Forex Major Currencies Outlook (Feb 18, 2016)

Fed officials highlighted the increased downside risks to growth and inflation but data released earlier in the day printed strong results, particularly for the PPI and industrial production figures. The Philly Fed index and initial jobless claims data are up for release today. 

EUR

The euro gave up some ground in recent trading sessions as there were no major reports to keep it supported. Only the euro zone current account balance and ECB meeting minutes are up for release today, with dovish remarks from policymakers likely to weigh on the shared currency. 

GBP

The pound suffered a sharp selloff against its currency rivals even though the claimant count change came in better than expected. Joblessness fell by 14.8K versus the projected 2.9K decline while the previous reading enjoyed a positive revision. However, the jobless rate held steady at 5.1% while the average earnings index fell from 2.0% to 1.9% as expected. 

CHF

The franc gave up more ground against its peers, as the Swiss ZEW economic expectations index slid from -3.0 to -5.9. The Swiss trade balance is due today and a wider surplus of 2.67 billion CHF compared to the earlier 2.54 billion CHF is expected. Also lined up are the Q3 and Q4 employment level data. 

JPY

The Japanese yen lost ground to the commodity currencies when risk appetite improved. There were no reports out of Japan then but speculations of additional easing in their next policy statement continued to weigh on the Japanese currency. 

Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)

The Canadian dollar continued to rally in hopes that a deal will be reached among oil producers soon. Iran has expressed support for the proposal to cap production but hasn't committed to participating. Earlier today, New Zealand printed a 1.2% decline in PPI input prices and a 0.8% drop in PPI output prices. Australia reported a 7.9K drop in hiring and an increase in the jobless rate from 5.8% to 6.0%. 

By Kate Curtis from Trader's Way