Forex Major Currencies Outlook (Nov 17, 2016)

Headline PPI was flat instead of posting the projected 0.3% gain while core PPI showed a 0.2% dip instead of the projected 0.2% uptick. Industrial production was also flat in October while the previous reading was downgraded to show a 0.2% drop. CPI data is due today, along with the highly-anticipated speech from Fed head Yellen.

EUR

The euro was still among the weaker performers for the day as bulls are trimming long positions ahead of Italy's referendum. There have been no major reports out of the euro zone yesterday while today has the final CPI readings and the ECB meeting minutes.

GBP

The pound was able to stay afloat against most of its counterparts even though data from the UK was mixed. Claimant count rose by 9.8K versus the projected 1.9K rise while the previous reading was revised to show a larger rise in joblessness. Still, the unemployment rate fell from 4.9% to 4.8%. UK retail sales data is due today and a 0.5% rebound is eyed.

CHF

The franc had a mixed performance as it lost ground to the dollar, advanced against the euro, and consolidated to the pound. Swiss ZEW economic expectations rose from 5.2 to 8.9 to reflect improved sentiment. There are no reports due from Switzerland today but SNB member Maechler has a speech lined up.

JPY

The yen regained some ground against its peers, likely due to profit-taking. There were no reports out of Japan yesterday and none are due today so market sentiment could continue to push yen pairs around.

Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)

The Loonie chalked up another day in gains due to a pickup in crude oil prices. US EIA inventories rose by 5.3 million barrels versus the projected increase of 0.4 million barrels but comments from Russian energy minister Novak kept the commodity afloat. Australia reported a weaker than expected 9.8K gain in hiring versus the projected 20.3K rise while the previous reading was downgraded to show a 29K drop in hiring. New Zealand postponed its release of quarterly PPI and retail sales to the next Asian session.

By Kate Curtis from Trader's Way