Forex Major Currencies Outlook (August 15, 2014)

Data from the US simply came in line with expectations, as the initial jobless claims landed at 311K while import prices marked a 0.2% decline as estimated. For today, data on producer prices is due, along with a couple of medium-tier reports. These are the Empire State manufacturing index and the preliminary consumer sentiment figure from the University of Michigan.

EUR

The euro suffered a strong selloff to most of its major counterparts when euro zone GDP figures came in the red. Germany reported a 0.2% economic contraction for the second quarter of the year while France showed no growth. Overall, the region’s GDP also showed a flat reading, leading many to predict that more weakness could be in the cards. After all, the EU imposed a sanction on Russia’s banking sector while Russia announced a ban on EU food imports. This could take its toll on foreign investment and trade activity later on. There are no reports due from the euro zone today as Italian and French banks are on holiday.

GBP
The pound managed to put up a fight in recent trading, despite the lack of top-tier data from the UK. The second estimate for the UK GDP is up for release today and no revisions are expected from the initially reported 0.8% reading. Downgrades, however, could lead to more losses for the pound while upgrades could lead to a rebound.

CHF

The franc gave back most of its recent gains to the dollar as the Swiss currency was also weighed down by bleak growth figures from the euro zone. Swiss PPI came in line with expectations and posted a flat reading. There are no reports due from Switzerland today.

JPY

The yen lost further ground in yesterday’s trading sessions, as traders started pricing in the possibility of seeing more easing from the BOJ. After all, data from Japan has mostly been weak and the central bank has been showing concern on the country’s export industry. Core machinery orders showed a mere 8.8% annualized gain versus the projected 15.5% increase. There are no reports due from Japan today.

Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)
Comdolls came back to life in recent trading as the Aussie, Kiwi, and Loonie managed to advance against the dollar. However, there have been no major reports released from these economies, as the pickup in risk sentiment may have kept the currencies afloat. There are still no reports due from these economies today, leaving the comdolls sensitive to risk flows.

By Kate Curtis from Trader's Way.