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GBP/USD Fundamental Analysis: February 14, 2017 The GBP/USD pair exhibited a tight trading activity during yesterday’s session as the USD’s value surge was felt across the market. However, this activity somewhat failed to make a dent in the value of the sterling pound. A lot of analysts have been saying during the past few days that the GBP is practically the only currency which has resisted the negative effects of the dollar strength in spite of the fact that it continues to be weak as a result of the Brexit process. This is because UK government officials have been working very hard to make the Brexit process clear for everyone, and any kind of certainty is very much welcomed by market traders and investors. Another reason for the GBP/USD’s resistance against the strength of the dollar is the continuously positive string of economic data coming from UK which is an indicator that the country’s economy has not yet been affected by the repercussions of the Brexit process. This could also mean that both the UK economy and the sterling pound might even become better and stronger in the long term even when it finally relieves itself from the European Union. These speculations was able to maintain the GBP/USD pair’s position at 500 pips, with more ranging and consolidation expected to continue in the near future in spite of the dollar strength. UK will be releasing its CPI data today and this will be closely monitored by the market whether this will come out as positive and affirm the country’s strong economic status. US will also be releasing its PPI data today and Yellen will be making a statement with regards to the monetary policy of the Federal Reserve, including economic status and interest rate hikes.

USD/CAD Fundamental Analysis: February 14, 2017 A lot of analysts have been saying that it is highly likely that the USD/CAD pair will be subject to an increased amount of pressure as oil prices continue to stay afloat and the economic data coming from the Canadian region continues to be consistently positive, a signal that the country’s economy gets better everyday. The currency pair is expected to remain under pressure as long as the US dollar remains under control, and this also means that the pair’s bulls would need to consistently strive to maintain the support barrier at 1.3000 points. This activity has been seen during the past trading session as the pair was able to surpass the 1.3100 barrier and is now currently going towards 1.3050 points. The USD/CAD bears were also helped by the fact that Trump and Trudeau’s meeting yesterday was quite cordial, with Trump clarifying that the shifts he will be making on trade agreements will not have that much of an effect towards Canada. This helped to support the Canadian dollar which tried to surpass the dollar strength but eventually failed as the USD consistently surged in value. There are no major news releases coming from Canada to day but the US will be releasing its PPI data and Yellen will be making comments on the central bank’s future monetary policy as well as the current state of the US economy. If her comments come out as bullish, then the USD/CAD pair might move towards and could even surpass 1.3100 points.

EUR/USD Fundamental Analysis: February 14, 2017 The strength of the USD is now felt more than ever in the market, and this has caused other major currencies to experience the negative effects of the surge in the dollar’s value. For the EUR/USD pair, the currency pair has dropped to 1.0600 points and was only able to prevent itself from further decreasing due to its support barrier of 1.0580 points. However, the pair’s price activity looks very dismal and it is uncertain how long the bulls would be able to keep its hold on the pair before the bears manage to seize control and push the pair further downward. If this happens, then this could spell disaster for the euro. The market is now able to fully adjust to Trump’s policies after an initial unrest caused by his team’s adjustments to certain regulations, with the market now sure of the administration’s approach with regards to policies, thereby improving investor confidence in the US dollar. This has helped to shift the market’s focus from the Fed’s future moves and Trump’s future implementations as well, and this has further helped to support the USD especially now that the Federal Reserve is keen on sticking to its statement that there will be a total of three interest rate hikes for this year. The US will be releasing its PPI data today, and Fed chair Yellen will be making statements with regards to the central bank’s monetary policies during today’s speech in the New York session. The market will be monitoring Yellen’s speech later today and if Yellen becomes consistently bullish in her remarks, then the euro could be in for more price drops.

USD/CAD Technical Analysis: February 13, 2017 The USDCAD was neutral amid Friday night trades. The Asian recovery slowed down overhead the level 1.3120. The greens tried to resume its gains but attempts failed. Renewed selling pressure affected the spot rebounding the price lower than 1.3120 during afternoon session. The USD fall behind 1.3050 level prior to the opening of the New York hours. According to the 4-hour chart, the rebounded the 50-EMA lower and tested the 100-day moving averages. The pair is confined under the 200 and 100-EMA throughout the day. The 100 and 50-EMAs is neutralize while 200-EMA moved lower as shown in the same timeframe. Resistance is at 1.3120, support entered 1.3050 region. The MACD histogram decreased which implied weak position for the buyers. RSI is confined in the overvalued territory near the neutral zone. Bearish sentiment is expected to prevail. If the commodity-linked pair remained on top of the 1.3120 mark, sell order will be posted. The next possible target of the sellers is 1.3050.

GBP/USD Technical Analysis: February 13, 2017 The figures for the United Kingdom Industrial Production exceeded the expected results which further give a temporary support for the British currency. Nevertheless, the recovery of the greens is wide-ranging causing the GBPUSD to conduct a reversal. The sterling preserved its neutral stance amid Asian session on Friday. The spot hovered on top of 1.2500 close to the handle. Traders were able to surpass the region after the EU hours and continued to push the spot through 1.2450 area. The 4-hour chart presented that the price drove 100 and 50-EMAs towards a lower point. The 50 and 200-EMAs seem neutral while the 100-day moving averages descended as seen in the aforesaid chart. Resistance touched 1.2500 mark, support lies at 1.2400. MACD is placed in the centerline. An entry within the positive zone will provide added strength for the buyers while an attempt towards the negative territory will allow sellers to take over the market. The RSI stayed in the neutral region. Either a move lower than 1.2500 would help produce an opportunity to test 1.2400.

EUR/USD Technical Analysis: February 13, 2017 Non-Farm Payrolls in France came in positive but the single European currency ignored these strong data. The euro was kept intact in the pressured area on the back of the increasing political instability relative to France’s Presidential election. Moreover, the imminent vote-casting within Germany, Italy, and Netherlands brought added pressure against the EUR. Meanwhile, the US dollar demand was supported by the tax reform proposal by Trump. The greenbacks further strengthened on Friday while the euro weakened after a clear recovery at night amid EU session. Traders surpass the 1.0650 level and drove the price downwards during the New York trades. The EUR/USD pushed the 200-day moving averages as shown in the 4-hour chart. The 100 and 50-EMAs were bearish-neutral while 200-EMA manifested a bullish bias in the aforesaid timeframe. Resistance is seen at 1.0650 region, support touched 1.0600 handle. MACD indicator softened implying a sell signal. RSI is confined in the oversold territory, indicating a downtrend. Another lower movement is expected, reaching the 1.0600 mark. A close below the support region is possible to provide further weakening through 1.0550.

EUR/USD Fundamental Analysis: February 9, 2017 The EUR/USD pair failed to make significant progress during the previous trading session and merely continued its current trend of ranging and consolidation and still failed to find a definite direction and was still unable to capitalize on the USD’s marked weakness. The currency pair has been finding difficulty with regards to breaking through the 1.0705 barrier, which has boded well for the US dollar in spite of its lack of progress. Under wholly different circumstances, this particular situation might have caused the dollar to undergo massive corrections but since other other major currencies have been trading on the weaker side of the chart as well, the USD has only managed to keep itself floating amidst the market weakness. For the past few trading sessions, the euro has been consistently exhibiting a weak trading stance, which was mostly due to various uncertainties and concerns surrounding the European Union. There are now a lot of rumors swirling around whether the EU would still exist after a few years and whether the Brexit phenomenon would be repeated by other countries who would wish to leave the EU. Although a lot of eurozone leaders have attempted to pacify these rumors, this has nonetheless left an effect on the state of the EUR. The forthcoming French and German elections is also a cause of concern for the market since there are strong contenders who are in favor of leaving the union should they win the said elections. All of these factors are putting constant downward pressure on the euro, therefore preventing the currency to make any substantial progress. US will be releasing its unemployment claims data today and some Fed officials are due to make statements at various forums, and these events are expected to induce volatility in an otherwise very docile currency market.

USD/CAD Fundamental Analysis: February 9, 2017 The USD/CAD pair is still trapped within a tight trading range, however the currency pair’s bulls are fairly satisfied with the USD/CAD’s performance as the currency pair is still relatively strong in spite of the dollar weakness, and once the dollar regains its strength, then this will mean very good news for the pair’s bulls. The USD/CAD pair has recently undergone a very stressful period due to the dollar weakness combined with a surge in oil prices which has helped the Canadian dollar keep its head above water. As the week unfurled, the market has seen oil prices being subject to tremendous pressure and corrections, thereby putting added pressure on the value of the CAD. This is why the Canadian dollar started losing some of its value at the beginning of the week and has provided support for the USD/CAD bulls. Strengthening the currency pair and revert back from its support barrier of 1.3000, with the USD/CAD currently trading at just under 1.3200 points. The pair is expected to continue its upward trend and would only go in for a trend reversal once it manages to break through 1.3000 points. Until then, the USD/CAD would probably exhibit reversions from its lows and the bulls would still be dominating the currency pair, with a medium-term target of 1.4000 points. There are no major news scheduled to be released from the Canadian economy today but we do have the unemployment claims data from the US, as well as comments from some Fed officials. However, these are not expected to make a significant dent in the pair’s current stance and the pair is expected to consolidate at 1.3200 for the rest of today’s sessions.

USD/CAD Technical Analysis: February 8, 2017 The decline in crude oil prices weighed on the Canadian dollar while the stronger US dollar added pressure to push the loonie downwards. The USDCAD resumed a short-term uptrend on Tuesday. Moreover, the USD came in green against its Canadian peer. The spot gradually increased overnight reaching 1.3120 level prior to opening of the European session. There is a renewed buying pressure within the greens which supported the pair towards its fresh highs. The price spiked and touched 1.3190 region in the post-EU open. The barrier restricted its developement as it holds the major enclosed the region. The price drove the 100 and 50-EMAs higher as shown in the 4-hour chart. The pair nearly reached the 200-EMA which became the resistance. Furthermore, the 50 and 100 EMAs shifted to an upward trend while 200-EMA headed lower. Resistance entered 1.3190 area, support holds 1.3120 handle. The MACD approached the positive territory, preserving this area would mean a stronger stance for the buyers. RSI hovered around the overvalued range indicating another upward trajectory. It is projected that a near-term bullish momentum will return. In order to resumed this bullishness, the pair should focus on top of 1.3190 mark.

EUR/USD Fundamental Analysis: February 8, 2017 The market has been experiencing a lot of volatility recently due to the pronounced weakness of most major currencies, with traders having a hard time picking out definite directions, with profits going from positive to negative in just a matter of minutes. During yesterday’s session, the USD was able to regain the majority of losses against the EUR, with the EUR/USD pair falling down to 1.0700 points. For a brief moment it looked like that this particular stance of the currency pair would remain standing and would eventually become overpowered by the dollar’s strength but the following day saw the dollar losing its ground and dropping back to its previous lows. There is basically a surrounding fear and marked uncertainty felt within the market right now that all currencies are very weak, which has resulted in this very rare price action. There are no major news data expected to be released from either the European Union or the US today, and this means more ranging and consolidation activity for the EUR/USD pair. This is generally okay for day traders but could spell disaster for long-term traders as they become hard pressed to find direction in this very chaotic market environment.

Positive Reports Indicating Italy's Economic Recovery Italy’s economy is performing well as it grew for the past three months signaling a stabilizing growth pace of the economy as statistics shown. Despite the uncertainty in the first half last year, the country was able to recover supported by the monthly report short-term economic forecasts by the national statistics agency ISTAT. Results were further supported by the improving manufacturing sector, household purchasing power and higher investment. However, the consumer confidence index declines due to the current weak economic condition. On a brighter side, the business confidence has significantly advanced. This was greatly influenced by the manufacturing sector increased by 0.7% In November. Other sectors such as the foreign trade and and Household Consumption climbed by 2.2% and 0.3% respectively in the third quarter last year. This remarkable results coincides with the expectations of the government and optimistic that this will lessen the fiscal adjustment needed from the European Union.

Indonesia Economy Rose to 5.02% The Gross Domestic Product of Indonesia beefed up by 5.02 percent in 2016 versus 4.88 percent in 2015 based on the report of Central Statistics Agency (BPS) released on Monday. However, the Austronesian nation declined during the Q4 with a year-over-year decrease in GDP by 4.94 percent with the previous 5.02 percent in Q3. The chief of BPS, Suhariyanto mentioned the government expenditure also dropped to 4.05 percent during the fourth quarter of 2016 followed by a budget curtailment which causes for a slower annual percentage compared with the same quarter in 2015 with an increase of 7.12 percent. The adjusted public spending regarded as being caused by austerity measures led by the administration of Joko “Jokowi” Widodo with an estimated Rp 137 trillion (US$10.27 billion) trimmed budget. Furthermore, the figures for imports and exports grew slower with 1.74 percent only while 2.27 percent in 2016 accordingly. Investments mounted to 4.48 percent in the previous year. The household consumption of Indonesia is considered the largest factor for the country’s GDP reaching 56 percent within the total percentage, the increase is approximately 5.01 percent.

Asian Stocks Drop After JPY Haven Demand Surge Asian equities experienced a decline following a JPY rally after the demand for the safe haven currency increased following various concerns surrounding political events worldwide. The Japanese Topix index decreased after a three-day high as the JPY recorded its highest value since November 2016 last Monday. This recent rally in equities caused by Trump’s policies have started to weaken as most investors are now worried with how the Trump administration plans to balance out its proposed tax cuts and added spending with its protectionist stance on international trade. Adding to risk are some EU countries where anti-establishment organizations are now gaining fuel prior to their respective national elections.

Worst-Performing Economy in the Eurozone - Italy According to an analysis conducted in the euro zone, the economy of Italy has the worst condition among European Union countries after 18 years while the leading country is Germany. The besieged Italian republic was witnessed to be the only nation within the region to have an economic decline equal to its population size during the year, 1998. The state’s Gross Domestic Product is down to 0.4 percent within that period which performed worse than Greece as stated in the EU data from Bloomberg. Moreover, the current GDP of Italy grew by 6.2 percent, however, the number of all individuals is greater by 6.6 percent. According to a Milan-based economist from UniCredit Bank AG, Loredana Federico, said in an interview that the country’s economy had a slow growth versus other nations. She also mentioned that it will tough for Italy to close the gap compared with other economic systems.

USD Falls for Sixth Consecutive Week as NFP Data Disappoints The US dollar fell for the sixth consecutive week and has recorded its lowest drop since July 2016 after the NFP report disappointed a lot of market players as the supposed effects of a highly positive hiring data was offset by the lack of wage-induced pressures. This was also further propelled by various uncertainties surrounding Trump’s policies regarding the USD, as well as his newly-imposed sanctions on Iran. The results of the NFP report were also not enough to compensate for the uncertainties brought about by the Fed’s refusal to give out hints on its next steps regarding the impending interest rate hike.

USD/JPY Fundamental Analysis: February 6, 2017 The USD/JPY pair attempted to rally several times during the past week due to the positive feel of the US equity markets as well as its effect on the US carry trade but there was a shortage of buyers which could have fueled an upside follow-through. The USD/JPY pair finished the previous trading session at 112.551 points after dropping by -2.17% or 2.496 points. This movement in the currency pair was largely due to Trump’s comments in the past week as well as statements coming from both the Fed and the BoJ. The FOMC maintained its current rates last week at 0.50%-0.75% and was generally expected by the majority of market players, but the bearish tone of the USD/JPY pair was also largely influenced by the Fed’s refusal to give out hints with regards to its next interest rate hike. There are no major news releases coming from either Japan or US for this week, and this means that the market will be affected by events that will have a bearing on the current stance of the US dollar. Currently, Trump is aiming for a weaker USD value in order for him to upgrade his statements with regards to currency devaluations and other unfair trade policies. The charts are indicating that the USD/JPY pair could possibly rise up to 109.919 points if sellers of the pair would be able to put enough pressure on the market to march through 112.00 points.

EUR/USD Fundamental Analysis: February 6, 2017 The EUR/USD pair will undergo pressure this week. Moreover, the NFP report was positive as the average earnings positioned at 0.1% lower than the expected 0.3%. When at first, it is expected for the bulls to take over the market but the trend doesn't have enough momentum bringing the price towards the 1.0800 as a resistance level which was the prior region. The greenback is being swayed because of the uncertainty from Trump and his team to change the policies and cannot be determined the next move of Euro. The current psychological level at 1.0800 is a significant region and a break in this region could further bring the price towards the 1.12 mark which has been the region for some time last week. The market is trying to break the EUR/USD in the midst of the weakened dollar. At the same time, the market aims to stabilize the current rates but there were not enough support from the administration and economic policy changes and the reports of the economic data. Although, a majority of the support for the currency supported from the economic data or the administration and at the same time influence the next Fed rate hike. However, it seems that the wage earnings reports are on the lows which could delay the rate hike process. This would put more pressure to the dollar today and this whole week and it is still uncertain until when the dollar rates would hold. As for today, there will be no major economic news from the Euro or from U.S. regions. It is expected for the price to EUR/USD to remain in consolidation with a bullish bias with chances of a breakout near the 1.0800 level.

USD/CAD Technical Analysis: February 6, 2017 The pair USD/CAD surged on Friday's trading session. It turned around finding a resistance towards the 1.30 level. The price could set into a new fresh low and this could further go down. However, if the price breaks higher than the candle pattern formed on Friday's session, there could be chances for buying opportunities. Traders should monitor the oil market as it has an influence to the Canadian dollar that usually affects the price inversely for the pair.

NZD/USD Technical Analysis: February 6, 2017 The Kiwi against greenback declined on Friday's trading session. A strong support was found at 0.7250 level but was able to reverse the trend after forming a bullish candle while the resistance is found at 0.7350 level. If the price breaks higher than the psychological levels which will then result to a decline to the 0.71 level. Traders should expect high volatility in the market. Hence, fluctuations and rough trading for the pair.

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EUR/USD Fundamental Analysis: February 3, 2017 The EUR/USD pair has been subject to a lot of messy trading activity during the past trading sessions as the pair had no definite direction and generally exhibited an uncertain trading stance. The currency pair has been vainly trying to break through the 1.0800 trading range and briefly made it through this barrier and even reached up to 1.0828 points but eventually reverted back to its original stance after a massive sell-off met the pair, causing it to fall back to 1.0800 and even went as low as just over 1.0760 points. Today is the scheduled release date of the NFP report from the US, and the market volatility is expected to surge as this particular report is one of the major economic reports anticipated by the markets every month. The NFP report now is even more crucial than ever, because the Fed has previously stated that the central bank will be relying on positive economic data as basis for whether they will be hiking interest rates in the future or otherwise. In addition, the release of the NFP report is equally important to restore investor and trader confidence in the USD, especially since the past few days has seen the dollar subject to more weakness as Trump drew negative comments from his recently implemented foreign policies such as the immigration ban. This is one of the reasons why the general direction of the EUR/USD remains uncertain since the market wants first to confirm the results of the NFP report before making any concrete moves. For today’s session, US will be releasing its NFP report as well as the non-manufacturing PMI data and average wage earnings data. Investors are hoping that these economic data comes out as positive in order to induce some strength in the ever-weakening stance of the US dollar.

GBP/USD Fundamental Analysis: February 3, 2017 The GBP/USD pair is currently trading at 1.2500 points after briefly reaching 1.2700 points after traders took sell opportunities every time the GBP/USD exhibited reversions. The Bank of England released its statement yesterday and maintained its current rates as expected, while the monetary policy meetings and inflation reports did not deliver anything significant to the economy and did not induce any market activity. However, these neutral readings had adversely affected the currency pair since the majority of market players were expecting hawkish comments from the BoE as well as from the inflation reports, but since both of these data came out as neutral, the market was generally disappointed and this put a significant amount of downward pressure on the value of the sterling pound. However, it was a good thing that the dollar was weak, since if the dollar were stronger then the pound might sink even lower. The pound is expected to continue its losing streak, and any reversions are expected to be met with major sell-offs, especially with the oncoming volatility which will be caused by the implementation of the Brexit process. For today’s session, UK will be releasing its services PMI data and US will be releasing its NFP reports and wage earnings data. These string of economic readings set to be released today are expected to increase the pair’s volatility. The market is expecting a positive US labor report, and if this happens, then the GBP/USD pair might be able to break through 1.2500 and move further towards 1.2400 points.

USD/CAD Fundamental Analysis: February 3, 2017 The market has been generally expecting the USD/CAD pair to undergo a period of ranging and consolidation as the US prepares to release its NFP report, and this was what happened with this particular currency pair during the past trading sessions. The USD/CAD is currently trading at over 1.3000 and is headed in a generally disappointing trading streak, but then again this region has strong support barriers, and this region might be a good place for traders to go long with a stop loss. Oil prices have already settled down last month and has exhibited little activity on both directions. As a result, the Canadian dollar was able to obtain some support and the economic data scheduled to be released from Canada are also expected to be generally positive, and there are no major changes expected to occur within the Canadian economy. The drop in the value of the USD/CAD was mainly due to the weakness of the dollar, and once Trump makes major changes in the NAFTA agreement, then the trade relationship between US and Canada could be up for some major adjustments. This has no positive effect on both economies whatsoever, and this uncertainty has been fueling the drop in the value of the currency pair. There are no major news expected to be released from the Canadian economy today but the market is expecting the release of the NFP report as well as the average earnings data and the non-manufacturing PMI data from the US. If these data comes out as positive, then this could further affirm an interest rate hike from the Fed in the near future, but a weak reading could cause the USD to further decrease in value.

GBP/USD Fundamental Analysis: January 31, 2017 The GBP/USD pair’s activity has been very disappointing during the past 24 hours, which could be largely due to the fact that the market is nearing the end of the month. Towards the end of every month, the UK government is required to pay its membership fees to the European Union, and this usually amounts to 1 billion euros, and this usually induces volatility in the movement of the sterling pound. These monthly dues from the UK are usually masked by the banks which process these transactions, but these show more often than not, and this contributes to the drop in the value of the GBP. Market analysts have constantly saying that the direction of the sterling pound would most likely be influenced by the Brexit process, and this has been already seen with the increased pressure on the GBP/USD pair. This particular pressure on the pound is expected to continue until such time that the Brexit process is finally completed, and this is also the reason why the pound climbed up to trading highs near 1.2700 but eventually corrected and is now expected to hit 1.2300 points in the short term. The GBP will remain to be one of the weaker currencies, and although there might be a few intermittent reversions at the expense of the dollar weakness, these are not expected to follow through in the long term. There are no major news releases from the UK set to be released today but the US will be releasing its consumer confidence data. Month end flows are expected to come in today as this is the last day of the month, and traders are advised to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves from the onslaught of additional volatility today.

USD/JPY Fundamental Analysis: January 31, 2017 The Japanese yen inched higher as opposed to the US dollar as a result of a flight-to-safety trend across the market, which was triggered by investor reactions to a sudden drop in global equity markets. Meanwhile, stocks were sold off as a result of Donald Trump’s immigration ban. The USD/JPY pair closed off the previous trading session at 113.778 after decreasing by -1.10% or 1.269 points. A lot of investors have sought the protection of the Japanese yen after protectionism concerns arose due to the immigration ban since these could possibly have a negative effect on both exports and imports and could also create substantial risks for the economy. Towards the latter part of yesterday’s session, the Japanese Household Spending data came in with a reading of 0.3%, exceeding market expectations of 0.8% and the previous reading of -1.5%. However, the unemployment rates for the country remain stagnant at 3.1%. Meanwhile, the Bank of Japan chose to maintain its current benchmark interest rates at -0.10%, a move that was generally anticipated by the majority of market players. The central bank also increased its GDP forecast to 1.4% as opposed to its past prediction of 1.0% back in October. In addition, the BoJ also stated that it is expecting an inflation surge of around 2% come the fiscal year 2018. Interest rate differentials could have a positive effect on the USD/JPY pair since the central bank chose to maintain its interest rates while the Fed hinted at high-frequency rate hikes for 2017. In the short term, the USD/JPY could be driven by volatility coming from the equity markets. However, the dollar-yen relationship could possibly be influenced by the positive interest rate differentials.