Forex Major Currencies Outlook (Oct 20, 2015)

FOMC member Brainard reiterated the risks of hiking interest rates too early in her latest testimony, reminding forex market watchers that the Fed liftoff might be delayed to next year. FOMC members Dudley and Powell are set to make speeches today, but the bigger mover could be Yellen's testimony. Any indication that they're willing to wait until next year to tighten might mean more dollar weakness.

EUR

The euro gave up ground to most of its peers as the ECB statement drew near. There have been no major reports out of the euro zone yesterday and only the current account balance is lined up today, leaving euro traders to price in expectations for the upcoming monetary policy decision, which might take the negative headline CPI for September into consideration.

GBP

The pound managed to hold its ground against the dollar and advance against some of its rivals despite the lack of top-tier data from the UK yesterday. BOE Governor Carney is set to give a speech today and his monetary policy bias could push the pound in a particular direction.

CHF

The franc continued to edge lower to the US dollar in recent trading sessions, as the currency has been taking its cue from the euro. The Swiss trade balance is up for release today and a smaller surplus of 2.51 billion CHF compared to the previous 2.86 billion CHF is expected. 

JPY

The yen was also off to a good start like the Greenback but ended up returning its lead when risk appetite picked up. There were no reports out of Japan but it seemed that Chinese data was enough to spur risk-taking during the Asian trading session. There are still no reports due from Japan today, keeping market sentiment in play.

Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)

The comdolls advanced upon seeing the latest economic figures from China, as these indicated that the slowdown hasn't been so terrible yet. The GDP indicated 6.9% growth, stronger than the projected 6.8% figure, while industrial production and fixed asset investment missed expectations. The Kiwi also drew additional support from positive expectations ahead of the dairy auction today while the Loonie retreated after the federal election in Canada. Earlier today, the RBA minutes suggested that the central bank is in no rush to cut interest rates, adding a boost for the Aussie. Canadian wholesale sales data is due today.

By Kate Curtis from Trader's Way