TODAY’S CURRENCY MOVERS.

EURUSD, Daily
Yesterday the US Flash Services PMI came in at 57.8 in April, erasing much of the 2.1 point rise to 59.2 in March. It compares to 55.0 in April a year ago. This moved EURUSD up by 70 pips before the pair reacted lower from the upper 1.5 stdv Bollinger Band. Yesterday’s daily candle was a relatively narrow one as market participants are hesitant before the FOMC meeting that starts today. EURUSD is still trading below resistance levels (meaning the DXY trades above support). Next minor daily support at 1.0820 and resistance at yesterday’s daily high at 1.0934. As EURUSD is trading at resistance I don’t expect a lot of strength but rather subdued trading that could turn into weakness ahead of the FOMC meeting.

Currency Pairs, Grouped Performance (% Change)
While USD is trading sideways at support one currency stands out of the crowd. This morning AUD has been strong against all the other currencies while at the time of writing the EUR has been relatively weak. After a quick overview of AUD paired charts it seems like Aussie dollar is trying to push through resistance levels. CAD is the weakest of the lot against the AUD and charts suggest that AUDCAD is in late stages of building a smallish bottoming formation. Last week’s candle was a hammer and even though the pair is at resistance there is a higher low in the four hour chart. This indicates AUDCAD is trying to push higher. Should the attempt be successful, the preferred way to trade the long side is to enter after pullbacks.
Main Macro Events Today
Japan retail sales: dropped more than expected in March compared to last year. Total sales declined 9.7% y/y versus a revised 1.7% y/y slide previously.
UK Gross Domestic Product: Consensus estimate points to a y/y decline of 0.4% at 2.6% while last previous figure was 3.0%
US April consumer confidence: the headline figure should reveal an increase to 104.0 (median 102.5) from 101.3 in March.
FOMC Meeting: The US Fed meets on Tuesday and Wednesday. While no policy changes are expected, the focus will be on the statement and the nuances in the forward guidance language that we doubt will provide any clarity on timing of the first rate hike.

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Janne Muta
Chief Market Analyst
HotForex
Disclaimer: Nothing in this communication contains, or should be considered as containing, an investment advice or an investment recommendation or a solicitation for the purpose of purchase or sale of any financial instrument.