies too much on investment, urging leaders to boost consumption and channel citizens’ savings away from housing. The IMF repeated an assessment that the yuan is “moderately” undervalued, which China disputed, the Washington-based lender said in an annual review. On the other hand, Japan’s Finance Ministry said its record foreign-exchange intervention last year was effective and central bank Deputy Governor Hirohide Yamaguchi indicated officials won’t hold back on easing.

German business confidence probably fell for a third straight month in July to the lowest in more than two years as the worsening sovereign debt crisis damped the outlook for economic growth and company earnings. The Ifo institute’s business climate index, based on a survey of 7,000 executives, will drop to 104.5 from 105.3 in June, according to the median forecast of 35 economists in a Bloomberg News survey.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble and his counterpart from Madrid said Spain’s borrowing costs don’t reflect the strength of its economy as they pledged to work towards deeper integration to fight the debt crisis. “The current levels of interest rates on sovereign debt markets don’t correspond to the fundamentals of the Spanish economy,” Schaeuble and Spanish Economy Minister Luis de Guindos said after meeting in Berlin yesterday.

EUR/USD: The EUR/USD was trading slightly higher at 1.20748 at the time of writing on market corrections after falling to nearly a two year low on speculation that Europe’s sovereign-debt crisis is worsening spurred demand for safety. The pair is likely to fluctuate within the resistance level of 1.21399 and the support level of 1.20432 ahead of risk events for the EUR, German Business Expectations and German Ifo Business Climate Index at 09:00 GMT. According to a survey conducted by Bloomberg News, business confidence in Germany probably fell to the lowest level in more than two years. If this news is confirmed later on the European session, the pair might drop to the support level of 1.20432. Later in the day, investors should closely monitor the Treasury Secretary Geithner Speech and the New Home Sales data in the U.S. to get more visibility on the EUR/USD. A wait and see strategy is recommended on the pair.