Forex Major Currencies Outlook (April 8, 2014)

JOLTS job openings data is due today, along with speeches by a couple of FOMC voting members. Dovish remarks could push the dollar lower against its forex counterparts while hawkish comments could allow for a rebound.

EUR

The euro recovered to the dollar in recent trading, thanks to euro zone data coming in line with expectations. The German industrial production report showed a 0.4% uptick, slightly higher than the estimated 0.3% increase, while the euro zone Sentix investor confidence report showed a reading of 14.1 as expected.  Only medium-tier reports are due from the euro zone today so a bit of consolidation might take place for euro pairs.

GBP

The pound rebounded slightly against the Greenback despite the lack of major data from the UK economy yesterday. Manufacturing production data is up for release today and it might show a 0.3% increase, lower compared to the previous month’s 0.4% uptick. A stronger than expected reading might lead to a bigger bounce for the pound while a weak figure could put it back in selloff mode.

CHF

The franc raked in the gains in recent trading as Swiss reports came in better than expected. The foreign currency reserves increased from 433.6 billion CHF to 437.9 billion CHF while Swiss CPI showed a 0.4% increase in price levels versus the estimated 0.3% uptick. Swiss retail sales and unemployment rate are up for release today and consumer spending could pick up by 0.9% while the jobless rate could hold steady at 3.2%.

JPY

The yen consolidated to most of its major counterparts in recent trading as traders await the release of the BOJ monetary policy decision. Dovish remarks or actual easing is expected, as the recent sales tax hike is expected to weigh on overall economic performance. Earlier today, the current account balance came in line with expectations and showed a narrower deficit of 0.04 trillion JPY.

Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)

The comdolls extended their wins yesterday, as dollar weakness stayed in the entire forex market. Data from New Zealand came in line with expectations, as the NZIER business confidence index stayed at 52. Australia is set to print its NAB business confidence figure today and possibly show an improvement that might boost the Aussie. Canadian housing starts and building permits are due, and another round of strong data might boost the Loonie.

By Kate Curtis from Trader's Way