EUR/USD: All Eyes On U.S. GDP Data

 | Jul 30, 2015 06:51AM ET


GROWTHACES.COM Forex Trading Strategies
Taken Positions
EUR/USD: short at 1.1080, target 1.0750, stop-loss moved to 1.1055, risk factor *
USD/JPY: long at 123.70, target 125.80, stop-loss 122.90, risk factor *
USD/CHF: long at 0.9560, target 0.9810, stop-loss moved to 0.9600, risk factor *
USD/CAD: long at 1.2935, target 1.3095, stop-loss 1.2855, risk factor *
USD/NZD: short at 0.6660, target 0.6405, stop-loss 0.6740, risk factor *
EUR/GBP: short at 0.7145, target 0.6905, stop-loss moved to 0.7110, risk factor **
Pending Orders
AUD/USD: sell at 0.7340, target 0.7205, stop-loss 0.7390, risk factor *
EUR/CHF: buy at 1.0495, target 1.0795, stop-loss 1.0380, risk factor *
GBP/JPY: buy at 192.60, target 196.40, stop-loss 191.30, risk factor **

EUR/USD: All Eyes On US GDP Data
(short for 1.0750)

  • The USD rose to its highest level this week after the Federal Reserve took another small step towards raising interest rates. As expected, the Fed gave no clear indication on timing in its statement, but what it did say was enough to convince us that a hike in September is very likely.
  • Describing the job market, the Fed for the first time pointed to “solid” job gains and declining unemployment. In addition, the Fed said it needs to see only “some further” improvement in hiring, rather than the “further” improvement it said last time — a hint that interest rate hike is coming. With no meeting scheduled in August and two employment reports yet to come, the addition of the word “some” suggests to us that the FOMC should have more than enough information at its September meeting to effect a start to rate normalization then.
  • The Fed's policy statement also retained language saying that risks are “nearly balanced”, suggesting it is still more concerned about a new economic downturn rather than of rapidly rising inflation. The central bank said in its statement that inflation is expected to remain at low level in near term, but officials expected inflation to rise gradually toward 2 percent over the medium term as the labor market improves further and the transitory effects of earlier declines in energy and import prices dissipate.
  • Second-quarter GDP data due later today (12:30 GMT) could spur bets that the Fed will move in September. The market expects GDP acceleration to 2.6% qoq annualized from 0.2% in the first quarter. In our opinion the data may be even better. The main growth driver was most likely consumer spending and net exports should have been slightly positive. Monday's data showed that shipments of core capital goods, which are used to calculate equipment spending in the government's GDP measurement, slipped 0.1% mom in June after a 0.3% mom fall in May. That suggests business spending was probably a drag on second-quarter GDP.
  • The European Central Bank said today Europe's tepid economic recovery is picking up pace, supported by falling oil prices and loose monetary policies but corporate lending growth, a key measure of economic health, remains weak. The bank said it was confident its policies are working and that it expects prices to start rising towards the end of the year, with a further pick up in both 2016 and 2017.
  • We stay EUR/USD short. In our opinion strong US GDP should result in further drop in the EUR/USD. But we have lowered stop-loss on this position to 1.1055 to avoid losses in case of weaker GDP reading.
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