Forex Major Currencies Outlook (July 3, 2013)

There were no major reports released from the US yesterday, as risk aversion was the main reason for the dollar’s climb. The US is set to print its ISM non-manufacturing PMI today and possibly show an improvement from 53.7 to 54.3. However, a weaker than expected figure could force the dollar to return some of its recent gains. Bear in mind that US traders will be off on a Fourth of July holiday tomorrow so we could witness some profit-taking for today.

EUR
 The euro was sold off heavily yesterday when news a potential delay in Greece’s next batch of bailout funds could be delayed. Apparently, the country was unable to fulfill some of the requirements to secure the next tranche of aid. As for data, there have been no major reports released from the euro zone and only the medium-tier retail sales report is due today.

GBP

The pound was relatively one of the more resilient currencies in yesterday’s trading, although it still lost some ground to the US dollar. UK construction PMI improved from 50.8 to 51.0, slightly lower than the estimated 51.3 reading. Today, the UK will release its services PMI data and possibly show a dip from 54.9 to 54.6, reflecting weaker expansion in the industry.

CHF

The franc lost ground to the dollar, as USD/CHF climbed past the .9500 handle. There were no reports released from Switzerland for the past 24 hours and none are due today, suggesting that the franc could continue to be sensitive to US data or risk sentiment.

JPY

The yen saw a round of weakness yesterday, particularly to the US dollar. The Nikkei chalked up a 13% rebound recently, contributing to the yen’s selloff. As for reports, Japanese average cash earnings and monetary base both missed expectations. There are no reports due from Japan for the rest of the trading day.

Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)

Among the comdolls, the Aussie suffered the biggest losses in yesterday’s trading as AUD/USD slipped back below the .9200 handle. Earlier today, Australia printed weak retail sales of 0.1% instead of the expected 0.4% increase while the previous period’s figure was revised down to -0.1%. CAD and NZD simply consolidated around their current levels, but breakouts could be in sight for today as traders may book profits ahead of the Fourth of July holiday.

By Kate Curtis from Trader's Way