Forex Major Currencies Outlook (Feb 20, 2017)

US CB leading index climbed 0.6% versus the 0.5% forecast and the earlier reading. There are no reports due from the US economy today so low liquidity conditions could be expected unless there are any major catalysts from the headlines. 

EUR

The euro was in a weak spot against its peers as traders paid closer attention to political risks from Italy and Greece's resurfacing debt problems. Euro zone current account balance beat expectations with a 31 billion EUR surplus compared to the 28.7 billion EUR estimate. German PPI is due today and a 0.3% uptick is eyed, higher than the previous 0.4% increase in price levels. 

GBP

The pound was also in a weak spot when the UK retail sales report came in weaker than expected with a 0.3% drop in consumer spending compared to the estimated 1.0% growth. This reveals that the consumer sector is already reeling from the surge in price levels and the slow growth in wages. UK Rightmove HPI is due today and a 2.0% increase in house prices is eyed. 

CHF

The franc was mostly weaker against its peers but it managed to advance against the euro. There were no reports out of the Swiss economy then and none are due today so the franc could move to the tune of market sentiment for the rest of the day.

JPY

The Japanese yen was one of the bigger winners of the previous trading sessions, supported by a bit of risk aversion stemming from geopolitical risks. Over the weekend, Japan printed a weaker than expected trade surplus of 0.16T JPY compared to the estimated 0.28T JPY figure and the earlier 0.33T JPY surplus.  

Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)

The comdolls were no match to dollar and yen strength last Friday but they did manage to chalk up wins against the European currencies. Canada's foreign securities purchases came in below expectations, signaling weaker demand for the Loonie. Over the weekend, New Zealand's quarterly PPI input reading showed a 1.0% increase while the output component printed a larger than expected 1.5% gain.  

By Kate Curtis from  Trader's Way