Powell’s Dovish Stance Sends Dollar Down
MarketPulse | Jul 15, 2021 04:22AM ET
With Jerome Powell firmly camped still in the transitory inflation corner, US bond yields unwound their previous day’s rise, and that saw the US dollar give back part of its previous session’s gains. The dollar index fell 0.44% to 92.37 overnight, leaving it mid-range between support at 92.00 and resistance at 92.85, which it once again tested and failed at intra-session overnight.
Currency markets continue to show more caution on the inflation equation than either stocks or bonds, and this has been the case for the past couple of weeks. In the meantime, a break of the aforementioned support/resistance levels is now required to signal the US dollar’s next directional move.
A dovish Powell lifted EUR/USD off its 1.1770 lows overnight, rallying to 1.1850, where it remained in moribund trade in Asia. With inflation data remaining soggy in Europe, the single currency needs to recapture the 1.1900 regions to signal a greater recovery. Otherwise, a break of 1.1770 could still signal a deeper correction to between 1.1500/1.1600.
A Bank of England official suggested that UK rate hikes could be getting closer overnight, which saw sterling climb 0.35% to 1.3860. That rally has faded in Asia, with GBP/USD falling to 1.3840. GBP/USD cleared support at 1.3800 and resistance at 1.3900.
AUD/USD fell 0.30% to 0.7460 in Asia, despite very impressive employment data. COVID-19 worries are clearly perceived as a more immediate threat to AUD/USD today, and resistance at 0.7500 looked safe for now. Large options expiries at that level today, though, mean that AUD/USD is unlikely to track much lower intra-session.
AUD/NZD selling may also be weighing on the Australian dollar after a hawkish RBNZ pushed the NZD/USD higher yesterday. NZD/USD held gains above 0.7000 overnight, and if inflation data released tomorrow morning is higher than expected, the tightening noise will increase. That should see the kiwi continue to rally versus the US and Australian dollars.
Asian currencies recorded modest gains overnight in a collective sigh of relief after Jerome Powell kept the Fed in the dovish corner. USD/INR fell to 74.476 and USD/KRW to 1141.10, helped along by firm India inflation data and a slightly hawkish Bank of Korea. However, the retracements were shallow, and in the case of USD/IDR, USD/THB and USD/MYR, they are almost non-existent.
The latter three remain the most vulnerable to further weakness along with the Philippines as all four continue to grapple with challenging COVID-19 situations. The fall in oil prices overnight will have done the IDR and MYR no favors, and you can throw in political uncertainty into the ringgit as well. With USD/CNY content to range between 6.4500 and 6.5000, it was regional Asia that remained the most vulnerable to further losses for now.
Get The News You Want
Original Post
/h2
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.