iFOREX Daily Analysis : January 11,2018

 | Jan 11, 2018 02:36AM ET

On Wednesday the US Dollar traded slightly lower against other major currencies with the US Dollar Index (USDX) closing 0.14% lower. This was to a significant part attributed to a strong Japanese Yen, following Tuesday’s announcement that the Bank of Japan would curb its bond purchases.

Oil traded almost unchanged as US productions fell, while crude oil stockpiles according to the EIA fell less than what the API calculated in its statistics published on Tuesday. Gold settled lower on weaker Dollar while gold traders await US inflation data due to be released on Friday.

US equity indices closed almost unchanged. Banks and financial stocks traded higher on expectations of higher yields, while most other sector stocks fell.

Bitcoin continued to trade at significant volatility but overall remaining in a constant range. The cryptocurrency markets continue to be concerned about the clampdown on exchanges in South Korea and mining activities in China. On Wednesday the US investment bank Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) surprisingly described ‘Bitcoin as Money’ in a client brief.

On Thursday the European Union publishes industrial production data. Italy releases retail sales statistics. The US will publish new jobless claims, the Treasury budget level, and Federal Reserve asset/credit statistics.

USD/JPY

The US Dollar lost significantly against the Japanese Yen and traded over 1% lower on Wednesday following Tuesday’s news that the Bank of Japan reduced its long-term bond purchases. The Dollar was also under pressure as China is reportedly considering reducing or completely halting the purchase of US Treasuries. The auction of 10 year US Treasury notes delivered the highest yield since 2014.

On Thursday in the US jobless claim and Treasury budget figures will be released. During Friday’s Asian trading session Japan releases data of its current account index.