Forex Major Currencies Outlook (Jan 11, 2017)

JOLTS job openings came in at 5.52M, up from the downgraded 5.45M reading in October but short of the estimated 5.59M figure. The NFIB small business index showed a strong climb from 98.4 to 105.8. There are no major reports due from the US today.

EUR

The euro was able to advance against the dollar but weakened against most of its major counterparts. French industrial production data beat expectations with a 2.2% gain versus the projected 0.5% uptick. There are no reports lined up from the region today.

GBP

The pound was able to make a quick bounce against most of its rivals, as Brexit headlines took the back seat. UK BRC retail sales monitor printed a sharper 1.0% gain versus the earlier 0.6% uptick. UK manufacturing production and goods trade balance figures are lined up today, with the former slated to show a 0.6% rebound and the latter likely to print a wider 11.2 billion GBP deficit.

CHF

The franc was mostly weaker even though the Swiss jobless rate came in line with expectations at 3.3%. There are no reports due from the Swiss economy today so the franc could take its cue from country-specific data.

JPY

The yen continued to rake in gains against its peers as the Japanese currency took advantage of the slowdown in dollar demand. Japanese consumer confidence data improved from 40.9 to 43.1 and leading indicators are due today.

Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)

The Loonie was bogged down by weak crude oil prices on expectations of higher US inventories. Building permits and housing starts printed mixed results as well. Australian retail sales printed a slower 0.2% gain versus the projected 0.5% rise while Chinese CPI fell short of estimates. EIA crude oil inventories data lined up today could push Loonie pairs around once more.

By Kate Curtis from Trader's Way