2024-04-08 08:49

Data revealed that Canada’s economy unexpectedly shed 2,200 jobs in March. The US added an impressive 303K jobs in March. Fundamentals support further upside for the USD/CAD pair. The USD/CAD forecast points northward as the Canadian dollar weakens while the dollar holds on to gains after Friday’s employment figures. Traders are scaling back expectations for a Fed cut in June while simultaneously increasing bets for a BoC cut in June. On Friday, data revealed that Canada’s economy unexpectedly shed 2,200 jobs in March. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate soared to a bigger-than-expected 6.1% during the same period. This report revealed weakness in the labor market and the economy. Consequently, there is more pressure on the Bank of Canada to cut interest rates. Before the report, there was a 68% likelihood that the BoC would cut rates in June. However, after the report, this figure rose to 75%. On the other hand, the US dollar strengthened on Friday after another blockbuster jobs report. Unlike Canada, the US added an impressive 303K jobs in March. Additionally, the unemployment rate fell to 3.8, indicating robust labor market conditions. As a result, investors scaled back bets that the Fed would cut interest rates in June. The rate cut outlook between the Fed and the Bank of Canada has diverged with these latest employment figures. The US economy remains robust, allowing the Fed to hold high rates for longer. Meanwhile, Canada’s economy is weak, and this could prompt the BoC to start cutting rates in June. These fundamentals support further upside for the USD/CAD pair. USD/CAD key events today There are no major events today that might cause a lot of volatility. Therefore, the USD/CAD pair might consolidate. USD/CAD technical forecast: Bullish momentum stalls at channel resistance On the technical side, the USD/CAD price is trading in a bullish channel and recently retested the channel resistance. Moreover, the price sits above the 30-SMA with the RSI over 50, indicating a strong bullish bias. However, since the price recently rose to the channel resistance, it might now pull back to retest the SMA or the channel support. Still, bulls will remain in control as long as the price stays within the channel. Furthermore, with bulls in the lead, the USD/CAD pair could soon break past the 1.3650 resistance level. https://www.forexcrunch.com/blog/2024/04/08/usd-cad-forecast-cad-retreats-usd-advances-on-jobs-data/

2024-04-07 21:48

Fed policymakers pushed back on expectations for a cut in June. The US NFP report showed robust demand in the labor market. Canada released a dismal employment report. A close look at the USD/CAD weekly forecast reveals hints of a bullish trend as the policy outlook between the US and Canada takes divergent paths. Ups and downs of USD/CAD USD/CAD had a bullish week where bets for a June Fed cut fell while those for a June BoC cut increased. The week was volatile for the dollar, which fell when the US reported a slowdown in service activity. However, it ended higher after hawkish Fed remarks and an upbeat jobs report. Fed policymakers pushed back on expectations for a cut in June, saying inflation had stalled. Moreover, the US NFP report showed robust demand in the labor market, leading to a decline in rate-cut bets. On the other hand, Canada released a dismal employment report, with employment dropping and unemployment rising. This showed a weaker economy that might pressure the BoC to start cutting interest rates. Next week’s key events for USD/CAD Next week, investors will focus on US consumer and producer inflation data. Moreover, the Bank of Canada will decide on monetary policy. Investors will be keen to see whether inflation will beat forecasts again. In such a case, rate-cut bets might fall further after the jobs report, allowing the USD/CAD pair to rally. On the other hand, if inflation falls, rate-cut bets will increase. Meanwhile, markets expect the Bank of Canada to hold rates at 5% on Wednesday. They will also focus on messaging regarding rate cuts. For now, futures point to the first cut in June. USD/CAD weekly technical forecast: Bulls maintain control despite weak momentum On the technical side, USD/CAD is bullish as the price has risen well above the 22-SMA. At the same time, the price is trading within a bullish channel. Meanwhile, the RSI has been in a tight sideways move in bullish territory. This is a sign that momentum is weak, although bulls are in the lead. The price will likely start a stronger trend when it breaks out of the bullish channel. A break above the channel resistance would lead to a retest of the 1.3800 key resistance level. Moreover, it would allow the price to trend higher. On the other hand, if the price breaks below the channel support in the coming week, the trend will reverse. https://www.forexcrunch.com/blog/2024/04/07/usd-cad-weekly-forecast-fed-boc-rate-divergence/

2024-04-06 06:20

US manufacturing activity improved while services activity declined. The US jobs report showed a bigger-than-expected increase in employment in March. Traders scaled back expectations for the first Fed cut in June. The EUR/USD weekly forecast leans toward the bearish side as investors adjust their expectations on Fed rate cuts following a buoyant jobs report. Ups and downs of EUR/USD Last week, EUR/USD fluctuated but ended with gains after a series of economic reports from the US. Investors mainly focused on employment and PMI data, which showed a mixed picture of the economy. Manufacturing activity improved while services activity declined. Meanwhile, unemployment claims rose, while the NFP report beat forecasts. Initially, the services and jobless claims reports increased rate cut expectations, leading to a rally in the EUR/USD pair. However, the week ended with a blockbuster US jobs report showing a bigger-than-expected increase in employment in March. At the same time, the unemployment rate fell, revealing a still-tight labor market. Consequently, traders scaled back expectations for the first Fed cut in June. Next week’s key events for EUR/USD The US consumer and producer price indices will show the country’s inflation state. This insight will shape the Fed’s rate cut outlook. Economists expect the CPI to drop from 0.4% to 0.3%. A decline in inflation would support expectations that the Fed will cut interest rates in June. However, there is also a chance that the figure will beat forecasts. This would lead to declining rate cut expectations, especially after the upbeat jobs report. Meanwhile, traders will also look at the FOMC meeting minutes, which might contain clues on the outlook for interest rates. EUR/USD weekly technical forecast: Price retreats as 22-SMA resistance holds strong On the technical side, the EUR/USD price is declining after finding strong resistance at the 22-SMA. Moreover, the price trades with the nearest support at 1.3200 and the nearest resistance at 1.3800. The bullish trend recently reversed when the price started trading below the 22-SMA and the RSI below 50. Bulls tried to take back control at one point but failed to push above the 1.0950 key resistance level. This allowed bears to push the price back below the 22-SMA before retesting it as resistance. And now, bears are targeting the 1.0700 support. A break below this level would confirm a continuation of the downtrend. Moreover, the price would be free to retest lower support levels like 1.0500. https://www.forexcrunch.com/blog/2024/04/06/eur-usd-weekly-forecast-upbeat-nfp-pours-water-on-feds-cut/

2024-04-05 12:15

The US economic data should move the rate. Taking out the upper median line activates further growth. Failing to stay above 1.0864 announced exhausted buyers. The EUR/USD price is trading in the red at 1.0833 at the time of writing. The pair comes under selling pressure after posting a 2-week top above 1.0870. –Are you interested to learn more about low spread forex brokers? Check our detailed guide- Today, the fundamentals should be decisive. Surprisingly or not, the greenback took the lead in the short term even though the US Unemployment Claims came in at 221K versus 213K expected, while Trade Balance dropped from -67.6B to -68.9B in the last trading session. On the other hand, the Eurozone Final Services PMI and German Final Services PMI came in better than expected, but the Eurozone PPI reported a 1.0% drop, beating the 0.6% drop expected. Today, the German Factory Orders, German Import Prices, and Retail Sales reported poor data. Still, only the US economic data should have a major impact. The NFP is expected at 212K versus 275K in February. The Unemployment Rate should remain at 3.9%, but the Average Hourly Earnings may announce a 0.3% growth in March versus a 0.1% growth in the previous reporting period. In addition, the Canadian Unemployment Rate and Employment Change should also bring action. Technically, the EUR/USD price ended its swing higher after registering only a false breakout through the ascending pitchfork’s upper median line (uml). It has also failed to stay above the 1.0864 former high, signaling exhausted buyers. –Are you interested to learn more about forex bonuses? Check our detailed guide- It has dropped below the weekly R1 (1.0846), but the sell-off could be only temporary. As mentioned earlier, the fundamentals should move the price, making anything possible. Staying near the upper median line (uml) may announce an imminent breakout and continuation. Still, it’s premature to talk about this scenario. New false breakouts through this dynamic may announce a new massive drop. https://www.forexcrunch.com/blog/2024/04/05/eur-usd-price-faces-bearish-pressure-ahead-of-us-nfp/

2024-04-05 10:07

Unemployment claims in the US rose to a two-month high last week. The dollar gained when Fed policymakers made hawkish remarks on Thursday. Markets are expecting a drop in US employment. The current GBP/USD price analysis leans towards the bearish side, influenced by the dollar’s surge amidst dwindling Fed rate cut expectations. Moreover, the dollar is steady ahead of the crucial US monthly employment report. –Are you interested to learn more about low spread forex brokers? Check our detailed guide- The greenback has fluctuated wildly in the past week as investors adjust their expectations for Fed rate cuts. At first, poor data on service activity and unemployment claims had investors gaining confidence that the Fed would cut rates starting in June. Consequently, the GBP/USD pair rallied to new highs. However, the trend reversed when Fed policymakers made hawkish remarks later on Thursday. Some officials have lost confidence that inflation will soon reach the 2% target as it has stalled. As such, they called for patience as the Fed needs more time to assess incoming data. Moreover, if inflation remains hot, there might be no need for a rate cut this year. These remarks had traders scaling back rate-cut bets, with most now expecting the first cut in July. However, the rate cut outlook might change again when the nonfarm payroll report is released. Markets are expecting a drop in employment. A bigger-than-expected drop might have policymakers rethinking their recent statements. Meanwhile, data showed that the UK economy gradually emerged from its shallow recession. Composite data showed a slight drop in activity, although it held above 50 in expansion. If the economic outlook brightens, it might allow the BoE to hold rates for longer as inflation trends lower. GBP/USD key events today US average hourly earnings US employment change US unemployment rate GBP/USD technical price analysis: Price shatters resistance trendline, embraces bullish trend On the charts, the GBP/USD price has broken above a strong resistance trendline, reversing the trend to bullish. The price made a big bullish candle that broke above the 30-SMA, indicating a shift in sentiment. Meanwhile, the RSI finally broke above 50, a strong resistance separating bearish from bullish momentum. –Are you interested to learn more about forex bonuses? Check our detailed guide- The price has retreated to retest the SMA, while the RSI retests the 50 level. Given the bullish bias, the price might soon bounce higher to make a new high above the 1.2650 key resistance. https://www.forexcrunch.com/blog/2024/04/05/gbp-usd-price-analysis-pound-pares-loss-ahead-of-us-nfp/

2024-04-05 08:46

The dollar strengthened on hawkish Fed remarks. The yen firmed after hints that the BoJ might hike interest rates. US data on Thursday revealed a surge in unemployment claims. The USD/JPY outlook is mildly bullish as the dollar gains momentum on hawkish Fed remarks. Yet, the yen is also holding its ground, fueled by hints of potential interest rate hikes from the Bank of Japan. At the same time, there is caution in the markets ahead of the NFP report. The dollar rallied despite a poor employment report on Thursday as Fed officials pushed back rate cut expectations. Initially, the dollar fell after the US released data showing a surge in unemployment claims. The jobless claims rose to a two-month high, indicating a rise in unemployment. Consequently, rate-cut bets increased. However, this soon changed when Fed officials assumed a hawkish tone. Some officials, including Neel Kashkari and Thomas Barkin, said the Fed still had enough time to ensure inflation would reach its target. Therefore, there was no hurry to cut rates. Kashkari even said there might be no need for rate cuts this year. These remarks damped rate-cut expectations and pushed the dollar higher. Investors will now watch the nonfarm payrolls for more clues on rate cuts. Economists expect a decline in employment in March. However, gains were small in the USD/JPY pair as the yen also strengthened. Notably, BoJ governor Kazuo Ueda said inflation will likely accelerate after the recent pay hikes. Market participants took this as a hint that the central bank might be planning another rate hike. Consequently, Japanese yields soared, boosting the yen. At the same time, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki warned that authorities would do all it takes to stop more sharp declines in the yen. USD/JPY key events today US average hourly earnings m/m US nonfarm employment change US unemployment rate USD/JPY technical outlook: Bears find footing below the 30-SMA On the technical side, the USD/JPY price has broken below the 30-SMA with strong bearish candles. At the same time, the RSI now trades below 50, supporting bearish momentum. The price has traded in a tight consolidation since it made an engulfing candle. However, it has now made a strong move lower that could lead to further declines. –Are you interested to learn more about forex bonuses? Check our detailed guide- Before the price continues lower, it might pull back to retest the 30-SMA as resistance. Bears will likely target the 150.00 key support level if the SMA holds firm. https://www.forexcrunch.com/blog/2024/04/05/usd-jpy-outlook-yen-rises-amid-bojs-intervention-signals/