target

Summary: Target share price tanks after earnings release. Retailers getting blindsided by higher costs Targets earnings announcement leaves investors shorting the stock Target Corporation's stock tanked on Tuesday after they released their first quarter earnings, their adjusted earnings per share came in well below investor expectations. However, it was not only the first quarters earning report than sent the share price tumbling, the retailer announced they expected the second quarter that its income margin rate is unlikely to be similar to the first quarters 5.3% operating income margin rate. Supply chain issues have also increased costs Target claims to have been blindsided by rising prices in the current environment, causing many financial indicators to come out lower than expected. In addition, supply chain issues have also increased costs. Despite sales rising as customers are having to spend more to buy more (due to rising inflation) profits are still struggling. Target Price Chart Read next: (DJI) Retail Stocks Help Push Dow Jones Industrial Average Price Up, Another Crypto Loses Value In The Market  Sources: finance.yahoo.com, barrons.com

Watch Andrew Lockwood’s final week on the Eightcap Trade Zone. Start with his live Monday morning Trading Week Ahead, as he delivers his insight on the potential markets to monitor from Indices, Forex, and Commodities and shares possible trade ideas and opportunities for the coming week.  JOIN THIS WEDNESDAY’S LIVE MARKET UPDATE | 18th May 2022! Would you like to know more about any of the markets or strategies featured in this month’s Trade Zone? Then Join us this coming Wednesday, at 7PM AEST (10AM BST), as Andrew offers his final mid-week Live Market Update. Watch as he looks back at his analysis from Monday, updates his insight about the moves and developments that have been made, and shares where he foresees the market heading as we approach the weekend. Register Now The Trade Zone is the perfect place to get the help and support you need. At the end of the session, join Andrew and the rest of the Trade Zone community for a live Q&A. Ask all your market, strategy, and trade-related questions to get the answers needed to improve your trade education. Join us in the Trade Zone this week, and as always, please remember to trade safely! The post Trade Zone Week Ahead: Real-Time Morning Insight with Andrew Lockwood appeared first on Eightcap.

Welcome trader, property investor, and bestselling author Stuart McPhee as he delivers his first Trading Week Ahead Live of June. Join him this coming Monday, as he starts the week by summarising the state of the markets in Forex, Indices, and Commodities. Then shares his perspective on potential trade ideas and opportunities in play for the coming week.  JOIN THIS WEDNESDAY’S LIVE MARKET UPDATE | 1st June 2022! Would like you to receive more support and guidance around your trading activity? Then Join Stuart and the rest of the Trade Zone community this coming Wednesday at 7PM AEST (10AM BST). Watch as he gives you his first mid-week Live Market Update of the Month. Revisiting the weeks earlier trade ideas from Monday’s Trading week Ahead, Stuart updates his insight about the moves and progression that have been made and shares his beliefs in the market as we approach the weekend. Register Now At the end of the session, there will be a live Q&A for you to ask all your market, strategy, and trade-related questions and get the answers needed to unlock the secrets to trading CFDs. The Trade Zone is the perfect place to get the help and support you need to improve your skills and understanding of the financial markets. So join the Eightcap Trade Zone this week as we explore the markets together, and please remember to trade safely! The post Trade Zone Week Ahead: Morning Market Insight, with Stuart McPhee appeared first on Eightcap.

Watch resident Eightcap and Trade Zone analyst Joe Jeffriess as he delivers another insight instalment of the Trading Outlook. Recap his early morning summary, as he provides his overview of the market positions and moves made in today’s Asian trading session, whilst then offering you his ideas and predictions as we look towards the London open. The post 06.06.22 | Trading Outlook with Resident Analyst Joe Jeffriess appeared first on Eightcap.

Join trader, property investor, and bestselling author Stuart McPhee as he delivers his first Trading Week Ahead Live of June. Watch him as he starts off the week by summarising the state of the markets in Forex, Indices, and Commodities. Then prepare yourself as he shares potential trade ideas and opportunities in play for the coming week.  JOIN THIS WEDNESDAY’S LIVE MARKET UPDATE | 8th June 2022! Would you like help to understand the reasons behind the moves made in this week’s markets? Join Stuart and the rest of the Trade Zone community on Wednesday 8th June, at 7PM AEST (10AM BST). Watch as he gives you his first mid-week Live Market Update of the Month. Revisiting the week’s earlier trade ideas from Monday’s Trading week Ahead, Stuart updates his insight, breaking down the developments and moves made, and predicts what may happen as the weekend approaches. Register Now At the end of the session, there will be an opportunity to direct all your market, strategy, and trade-related questions to the expert in a live Q&A. Get the answers needed to trade CFDs. The Trade Zone is the perfect place to get the help and support you need to improve your skills and understanding of the financial markets. So come join Eightcap and Stuart McPhee this week on the Trade Zone as we explore the markets together – Please remember to trade safely! The post Trade Zone Week Ahead: Morning Market Insight, with Stuart McPhee appeared first on Eightcap.

Photo Credit: Marco Verch Professional Photographer || With some private investments, you can’t tell what the value truly is. Third party professional help occasionally assists dishonesty Part of my career was based on concealing volatility. I sold Guaranteed Investment Contracts. I helped design and manage several different types of stable value funds. Life insurance contracts get valued at their book value, regardless of what the replacement cost of an equivalent contract would be like presently. Anytime an investment pool with no current market price has a book value above the underlying value of the investments that it holds, there is risk to those holding the investment pool. The amount of risk can be small yet significant with some types of money market funds. It can be considerably larger in certain types of pooled investments like: Various types of business partnerships, including Private REITs, Real Estate Partnerships, Private Equity, etc.Illiquid debts, such as private credit funds, and notes with limited marketability, whether structured or not.Odd mutual funds that limit withdrawals because they offer “guarantees” of a sort. That applies to Variable Annuities with riders offering guaranteed benefits, if the life insurer becomes insolvent.One-off investment liquid partnerships that are secretive and unusual, like Madoff. The underlying may be illiquid, but the accounting may be fraudulent. Or, the accounting may be fine, but the assets listed are not what is in custody. (With small funds, analyze the auditor, trustees, and custodian.)The value of a company touted by a SPAC promoter may be worth considerably less than what is illustrated.Any investment in public equity or debt pool where the positions are concentrated, and they own a high percentage of the float, or a high amount of the securities relative to the amount that gets traded in an average month. Think of Third Avenue Focused Credit, or Archegos. I have consistently encouraged readers to “look through” their pooled investments, and consider what the underlying is worth. If you only have a vague idea of what the underlying investments are, look at their public equivalents. A rising tide lifts almost all boats, and a falling tide does the opposite. There is a conceit within private equity, private credit and private real estate funds that they are less risky; there is no volatility, because we cannot produce an NAV. They have the same volatility as the publicly traded funds, but the volatility is concealed. If trouble hits the public markets 50-75% of the way through the life of a private fund, it will have difficulty selling their investments at levels anywhere near the book value previously claimed by the sponsors. With consent of the limited partners, perhaps they extend the life of the fund to try to recover value, but that also imposes an opportunity cost on holders who were expecting proceeds from the fund on schedule. Remember as well that in a scenario like 1929-1932, private funds will be wiped out with similarly leveraged private funds. Aleph Blog has consistently warned about the possibility of depression, plague, war, famine, bad monetary policy and aggressive socialism. We have gotten plague, war, and bad monetary policy. Famine in a sense may come from the Ukraine war and trade restrictions on Russia, at least for the African countries that buy from them. Thus I encourage readers to avoid private investments that promise no volatility, like the stupid ads for Equity Multiple that run on Bloomberg Radio. All investments involve some type of risk. Just because you can’t or don’t measure the risk doesn’t mean that there is no risk. Don’t listen to investment sales pitches which tell you to avoid the volatility of the public equity and debt markets, when they are taking the exact same risks in the private market, and they cannot or will not measure the risks for you, no matter how thick or thin the “disclosure” document is. There is no significant advantage in the private market over the public market. Indeed, the reverse may be true. (Yes, I meant all of the ambiguity there.) Look to the underlying, and invest accordingly. Look at fees, and try to minimize them. Prize transparency, because it reduces risk in the long run. Those who are honest are transparent.

Join trader, property investor, and bestselling author Stuart McPhee as he delivers his first Trading Week Ahead Live of June. Watch him as he starts off the week by summarising the state of the markets in Forex, Indices, and Commodities. Then prepare yourself as he shares potential trade ideas and opportunities in play for the coming week. JOIN THIS WEDNESDAY’S LIVE MARKET UPDATE | 8th June 2022! Would you like help to understand the reasons behind the moves made in this week’s markets? Join Stuart and the rest of the Trade Zone community on Wednesday 8th June, at 7PM AEST (10AM BST). Watch as he gives you his first mid-week Live Market Update of the Month. Revisiting the week’s earlier trade ideas from Monday’s Trading week Ahead, Stuart updates his insight, breaking down the developments and moves made, and predicts what may happen as the weekend approaches. Register Now At the end of the session, there will be an opportunity to direct all your market, strategy, and trade-related questions to the expert in a live Q&A. Get the answers needed to trade CFDs. The Trade Zone is the perfect place to get the help and support you need to improve your skills and understanding of the financial markets. So come join Eightcap and Stuart McPhee this week on the Trade Zone as we explore the markets together – Please remember to trade safely! The post Trade Zone Week Ahead: Morning Market Insight, with Stuart McPhee appeared first on Eightcap.

Watch resident Eightcap and Trade Zone analyst Joe Jeffriess as he delivers another insightful instalment of his weekly Trading Outlook. Recap his early morning summary, as he provides an overview of the market positions and moves made in today’s Asian trading session, whilst then offering you his ideas and predictions as we look towards the London open. The post 06.06.22 | Trading Outlook with Resident Analyst Joe Jeffriess appeared first on Eightcap.

Join Stuart McPhee, trader, property investor, and bestselling author, as he gives you his Trading Week Ahead Live for the week. Watch him as he starts off the week by summarising the state of the markets in Forex, Indices, and Commodities. Then prepare yourself as he shares potential trade ideas and opportunities in play for the coming week.  JOIN THIS WEDNESDAY’S LIVE MARKET UPDATE | 15th June 2022! Are you tired of analysing the market alone? Would you like to know how the market is taking shape this week? Register for Stuart’s mid-week Live Market Update. Join him on Wednesday 15th June, at 7PM AEST (10AM BST) as he looks back at the earlier market activity and opportunities since his Trading week Ahead. Stuart will then break down the developments and moves made and provide further insight on what may happen as the weekend approaches. Register Now At the end of the session, you will have the opportunity to direct all your market, strategy, and trade-related questions to the expert in a live Q&A. Learn what you need to trade CFDs safely. The Trade Zone is the perfect place to get the help and support you need to improve your skills and understanding of the financial markets. So come join Eightcap and Stuart McPhee this week on the Trade Zone as we explore the markets together – Please remember to trade safely! The post Trade Zone Week Ahead: Morning Market Insight, with Stuart McPhee appeared first on Eightcap.

Join Stuart McPhee, trader, property investor, and bestselling author, as he gives you his Trading Week Ahead Live for the week. Watch him as he starts off the week by summarising the state of the markets in Forex, Indices, and Commodities. Then prepare yourself as he shares potential trade ideas and opportunities in play for the coming week.  JOIN THIS WEDNESDAY’S LIVE MARKET UPDATE | 15th June 2022! Are you tired of analysing the market alone? Would you like to know how the market is taking shape this week? Register for Stuart’s mid-week Live Market Update. Join him on Wednesday 15th June, at 7PM AEST (10AM BST) as he looks back at the earlier market activity and opportunities since his Trading week Ahead. Stuart will then break down the developments and moves made and provide further insight on what may happen as the weekend approaches. Register Now At the end of the session, you will have the opportunity to direct all your market, strategy, and trade-related questions to the expert in a live Q&A. Learn what you need to trade CFDs safely. The Trade Zone is the perfect place to get the help and support you need to improve your skills and understanding of the financial markets. So come join Eightcap and Stuart McPhee this week on the Trade Zone as we explore the markets together – Please remember to trade safely! The post Trading Week Ahead Live with Stuart McPhee appeared first on Eightcap.

Watch Joe Jeffriess, resident Eightcap, and Trade Zone analyst, as he provides more insightful analysis in his weekly Trading Outlook. Review his early morning summary, as he offers a comprehensive overview of the moves and setups in today’s Asian trading session, then gives you his predictions as we look ahead to the London open. The post 13.06.22 | Trading Outlook with Resident Analyst Joe Jeffriess appeared first on Eightcap.

Image credit: All images belong to Aleph Blog Well, finally the bear market… at 3/31/2002 the S&P 500 was priced to return a trice less than zero in nominal terms. After the pasting the market received today, that figure is 3.57%/year nominal (not adjusted for inflation). You would likely be better off in an ETF of 10-year single-A rated bonds yielding 4.7% — both for safety and return. I will admit that my recent experiment buying TLT has been a flop. I added to the position today. My view is that the long end of the curve is getting resistant to the belly of the curve, and thus the curve is turning into the “cap” formation, where the middle of the curve is higher than the short and long ends. This is a rare situation. Usually, the long end rallies in situations like this. The only situation more rare than this is the “cup” formation where the middle of the curve is lower than the short and long ends. I will have to update my my old post of “Goes Down Double-Speed.” We’ve been through three cycles since then — bear, bull, and now bear again. People get surprised by the ferocity of bear markets, but they shouldn’t be. People get shocked at losing money on paper, and thus the selloffs happen more rapidly. Bull markets face skepticism, and so they are slow. What are the possibilities given where the market is now? When the market is expecting 3.57% nominal, give or take one percent, what tends to happen? Most of the time, growth at these levels for the S&P 500 is pretty poor. That said, market expectations of inflation over the next ten years are well below the 4.7% you can earn on an average 10-year single-A rated corporate bond. Those expectations may be wrong — they usually are, but you can’t tell which way they will be wrong. I am still a believer in deflation, so I think current estimates of inflation are too high. There is too much debt and so monetary policy will have more punch than previously. The FOMC will panic, tighten too much, and crater some area in the financial economy that they care about, and then they will give up again, regardless of how high inflation is. They care more about avoiding a depression than inflation. They will even resume QE with inflation running hot if they are worried about the financial sector. The Fed cares about things in this order: Preserve their own necksPreserve the banks, and things like themFight inflationFund the US GovernmentPromote nominal GDP growth, though they will call it reducing labor unemployment. The Fed really doesn’t care about labor unemployment, or inequality. They are a bourgeois institution that cares about themselves and their patrons — those who are rich. I know this post is “all over the map.” My apologies. That said, we in a very unusual situation featuring high debt, high current inflation (that won’t last), war, plague, and supply-chain issues. How this exactly works out is a mystery, especially to me — but I am giving you my best guess here, for whatever it is worth. It’s worth than double what you paid for it! Full disclosure: long TLT for clients and me

Watch Stuart McPhee, trader, property investor, and bestselling author, this Monday for more analysis and market support in his Trading Week Ahead Live for the week. Join him as he begins the week by sharing his market approach, potential trade ideas, and opportunities that are in play for the coming week.  JOIN THIS WEDNESDAY’S LIVE MARKET UPDATE | 22nd June 2022! Would you like some more support in understanding the mid-week performance and trajectory of the markets? Register for next week’s Live Market Update and join Stuart on Wednesday 22nd June, at 7PM AEST (10AM BST) as he shares his review of the market progression made and summarises his predictions as we approach the weekend. Register Now At the end of the session, you will have the chance to ask Stuart all your market, strategy, and trade-related questions in a live Q&A. Learn how to approach the markets and what you need to trade CFDs safely. If you are looking for that extra bit of support and guidance, the Trade Zone is the perfect place to get the help you need to improve your skills and understanding. So come join Eightcap and Stuart McPhee this week on the Trade Zone as we explore the markets together – Please remember to trade safely! The post Week Ahead Live with Stuart McPhee appeared first on Eightcap.

Watch Stuart McPhee, trader, property investor, and bestselling author, this Monday for more analysis and market support in his Trading Week Ahead Live. Join him as he begins the week by sharing his market approach, potential trade ideas, and opportunities that are in play for the coming week.  JOIN THIS WEDNESDAY’S LIVE MARKET UPDATE | 22nd June 2022! Would you like some more support in understanding the mid-week performance and trajectory of the markets? Register for next week’s Live Market Update and join Stuart on Wednesday 22nd June, at 7PM AEST (10AM BST) as he shares his review of the market progression made and summarises his predictions as we approach the weekend. Register Now At the end of the session, you will have the chance to ask Stuart all your market, strategy, and trade-related questions in a live Q&A. Learn how to approach the markets and what you need to trade CFDs safely. If you are looking for that extra bit of support and guidance, the Trade Zone is the perfect place to get the help you need to improve your skills and understanding. So come join Eightcap and Stuart McPhee this week on the Trade Zone as we explore the markets together – Please remember to trade safely! The post Week Ahead Live with Stuart McPhee appeared first on Eightcap.

Do you want to know more about the movement and opportunities in the Asian market? Then enjoy this recording by Joe Jeffriess, resident Eightcap and Trade Zone analyst, as he offers you his insight in our latest Trading Outlook. Watch his morning overview as he summarises the developments and setups made in today’s Asian trading session. Then gives you his prediction on potential moves as we look ahead to the London open. The post 20.06.22 | Trading Outlook with Resident Analyst Joe Jeffriess appeared first on Eightcap.

Join our first Trading Week Ahead Live of the month, as ForexAnalytix give you access to their morning market analysis platform, ‘The Flow Show’. Watch Ryan littlestone this coming Monday, 4th July, at 7.30PM AEST (10.30AM BST), as ForexAnalytix delivers their market insight, potential market ideas and opportunities they feel are in play for the upcoming week JOIN THIS WEDNESDAY’S LIVE MARKET UPDATE | 6th July 2022! Have trouble deciding what to trade? Join Ryan as he delivers his first live market update as ForexAnalytix’s ‘The Flow Show’ takes over the Trade Zone for July. Join Ryan Littlestone, an accomplished trader with 30+ years of trading experience, for a 30-45-minute live stream on Wednesday 6th July at 7.30PM AEDT (10.30AM BST) as he guides you through the trading week. Set a Reminder The Trade Zone is the perfect place to get the help and support you need to improve your skills and understanding of the financial markets. So come join Eightcap and ForexAnalytix this month on the Trade Zone as we explore more of the markets together – Please remember to trade safely! The post Trading Week Ahead Live in Partnership with ForexAnalytix ‘The Flow Show’ appeared first on Eightcap.

Join our first Trading Week Ahead Live of the month, as ForexAnalytix give you access to their morning market analysis platform, ‘The Flow Show’. Watch Ryan Littlestone, as he delivers market insight, potential market ideas and the opportunities he feels are in play for the upcoming week. JOIN THIS WEDNESDAY’S LIVE MARKET UPDATE | 6th July 2022! Have trouble deciding what to trade? An accomplished trader with 30+ years of trading experience, Join Ryan as he delivers his first Live Market Update, as ForexAnalytix’s ‘The Flow Show’ takes over the Eightcap Trade Zone for July. Join Ryan, for a 30-45-minute live stream on Wednesday 6th July at 7.30PM AEDT (10.30AM BST) as he guides you through the trading week. Set a Reminder The Eightcap Trade Zone is the perfect place to get the help and support you need to improve your skills and understanding of the financial markets. So come join Eightcap and ForexAnalytix this month on the Trade Zone as we explore more of the markets together – Please remember to trade safely! The post Trading Week Ahead Live in Partnership with ForexAnalytix ‘The Flow Show’ appeared first on Eightcap.

The Swing Overview - Week 26 2022 After ashort-term upward correction, the indices resumed their bearish trend and closed the week in the red. Along with this risk-off sentiment, commodity currencies weakened, as did the British pound and the euro. Gold is losing ground as a means of inflation protection and has fallen back below the USD 1,800 per ounce. The US dollar, on the other hand, is still the strongest currency amid the looming recession. Macroeconomic data The number of new home sales in the US for May reached 696,000, beating expectations of 588,000. This is positive news.   On the other hand, the negative news is the drop in consumer confidence, which reached 98.7 for May (103.2 the previous month). The drop in consumer confidence is expected to affect consumer spendings. It is evident that American consumers are reluctant to spend in times of rising prices and are accumulating savings for the future. This is of course contributing to the economic slowdown and the risk of a recession in the US is thus becoming stronger. This was confirmed by the GDP data, which fell for the third month in a row.   The fall in GDP last month was 1.6%. GDP was therefore negative in 1Q 2022. If it is also negative in 2Q2022, it will be an official confirmation of the recession defined by two negative quarters in a row. Jerome Powell suggested this week that the risk of the economy being damaged by higher rates is less important than restoring price stability. This heightens fears that a slowdown in the US economy will take the whole world down with it. So in times when central banks are tackling inflation, this risk will set the tone for some time.    This situation is positive for the US dollar, which is seen by investors as a safe haven asset in times of uncertainty. The dollar therefore remains close to this year's highs.  Although the yield on 10-year US Treasuries has fallen below 3%, the overall trend in bond yields is still upwards. Figure 1: US 10-year bond yields and USD index on the daily chart   The SP 500 Index The strengthening on the SP 500 Index that we have seen in the week of June 20 was really just a short-term correction to the overall downtrend, as we have previously suggested. Last week saw another sell-off and so the overall downtrend on the index continues.   Figure 2: The SP 500 on H4 and D1 chart   The nearest resistance according to the H4 chart is in the range of 3,810 - 3,820. The next resistance is 3,930 - 3,950. A support is 3 640 - 3 670.    German DAX index  The German Ifo Business Climate Index which measures the expectations of manufacturers, builders and sellers for the next 6 months continued to show a value of 92.3, which is worse than the previous month when the index value was 93.0. The fall in the reading suggests some pessimism, accentuated by current market uncertainties, which include the impact of the war in Ukraine and high inflation, which in Germany for the month of June was 7.6% year-on-year. However, inflation fell by 0.1% month-on-month.   The labour market has also indicated problems. The number of unemployed in Germany rose by 133 000, while the market had expected a fall of 6 000. This was very negative news, which triggered a strong sell-off on the Dax on Thursday. On the other hand, retail sales were positive, rising by 0.6% in May, while a 5.4% decline was recorded in April. Figure 3: German DAX index on H4 and daily chart The DAX has broken support according to the H4 chart at 12,850, which has now become the new resistance, which is in the 12,820 - 12,850 range. The next resistance according to the H4 chart is then at 13,280 - 13,375. The strong support according to the daily chart is 12,443 - 12,620, which price is currently approaching.    Eurozone inflation at a new record Eurozone consumer inflation reached another record high in June, rising by 8.6% year-on-year. This is higher than analysts' expectations, who predicted a rise of 8.4%. Inflation is therefore continuing to rise, so the expectation that the ECB could raise rates by more than 0.25% in July is on target and this could support the euro's growth. On the other hand, there is a strong dollar which could continue to slow down bulls on the euro.   Figure 4: EUR/USD on H4 and daily chart The nearest resistance according to the H4 chart is at 1.048 - 1.0500. The next resistance is at 1.0600 - 1.0610. Support is at 1.0360 - 1.0380.   Gold broke the $1,800 price tag The development in gold has once again confirmed that investors prefer US bonds instead of gold, which, in addition to being considered a "safe haven" along with the US dollar, also brings a small but still certain return. The strong dollar is not good news for gold, which has fallen below the key support of USD 1,800 per ounce.  Figure 5: Gold on H4 and daily chart The nearest resistance according to the H4 chart is therefore in the zone of USD 1,800 - 1,807 per ounce. Below this resistance we have several supports. The closest one is 1 780 - 1 787 USD per ounce.  

The Swing Overview - Week 26 2022 After ashort-term upward correction, the indices resumed their bearish trend and closed the week in the red. Along with this risk-off sentiment, commodity currencies weakened, as did the British pound and the euro. Gold is losing ground as a means of inflation protection and has fallen back below the USD 1,800 per ounce. The US dollar, on the other hand, is still the strongest currency amid the looming recession. Macroeconomic data The number of new home sales in the US for May reached 696,000, beating expectations of 588,000. This is positive news.   On the other hand, the negative news is the drop in consumer confidence, which reached 98.7 for May (103.2 the previous month). The drop in consumer confidence is expected to affect consumer spendings. It is evident that American consumers are reluctant to spend in times of rising prices and are accumulating savings for the future. This is of course contributing to the economic slowdown and the risk of a recession in the US is thus becoming stronger. This was confirmed by the GDP data, which fell for the third month in a row.   The fall in GDP last month was 1.6%. GDP was therefore negative in 1Q 2022. If it is also negative in 2Q2022, it will be an official confirmation of the recession defined by two negative quarters in a row. Jerome Powell suggested this week that the risk of the economy being damaged by higher rates is less important than restoring price stability. This heightens fears that a slowdown in the US economy will take the whole world down with it. So in times when central banks are tackling inflation, this risk will set the tone for some time.    This situation is positive for the US dollar, which is seen by investors as a safe haven asset in times of uncertainty. The dollar therefore remains close to this year's highs.  Although the yield on 10-year US Treasuries has fallen below 3%, the overall trend in bond yields is still upwards. Figure 1: US 10-year bond yields and USD index on the daily chart   The SP 500 Index The strengthening on the SP 500 Index that we have seen in the week of June 20 was really just a short-term correction to the overall downtrend, as we have previously suggested. Last week saw another sell-off and so the overall downtrend on the index continues.   Figure 2: The SP 500 on H4 and D1 chart   The nearest resistance according to the H4 chart is in the range of 3,810 - 3,820. The next resistance is 3,930 - 3,950. A support is 3 640 - 3 670.    German DAX index  The German Ifo Business Climate Index which measures the expectations of manufacturers, builders and sellers for the next 6 months continued to show a value of 92.3, which is worse than the previous month when the index value was 93.0. The fall in the reading suggests some pessimism, accentuated by current market uncertainties, which include the impact of the war in Ukraine and high inflation, which in Germany for the month of June was 7.6% year-on-year. However, inflation fell by 0.1% month-on-month.   The labour market has also indicated problems. The number of unemployed in Germany rose by 133 000, while the market had expected a fall of 6 000. This was very negative news, which triggered a strong sell-off on the Dax on Thursday. On the other hand, retail sales were positive, rising by 0.6% in May, while a 5.4% decline was recorded in April. Figure 3: German DAX index on H4 and daily chart The DAX has broken support according to the H4 chart at 12,850, which has now become the new resistance, which is in the 12,820 - 12,850 range. The next resistance according to the H4 chart is then at 13,280 - 13,375. The strong support according to the daily chart is 12,443 - 12,620, which price is currently approaching.    Eurozone inflation at a new record Eurozone consumer inflation reached another record high in June, rising by 8.6% year-on-year. This is higher than analysts' expectations, who predicted a rise of 8.4%. Inflation is therefore continuing to rise, so the expectation that the ECB could raise rates by more than 0.25% in July is on target and this could support the euro's growth. On the other hand, there is a strong dollar which could continue to slow down bulls on the euro.   Figure 4: EUR/USD on H4 and daily chart The nearest resistance according to the H4 chart is at 1.048 - 1.0500. The next resistance is at 1.0600 - 1.0610. Support is at 1.0360 - 1.0380.   Gold broke the $1,800 price tag The development in gold has once again confirmed that investors prefer US bonds instead of gold, which, in addition to being considered a "safe haven" along with the US dollar, also brings a small but still certain return. The strong dollar is not good news for gold, which has fallen below the key support of USD 1,800 per ounce.  Figure 5: Gold on H4 and daily chart The nearest resistance according to the H4 chart is therefore in the zone of USD 1,800 - 1,807 per ounce. Below this resistance we have several supports. The closest one is 1 780 - 1 787 USD per ounce.  

The Swing Overview - Week 27 2022 The fall in US bond yields, the rise in the US dollar and the sharp weakening in the euro, which is heading towards parity with the dollar. This is how the last week, in which stock indices cautiously strengthened and made a correction in the downward trend, could be characterised. It is worth noting that Germany has a negative trade balance for the first time since May 1991. Is the country losing its reputation as an economic powerhouse of Europe? Macroeconomic data The ISM in manufacturing, which shows purchasing managers' expectations of economic developments in the short term, came in at 53.0 for June.  While a value above 50 still indicates an expected expansion in the sector, the trend since the beginning of the year has been declining, indicating worsening of optimism.   Unemployment claims reached 231,000 last week. This is still a level that is fairly normal. However, we note that this is the 6th week in a row that the number of claims has been rising. The crucial news on the labour market will then be shown in Friday's NFP data.   On Wednesday, the minutes of the last FOMC meeting were presented, which confirmed that another 50-75 point rate hike is likely in July. The minutes also stated that the Fed could tighten further its hawkish policy if inflationary pressures persist. The Fed's target is to push inflation down to around 2%.   The Fed's hawkish tone has led to a strengthening of the dollar, which has reached a level over 107, its highest level since October 2002. Following the presentation of the FOMC minutes, the US Treasury yields started to rise again. Figure 1: The US 10-year bond yields and the USD index on the daily chart   The SP 500 Index The temporary decline in US Treasury yields was the reason for the correction in the bearish trend in equity indices. However, the bear market still continues to be supported fundamentally by fears of an impending recession.  Figure 2: The SP 500 on H4 and D1 chart   The nearest resistance according to the H4 chart is in the 3,930 - 3,950 range. A support is at 3,740 - 3,750 and then 3,640 - 3,670.    German DAX index The German manufacturing PMI for June came in at 52.0 (previous month 54.8). The downward trend shows a deterioration in optimism.    It is worth noting that Germany's trade balance is negative for the first time since May 1991, i.e. imports are higher than exports. The current trade balance is - EUR 1 billion. The market was expecting a surplus of 2.7 billion. Rising prices of imported energy and a reduction in exports to Russia have contributed to the negative balance. Figure 3: German DAX index on H4 and daily chart The DAX is in a downtrend. On the H4 chart, it has reached the moving average EMA 50. The resistance is in the range of 12,900 - 12,960. Strong support on the daily chart is 12,443 - 12,500, which was tested again last week.    Euro is near parity with the USD Even high inflation, which is already at 8.6%, has not stopped the euro from falling. It seems that parity with the dollar could be reached very soon. The negative trade balance in Germany has contributed very significantly to the euro's decline.  Figure 4: EUR/USD on H4 and daily chart The nearest resistance according to the H4 chart is at 1.020 - 1.021. Support according to the daily chart would be only at parity with the dollar at 1.00. Reaching this value would represent a unique situation that has not occurred on the EUR/USD pair since 2002.   Australia raised interest rates The Reserve Bank of Australia raised the interest rate by 0.50% as expected. The current interest rate now stands at 1.35%. According to the central bank, the Australian economy has been solid so far thanks to commodity exports, the prices of which have been rising. Unemployment is 3.9%, the lowest level in 50 years.   One uncertainty is the behaviour of consumers, who are cutting back on spending in times of high inflation. A significant risk is global development, which is influenced by the war in Ukraine and its impact on energy and agricultural commodity prices.   Figure 5: The AUD/USD on H4 and daily chart The AUD/USD is in a downtrend and even the rate hike did not help the Australian dollar to strengthen. However, there has been some correction in the downtrend. The resistance according to the H4 chart is 0.6880 - 0.6900. The support is at 0.6760 - 0.6770.  

Join us this coming Monday for another instalment of our Trading Week Ahead Live in partnership with the ForexAnalytix ‘The Flow Show’, to deliver you more expert market insight. Watch Ryan Littlestone, Managing Director and market expert at ForexAnalytix as as he takes you through the news and moves from the Asia and early European sessions, and looks to plan for the upcoming week.  JOIN THIS WEDNESDAY’S FOR OUR SECOND LIVE MARKET UPDATE | 13th July 2022! Be inspired by our expert! Watch Ryan as ForexAnalytix’s ‘The Flow Show’ takes the Eightcap Trade Zone helm this July. Join Ryan, ForexAnalytix Managing Director and a veteran trader with 30+ years of trading experience, as he hosts a 30-45 minute live stream on Wednesday 13th July at 7.30PM AEDT (10.30AM BST), as he takes you through his mid-week review. Set a Reminder The Eightcap Trade Zone is the perfect place to get the help and support you need to improve your skills and understanding of the financial markets. So come join Eightcap and ForexAnalytix this month on the Trade Zone as we explore more of the markets together – Please remember to trade safely! The post Trading Week Ahead Live in Partnership with ForexAnalytix ‘The Flow Show’ appeared first on Eightcap.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday July 5th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Energy market speculator bets were lower this week as just one out of the six energy markets we cover had higher positioning this week while the other five markets had lower contracts. The only market to show speculator bet gains for energy markets was Brent Crude Oil with a gain of +4,163 contracts. Meanwhile, leading the declines in speculator bets this week were WTI Crude Oil (-19,169 contracts) and Gasoline (-4,078 contracts) with Natural Gas (-1,100 contracts), Heating Oil (-1,022 contracts) and the Bloomberg Commodity Index (-137 contracts) also registering lower bets on the week. Strength scores (measuring the 3-Year range of Speculator positions, from 0 to 100 where above 80 percent is extreme bullish and below 20 percent is extreme bearish) show that the Bloomberg Commodity Index (78.8 percent) is above its midpoint for the past 3 years and leads the way for the energy markets in speculator sentiment. Brent oil (46.5 percent) and Heating oil (52 percent) are also positive while WTI Crude (0 percent) and Gasoline (0 percent) are at the bottom of their 3-year ranges and in bearish extreme levels. Strength score trends (or move index, that calculate 6-week changes in strength scores) shows that Heating oil (18.7 percent) and the Bloomberg Commodity Index (7.8 percent) lead the rising scores over the past six weeks. WTI Crude oil, meanwhile, has been on the largest downtrend with a -17.6 percent score for the past six weeks, followed by Natural Gas (-5.7 percent) and Gasoline (-4.4 percent). Data Snapshot of Commodity Market Traders | Columns Legend Jul-05-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index WTI Crude 1,637,862 0 280,523 0 -304,217 100 23,694 48 Gold 498,210 13 145,660 0 -165,585 100 19,925 0 Silver 140,463 7 5,139 0 -11,622 100 6,483 0 Copper 183,331 15 -31,796 19 31,340 81 456 28 Palladium 7,373 5 -3,410 4 4,104 98 -694 4 Platinum 72,895 44 -2,734 0 -1,670 100 4,404 23 Natural Gas 977,507 0 -130,519 39 91,950 60 38,569 71 Brent 166,711 13 -38,514 47 37,309 55 1,205 26 Heating Oil 264,269 21 6,486 52 -22,775 47 16,289 55 Soybeans 638,675 7 125,491 52 -93,638 56 -31,853 17 Corn 1,331,035 0 260,705 63 -207,441 42 -53,264 12 Coffee 193,731 1 46,787 79 -49,139 25 2,352 14 Sugar 713,245 0 83,512 54 -85,255 52 1,743 10 Wheat 288,754 0 8,384 30 623 61 -9,007 64   WTI Crude Oil Futures: The WTI Crude Oil Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of 280,523 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -19,169 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 299,692 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 48.4 percent. WTI Crude Oil Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 24.1 36.8 5.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 7.0 55.3 3.5 – Net Position: 280,523 -304,217 23,694 – Gross Longs: 394,943 601,996 81,558 – Gross Shorts: 114,420 906,213 57,864 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.5 to 1 0.7 to 1 1.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 0.0 100.0 48.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -17.6 23.1 -22.8   Brent Crude Oil Futures: The Brent Crude Oil Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -38,514 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 4,163 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -42,677 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 46.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 55.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 25.5 percent. Brent Crude Oil Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 15.4 52.4 4.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 38.5 30.0 3.4 – Net Position: -38,514 37,309 1,205 – Gross Longs: 25,605 87,320 6,881 – Gross Shorts: 64,119 50,011 5,676 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 1.7 to 1 1.2 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 46.5 55.3 25.5 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 1.3 -0.3 -8.1   Natural Gas Futures: The Natural Gas Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -130,519 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -1,100 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -129,419 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 39.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 59.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 71.4 percent. Natural Gas Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 20.2 40.6 6.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 33.6 31.2 2.8 – Net Position: -130,519 91,950 38,569 – Gross Longs: 197,937 397,060 66,331 – Gross Shorts: 328,456 305,110 27,762 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.6 to 1 1.3 to 1 2.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 39.4 59.9 71.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -5.7 8.9 -21.6   Gasoline Blendstock Futures: The Gasoline Blendstock Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of 28,021 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -4,078 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 32,099 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 43.9 percent. Nasdaq Mini Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 26.9 52.7 7.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 16.6 64.7 5.7 – Net Position: 28,021 -32,693 4,672 – Gross Longs: 72,955 142,761 20,221 – Gross Shorts: 44,934 175,454 15,549 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.6 to 1 0.8 to 1 1.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 0.0 100.0 43.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -4.4 10.5 -43.3   #2 Heating Oil NY-Harbor Futures: The #2 Heating Oil NY-Harbor Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of 6,486 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -1,022 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 7,508 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 52.0 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 47.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 54.8 percent. Heating Oil Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 15.0 52.7 16.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 12.5 61.3 9.9 – Net Position: 6,486 -22,775 16,289 – Gross Longs: 39,513 139,296 42,410 – Gross Shorts: 33,027 162,071 26,121 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.2 to 1 0.9 to 1 1.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 52.0 47.0 54.8 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 18.7 -12.3 -3.9   Bloomberg Commodity Index Futures: The Bloomberg Commodity Index Futures large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -7,486 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -137 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -7,349 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 78.8 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 21.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 19.1 percent. Bloomberg Index Futures Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 27.4 66.8 0.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 38.4 56.1 0.2 – Net Position: -7,486 7,242 244 – Gross Longs: 18,524 45,230 367 – Gross Shorts: 26,010 37,988 123 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.7 to 1 1.2 to 1 3.0 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 78.8 21.1 19.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 7.8 -6.8 -10.4   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

Join us for another instalment of our Trading Week Ahead Live, in partnership with the ForexAnalytix ‘The Flow Show’, as we deliver more expert market insight. Watch Ryan Littlestone, Managing Director and market expert at ForexAnalytix, as he takes you through the news and moves from the Asian and early European sessions, and looks to plan for the upcoming week.  JOIN THIS WEDNESDAY’S FOR OUR SECOND LIVE MARKET UPDATE | 13th July 2022! Be inspired by our expert! Watch Ryan as ForexAnalytix’s ‘The Flow Show’ takes the Eightcap Trade Zone helm and provides your mid-week Live Market update. Join him as he hosts another 30-45 minute live stream on Wednesday 13th July at 7.30PM AEDT (10.30AM BST), as he updates you with the news and moves made since Monday’s Trading Week Ahead. Set a Reminder The Eightcap Trade Zone is the perfect place to get the help and support you need to improve your skills and understanding of the financial markets. So come join Eightcap and ForexAnalytix this month on the Trade Zone as we explore more of the markets together – Please remember to trade safely! The post Trading Week Ahead Live in Partnership with ForexAnalytix ‘The Flow Show’ appeared first on Eightcap.

After a short break, resident Eightcap and Trade Zone analyst, Joe Jeffriess is back with his morning Trading Outlook. Watch his earlier recording as he summarises the news and developments from today’s Asian trading session. Offering you his predictions and the potential trade opportunities he feels are in play as we look ahead to the London open. The post 11.07.22 | Trading Outlook with Resident Analyst Joe Jeffriess appeared first on Eightcap.

Join us for the penultimate episode of our Trading Week Ahead Live, in partnership with the ForexAnalytix, as we look to finish off the month strongly and deliver more expert live market analysis. Watch Ryan Littlestone, market expert, Managing Director, and host of the ForexAnalytix ‘The Flow Show’, as he takes you through the news and moves from the Asian and early European sessions, and continues to help you to plan for the upcoming week.  JOIN US THIS WEDNESDAY FOR OUR PENULTIMATE LIVE MARKET UPDATE OF THE MONTH | 20th July 2022! Secure your place to see how an expert prepares for the week’s market activity! Join Ryan as ForexAnalytix’s ‘The Flow Show’ continues to take control of the Eightcap Trade Zone and provide you with his penultimate mid-week Live Market update of the month. Watch his 30-45 minute live stream on Wednesday 13th July at 7.30PM AEDT (10.30AM BST), as he explores the news and moves, seeks trade ideas, and analyses the market progress since Monday’s Trading Week Ahead. Set a Reminder The Eightcap Trade Zone is the perfect place to get the help and support you need to improve your skills and understanding of the financial markets. So come join Eightcap and ForexAnalytix this month on the Trade Zone as we explore more of the markets together – Please remember to trade safely! The post Trading Week Ahead Live in Partnership with ForexAnalytix ‘The Flow Show’ appeared first on Eightcap.

By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday July 5th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. All currency positions are in direct relation to the US dollar where, for example, a bet for the euro is a bet that the euro will rise versus the dollar while a bet against the euro will be a bet that the euro will decline versus the dollar. Currency market speculator bets were lower this week as all of the eleven currency markets we cover had lower positioning on the week. Leading the declines in speculator bets this week were the Brazil real (-20,695 contracts) and the Euro (-6,256 contracts) while the Canadian dollar (-4,804 contracts), Australian dollar (-4,641 contracts), US Dollar Index (-3,978 contracts), British pound sterling (-3,090 contracts), Japanese yen (-1,875 contracts), New Zealand dollar (-1,745 contracts), Swiss franc (-1,544 contracts), Bitcoin (-665 contracts) and the Mexican peso (-438 contracts) all saw lower speculator bets for the week. Highlighting the currency futures data this week was the Euro speculator position that fell deeper into bearish territory and dropped for the fourth time in the past five weeks. The speculator position has now decreased by a whopping -69,124 contracts in just the past five weeks and has brought the overall standing to the lowest level since November 30th of 2021, a span of 31 weeks. The Euro price has been strongly on the defensive against the dollar as the EURUSD currency pair this week hit the lowest level since December 0f 2002. The EURUSD fell to a low under the 1.0200 exchange rate on Friday and sets up what seems to be an inevitable test of parity which would also be the first time that has happened since December of 2002. More COT currency notes: US Dollar Index bets fell for a second straight week and dipped below +40,000 contracts for the first time in four weeks. Despite the 2-week decline, the Dollar Index speculator position remains extremely bullish which has seen increases in speculator bets in ten out of the past fifteen weeks. Overall, the Dollar Index positioning has been in bullish territory for fifty-three straight weeks after turning from bearish to bullish on July 6th of 2021. The Dollar Index price this week continued to climb (up 5 out of 6 weeks) and hit the highest level since October of 2002 at above the 107.75 level. Japanese yen speculator bets fell for the first time in the past eight weeks this week. Yen bets remain bearish but have improved strongly over the past few months going from a total of -110,454 contracts on May 10th to a total of -54,445 contracts this week. Despite, the speculator sentiment improvement, the USDJPY currency pair has remained near the top of its range (and close to 20-year highs) at around the 136.00 exchange rate. Brazilian real speculator bets dropped sharply this week by over -20,000 contracts and fell for the third straight week. These declines have brought the BRL position down to the lowest level in the past twenty-two weeks at just +16,333 contracts. The Brazil real price has been on the defensive in the past month as the BRLUSD currency pair fell to a five month low this week near the 0.1850 exchange rate and dropped under its 200-day moving average for the first time since January. Strength scores (a measure of the 3-Year range of Speculator positions, from 0 to 100 where above 80 is extreme bullish and below 20 is extreme bearish) show that the US Dollar Index (90.4 percent) and Bitcoin (87.9 percent) lead the currencies at the top of their respective ranges and are both in bullish extreme positions. The Brazilian real (66.4 percent) comes in as the next highest currency in strength scores but took a large tumble this week to fall out of a bullish extreme level. On the downside, the Mexican peso at 21.2 percent continues to be at the lowest strength level currently and is followed by the Euro at 29.8 percent and the Swiss franc at 30.8 percent. Strength score trends (or move index, that calculate 6-week changes in strength scores) shows that the Japanese yen (27.7 percent) leads the past six weeks trends once again this week. The Swiss franc (24.2 percent), New Zealand dollar (20.6 percent) and the Canadian dollar (19.1 percent) round out the top movers in the latest data. The Brazilian real (-22.0 percent) saw a huge decrease in speculator positions this week and leads the downside trend scores currently. The next currencies will lower trend scores were the Mexican peso at -18.9 percent followed by the Euro at -17.1 percent. Data Snapshot of Forex Market Traders | Columns Legend Jul-05-2022OIOI-IndexSpec-NetSpec-IndexCom-NetCOM-IndexSmalls-NetSmalls-Index USD Index 60,857 91 39,251 90 -41,510 10 2,259 41 EUR 673,772 71 -16,852 30 -8,636 74 25,488 17 GBP 240,926 65 -56,208 34 77,009 75 -20,801 13 JPY 217,672 67 -54,445 35 64,063 67 -9,618 34 CHF 38,504 18 -10,135 31 20,075 75 -9,940 24 CAD 145,372 27 4,293 44 -4,533 65 240 31 AUD 146,950 42 -47,621 41 55,708 60 -8,087 33 NZD 45,403 35 -7,056 59 10,521 47 -3,465 12 MXN 197,463 48 -14,418 21 10,096 77 4,322 61 RUB 20,930 4 7,543 31 -7,150 69 -393 24 BRL 39,470 26 16,333 66 -17,398 34 1,065 77 Bitcoin 13,258 75 420 88 -462 0 42 14   US Dollar Index Futures: The US Dollar Index large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 39,251 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -3,978 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 43,229 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish-Extreme with a score of 90.4 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 9.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 41.2 percent. US DOLLAR INDEX Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 87.0 3.3 8.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 22.5 71.5 4.5 – Net Position: 39,251 -41,510 2,259 – Gross Longs: 52,927 2,023 4,993 – Gross Shorts: 13,676 43,533 2,734 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.9 to 1 0.0 to 1 1.8 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 90.4 9.9 41.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 2.0 -1.0 -6.3   Euro Currency Futures: The Euro Currency large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -16,852 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -6,256 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -10,596 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 29.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 73.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 16.6 percent. EURO Currency Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 29.3 56.1 12.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 31.8 57.3 8.5 – Net Position: -16,852 -8,636 25,488 – Gross Longs: 197,138 377,654 82,525 – Gross Shorts: 213,990 386,290 57,037 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.9 to 1 1.0 to 1 1.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 29.8 73.6 16.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -17.1 18.1 -13.5   British Pound Sterling Futures: The British Pound Sterling large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -56,208 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -3,090 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -53,118 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 33.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 75.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 12.5 percent. BRITISH POUND Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 16.4 74.2 7.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 39.8 42.2 16.0 – Net Position: -56,208 77,009 -20,801 – Gross Longs: 39,618 178,745 17,693 – Gross Shorts: 95,826 101,736 38,494 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 1.8 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 33.5 75.2 12.5 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 17.4 -11.8 -8.6   Japanese Yen Futures: The Japanese Yen large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -54,445 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -1,875 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -52,570 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 35.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 66.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 33.9 percent. JAPANESE YEN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 17.8 68.8 11.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 42.8 39.3 16.1 – Net Position: -54,445 64,063 -9,618 – Gross Longs: 38,660 149,702 25,452 – Gross Shorts: 93,105 85,639 35,070 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 1.7 to 1 0.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 35.3 66.9 33.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 27.7 -20.8 -4.8   Swiss Franc Futures: The Swiss Franc large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -10,135 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -1,544 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -8,591 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 30.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 75.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 23.9 percent. SWISS FRANC Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 8.4 69.2 22.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 34.7 17.1 48.2 – Net Position: -10,135 20,075 -9,940 – Gross Longs: 3,218 26,664 8,602 – Gross Shorts: 13,353 6,589 18,542 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 4.0 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 30.8 75.5 23.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 24.2 -18.5 7.0   Canadian Dollar Futures: The Canadian Dollar large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 4,293 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -4,804 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 9,097 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 44.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 65.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 30.6 percent. CANADIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 31.2 46.7 21.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 28.3 49.8 20.8 – Net Position: 4,293 -4,533 240 – Gross Longs: 45,365 67,829 30,460 – Gross Shorts: 41,072 72,362 30,220 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.1 to 1 0.9 to 1 1.0 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 44.2 65.0 30.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 19.1 -9.6 -11.1   Australian Dollar Futures: The Australian Dollar large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -47,621 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -4,641 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -42,980 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 40.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 60.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 32.7 percent. AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 18.8 64.8 12.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 51.2 26.9 18.1 – Net Position: -47,621 55,708 -8,087 – Gross Longs: 27,622 95,252 18,508 – Gross Shorts: 75,243 39,544 26,595 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 2.4 to 1 0.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 40.7 60.4 32.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -2.0 1.8 -0.6   New Zealand Dollar Futures: The New Zealand Dollar large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -7,056 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -1,745 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -5,311 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 59.4 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 46.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 11.8 percent. NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 30.0 63.9 5.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 45.6 40.8 13.6 – Net Position: -7,056 10,521 -3,465 – Gross Longs: 13,634 29,029 2,689 – Gross Shorts: 20,690 18,508 6,154 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.7 to 1 1.6 to 1 0.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 59.4 46.6 11.8 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 20.6 -18.8 -1.0   Mexican Peso Futures: The Mexican Peso large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -14,418 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -438 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -13,980 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 21.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 77.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 61.3 percent. MEXICAN PESO Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 54.3 41.6 3.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 61.6 36.5 1.3 – Net Position: -14,418 10,096 4,322 – Gross Longs: 107,141 82,106 6,947 – Gross Shorts: 121,559 72,010 2,625 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.9 to 1 1.1 to 1 2.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 21.2 77.0 61.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -18.9 18.5 -1.0   Brazilian Real Futures: The Brazilian Real large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 16,333 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -20,695 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 37,028 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 66.4 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 34.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 77.2 percent. BRAZIL REAL Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 61.5 29.8 7.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 20.1 73.9 5.1 – Net Position: 16,333 -17,398 1,065 – Gross Longs: 24,261 11,776 3,089 – Gross Shorts: 7,928 29,174 2,024 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.1 to 1 0.4 to 1 1.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 66.4 34.3 77.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -22.0 22.5 -8.5     Bitcoin Futures: The Bitcoin large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 420 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -665 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 1,085 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish-Extreme with a score of 87.9 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 30.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 13.9 percent. BITCOIN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 80.3 1.2 8.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 77.1 4.7 7.7 – Net Position: 420 -462 42 – Gross Longs: 10,642 158 1,058 – Gross Shorts: 10,222 620 1,016 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.0 to 1 0.3 to 1 1.0 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 87.9 30.9 13.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -7.8 20.6 1.7   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.

Join us for the penultimate episode of our Trading Week Ahead Live, in partnership with the ForexAnalytix, as we look to finish off the month strongly and deliver more expert live market analysis. Watch Ryan Littlestone, market expert, Managing Director, and host of the ForexAnalytix ‘The Flow Show’, as he takes you through the news and moves from the Asian and early European sessions, and continues to help you to plan for the upcoming week.  JOIN US THIS WEDNESDAY FOR OUR PENULTIMATE LIVE MARKET UPDATE OF THE MONTH | 20th July 2022! Secure your place to see how an expert prepares for the week’s market activity! Join Ryan as ForexAnalytix’s ‘The Flow Show’ continues to take control of the Eightcap Trade Zone and provide you with his penultimate mid-week Live Market update of the month. Watch his 30-45 minute live stream on Wednesday 13th July at 7.30PM AEDT (10.30AM BST), as he explores the news and moves, seeks trade ideas, and analyses the market progress since Monday’s Trading Week Ahead. Set a Reminder The Eightcap Trade Zone is the perfect place to get the help and support you need to improve your skills and understanding of the financial markets. So come join Eightcap and ForexAnalytix this month on the Trade Zone as we explore more of the markets together – Please remember to trade safely! The post Trading Week Ahead Live in Partnership with ForexAnalytix ‘The Flow Show’ appeared first on Eightcap.

View the latest Trading Outlook from resident Eightcap and Trade Zone analyst Joe Jeffriess. Summarising the activity from the Asian session, review Joe’s market recommendations as he looks towards the London open. The post 18.07.22 | Trading Outlook with Resident Analyst Joe Jeffriess appeared first on Eightcap.

Join us for the last Trading Week Ahead Live of the month with the ForexAnalytix ‘The Flow Show’, hosted by Ryan Littlestone. Watch the live stream as Ryan provides you with news updates and market insight from the earlier Asian and early European sessions to help you plan your upcoming trading week.  JOIN US THIS WEDNESDAY FOR OUR PENULTIMATE LIVE MARKET UPDATE OF THE MONTH | 27th July 2022! Prepare for the week’s market movements with an accomplished industry expert. Tune into the last Eightcap Trade Zone Live Market update of the month. Join us on Wednesday 27th July, at 7.30PM AEDT (10.30AM BST) for a 30-45 minute live stream as Ryan delivers his final mid-week update. Reviewing the news, moves, and market progress made since Monday’s Trading Week Ahead. Set a Reminder The Eightcap Trade Zone is the perfect place to get the help and support you need to improve your skills and understanding of the financial markets. So come join Eightcap and ForexAnalytix this month on the Trade Zone as we explore more of the markets together – Please remember to trade safely! The post Trading Week Ahead Live in Partnership with ForexAnalytix ‘The Flow Show’ appeared first on Eightcap.

Summary: TGT share price is falling. Target earnings results missed analysts expectations. TARGET crashes amidst earning expectations miss Target’s share price is over 3.6% down on Wednesday, they earned an adjusted 39 cents per share, which came in well below analysts expectations. These results are in contrast to those of Walmart, however Target was able to maintain full year guidance. “While these inventory actions put significant pressure on our near-term profitability, we’re confident this was the right long-term decision in support of our guests, our team and our business,” said Brian Cornell, chairman and chief executive. Sales of $26.04 billion, slightly above expectations, were reported by Target (TGT) for the second quarter. Compared to Wall Street projections of a gain of 2.8%, same-store sales increased by 2.6%. In the second quarter, gross margin decreased from 30.4% to 21.5%. “This year’s gross margin rate reflected higher markdown rates, driven primarily by inventory impairments and actions taken to address lower-than-expected sales in discretionary categories, as well as higher merchandise, inventory shrink, and freight costs,” Target said. Target said current trends support its “prior guidance for full-year revenue growth in the low- to mid-single digit range, and an operating margin rate in a range around 6% in the back half of the year.” TGT Price Chart Sources: finance.yahoo.com, barrons.com

Summary:  U.S. equities took a pause from their week-long advance, with S&P 500 retreating before its 200-day moving average. Target’s Q2 results disappointed as the retailer suffered from high inventories and U.S. consumers shifted from discretionary to grocery items. What is happening in markets? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I)  U.S.’s advance higher took a pause yesterday amid higher bond yields and disappointing results from Target (TGT:xnys), -2.7%. Target’s Q2 earnings fell sharply and missed consensus expectations on weaker gross margins due to slower sales in discretionary items and inventory impairments.  Lowe’s (LOW:xnys) reported mixed results, with earnings beating estimates but same-store sales growth weaker than expected. Higher U.S. bond yields triggered by a dramatic rise in U.K. bond yields and reported pension fund rebalancing-related selling added to the equity weakness.  S&P 500 dropped 0.7% and Nasdaq 100 shed 1.2%.  U.S. treasury yields rose from spilling over from a massive rise in U.K. Gilt yields and weak 20-year bond auction U.S. 10-year treasury yields jumped 9bps to 3.05%, taking cues from the sharp move higher in U.K. Gilts and European sovereign bond yields following white-hot UK CPI data. Long-end yields moved further higher on poor results from the 20-year auction.  Short-end yields fell in the late afternoon after the July FOMC minutes signaling that it “would become appropriate at some point to slow the pace of policy rate increases” which reaffirmed the market’s expectation of a 50bps, instead of 75bps on the September FOMC.  Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIQ2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Hang Seng Index bounced modestly by 0.5%; CSI399 gained 9.6%. Meituan (03690:xhkg) rallied 3.3% after a 9% drop yesterday due to a Reuters story suggesting that Tencent (00700:xhkg) plans to divest its 17% stake (USD24 billion) in Meituan. Tencent denied such a divesture plan last night.  Power tools and floor care equipment maker and a supplier to Home Depot (HD:xnys) and Wal Mart (WMT:xnys), Techtronic Industries (00669:xhkg) jumped more than 10% after better-than-expected results from the two U.S. retailers. China Resources Power (00836:xhkg) +5.7% after reporting weak 1H22 results but more wind and solar projects on the pipeline. Other Chinese power producers also outperformed amid power shortages. China Power (02380:xhkg) surged more than 8%. On Tuesday, China’s Premier Li Keqiang visited Shenzhen and held a meeting with provincial chiefs from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, Henan, and Sichuan to reiterate the central government’s push for full use of policies to stabilize the economy. Hong Kong Exchanges (00388:xhkg) fell 1.6% after reporting lower revenues, higher costs, and a 22% YoY decline in EPS, worse than market expectations. After the market close, Tencent reported weak but in line with expectations revenues and better-than-feared earnings in Q2. Tencent’s ADR climbed 3.5% overnight from the Hong Kong close. AUDUSD eying the labor market report, GBP will see more pain ahead A mixed session again overnight for the US dollar with FOMC minutes and US retail sales failing to provide any fresh impetus to the markets. AUDUSD was the biggest loser on the G10 board, sliding below 0.7000 to lows of 0.6911 after real wage data for Q2 showed a massive slump. Labor market data due this morning could further weigh on RBA expectations, if it comes out softer than expected. The weakness seen in the commodity markets, especially iron ore and copper, weighed on the antipodeans. GBPUSD stays above 1.2000 despite a 40bps gains in UK 2-year yields after the double-digit UK CPI print. USDJPY tested the resistance at 135.50 but was rejected for now. Crude oil prices (CLU2 & LCOV2) Crude oil prices made a slight recovery overnight, with WTI futures getting back to over $87/barrel and Brent futures close to $94 after data showed US inventories fell sharply. Sentiment was also supported by comments from OPEC’s new Secretary-General, Haitham Al Ghais, who said that world oil demand will rise by almost 3mb/d this year. He also said there is a high chance of a supply squeeze this year, in part because fears of slowing usage in China are exaggerated. This helped to take the focus off the prospects of the Iran nuclear deal for now. What to consider? Stale FOMC minutes hint at sustained restrictive policy Fed’s meeting minutes from the July meeting were released last night, and officials agreed to move to restrictive policy, with some noting that restrictive rates will have to be maintained for some time to bring inflation back to the 2% target. Still, there was also talk of slowing the pace of rate hikes ‘at some point’, despite pushing back against easing expectations for next year. The minutes were broadly in-line with the market’s thinking, and lacked fresh impetus needed to bring up the pricing of Fed’s rate hikes. Chairman Powell’s speech at the Jackson Hole Symposium next week will be keenly watched for further inputs. US retail sales were a mixed bag July US retail sales are a little softer at the headline level than the market expected (0% growth versus the +0.1% consensus) but the ex-auto came in stronger at 0.4% (vs. -0.1% expected). June’s growth was revised down to 0.8% from 1%. The mixed data confirmed that the US consumers are feeling the pinch from higher prices, but have remained resilient so far and that could give the Fed more room to continue with its aggressive rate hikes. Lower pump prices and further improvements in supply chain could further lift up retail spending in August. UK CPI opens the door for another 50bps rate hike UK headline inflation hits 10.1%, the highest in decades and above the 9.8% expected and for the month-on-month reading of +0.6%, higher than the +0.4% expected. Core inflation hit 6.2% vs. 5.9% expected and 5.8% in Jun. That matched the cycle high from back in April. Retail inflation rose +0.9% MoM and +12.3% YoY vs. +0.6%/+12.0% expected, respectively. The Bank of England has forecast that inflation will peak out this fall at above 13%. While the central bank forecasted a recession lasting for five quarters at the last meeting, it will be hard for them to not press ahead with further tightening at the August meeting, and in fact the scope for another 50bps rate hike is getting bigger. Reserve Bank of New Zealand hikes 50 basis points to 3.00%, forecasts 4% policy rate peak The RBNZ both increased and brought forward its peak rate forecast to 4.00%, a move that was actually interpreted rather neutrally – more hawkish for now, but suggesting that the RBNZ would like to pause after achieving 4.00%. RBNZ Governor warned in a press conference that New Zealand home prices will continue to fall. This is actually a desired outcome after a huge spike in housing speculation and prices due to low rates from the pandemic response and massive pressure from a Labor-led government that had promised lower housing costs were behind the RBNZ’s quick pivot and more aggressive hiking cycle in 2021. Australian wages grew at their quickest pace in eight years, but less than expected Australia’s wage-price index gained 0.7% in the second quarter, just shy of estimates further pressuring the Aussie dollar back toward its 50-day moving average against the US dollar. Annual wage growth came in at 2.6% but real wages - adjusted for headline inflation fell 1% QoQ, and was 3.3% lower than a year earlier, eroding consumer spending power. What’s next. All eyes will be on Australia’s Reserve Bank which might be pressured to hike more than expected at its September meeting. Despite Australian wages growing slower than expected, the RBA estimates retail gas and electric prices to rise 10-15% in the second half of the year, so that will be a focus point when they consider their next move in interest rates. Tencent reported weak but in-line Q2 revenues and better-than-feared earnings Tencent reported a revenue decline of 3% YoY in Q2, weak but in line with market expectations.  Non-GAAP operating profit was down 14% YoY to RMB 36.7 billion and EPS fell 17% YoY to RMB2.90 but they beat analyst estimates.  Revenues from advertising, -18% YoY, were better than expected.  In the game segment, weaker mobile game revenues were offset by stronger PC game revenues. Disappointing results from Target and mixed results from Lowe’s Target reported EPS of USD0.39, missing estimates.  The company indicated strength in food and beverage, beauty, and household essentials but weaker in discretionary categories.  Gross margin of 21.5%, down from 30.4% year-ago quarter and below expectations. Lowe’s reported better than expected EPS of USD4.67 (vs consensus USD4.58) but a decline of 0.3% in same-store sales.  Lowe’s inventories grew 11.6% YoY, substantially lower than peer Home Depot.  With a 15% increase in product costs, the inventory volume was in effect down low-single digit. Power crunch in China shut factories Chongqing is limiting power supply to industrial users from yesterday to next Wednesday.  In Sichuan, Foxconn’s Chengdu factory is suspending operations for six days from August 15 to 20 due to a regional power shortage. The suspension is affecting Foxconn’s supply of iPad to Apple.  The company says the impact “has been limited at the moment” but it may affect shipments if the power outage persists.  The Chengdu government is imposing power curbs on industrial users to ensure electricity supply for the city’s residents.  Toyota and CATL are also suspending some operations in Sichuan due to a power shortage. Foxconn has started test production of the Apple watch in Vietnam Foxconn has started test production of the Apple watch in its factories in Vietnam. With the passage of CHIPS and Science Act earlier this month in the U.S., investors are monitoring closely if Taiwanese and Korean chipmakers as well as their customers may be accelerating the building up of production capacity away from China.  World’s biggest Sovereign Wealth fund posts its biggest half-year loss on record   Norway’s oil fund, the world’s biggest owner of public traded companies lost 14.4% in the six months through to June. In currency terms that’s $174 billion. The slump was driven by the fund’s loss in technology stocks with Meta Platforms (owning Facebook and Instagram) and Amazon, leading the decline. However, just like the market, the fund’s energy sector delivered positive share price performance, benefiting from a sharp rise in earnings in the oil, gas, and refined energy product sector. Meanwhile, investments in logistics property helped the fund’s unlisted real estate holdings gain 7.1%, though they account for 3% of its assets. Japan’s inflation will surge further Japan’s nationwide CPI for July is due to be reported at the end of the week. July producer prices came in slightly above expectations at 8.6% y/y (vs. estimates of 8.4% y/y) while the m/m figure was as expected at 0.4%. The continued surge reflects that Japanese businesses are waddling high input price pressures, and these are likely to get passed on to the consumers, suggesting further increases in CPI remain likely. More government relief measures are likely to be announced, while any little hope for a Bank of Japan pivot is fading. Bloomberg consensus estimates are calling for Japan’s CPI to accelerate to 2.6% y/y from 2.4% previously, with the ex-fresh food number seen at 2.4% y/y vs. 2.2% earlier. For a week-ahead look at markets – tune into our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast.   Source: APAC Daily Digest: What is happening in markets and what to consider next – August 18, 2022

AMC Entertainment Q4 22 – 28/02 – AMC Entertainment has gone from being a flavour of the month meme stock to a business which has seen its share price undergo a slow decline from the levels we saw back in August last year. In November the cinema chain saw Q3 revenues increase by 27% to $968.4m while losses also increased to $226.9m. The decision to split its shares and dilute its shareholders appears to have precipitated a wholesale cash out and while it has been able to cash in on the pick up in footfall from a summer of blockbuster films it is still carrying huge levels of debt. Furthermore, AMC is still spending more money than it is taking in revenue, to the tune of a cash burn of $179m in Q3. While this is expected to improve in this week's Q4 numbers, with increased footfall as a result of the new Avatar film, as well as Wakanda Forever, the company is still expected to see losses of $0.20c a share.    HP Q1 23 – 28/02 – when HP reported its full year results back in November the shares saw an initial bounce after it announced the loss of 6,000 jobs over 3 years, due to a slowdown in the PC and laptops market. HP hasn't been alone in this regard with Dell also announcing similar reductions in headcount in recent weeks. In Q3, revenues came in well below expectations due to weaker demand for PCs with that trend continuing into Q4, revenues coming in at $14.8bn, although profits did beat slightly at $0.85c a share. For the new fiscal year 2023 the company offered an uncertain outlook with Q1 profits expected to come in at $0.70c a share, and full year adj. EPS between $3.20 and $3.60c a share. Will Q1 offer more of the same in terms of further downgrades?            Target Q4 23 – 01/03 – having warned on profits back in May last year, when it published its Q1 numbers, Target shares have struggled to recover their lost ground in subsequent quarters since then. In Q3 the underperformance continued with Q3 profits coming in at $1.54c a share, well below expectations of $2.13c a share. On revenues the company was able to beat expectations, with $26.52bn, however profits halved from the $3.04c a year ago. Inventory levels were also high, as consumers pared back spending on discretionary items like apparel and electrical items. Having missed on profits Target also cut its guidance for Q4, projecting a modest single digit decline in sales, while expecting operating margin of around 3%.    Read next: Stocks: ITV, Ocado and Haleon report their FY 22 earnings this week| FXMAG.COM Rivian Q4 22 – 28/02 – when Rivian reported back in Q3 there was optimism that the share price had stabilised as the business started to ramp up its output capacity. In Q3 the electric car company managed to produce 7,363 vehicles, delivering 6,584 of them. This put its total production year to date to over 15k, which means Q4 will need to deliver at least 10k vehicles to meet its 25k annual target. The addition of a second manufacturing shift at Normal should go some way to help achieve that, and will need to be given that the company has 114k pre-orders which it needs to meet. Q3 revenues did fall slightly short of expectations, coming in at $536m, while the net loss for the quarter was $1.7bn, or $1.57c a share. Full year losses are still expected to be in the region of $5.4bn, and while it still has plenty of cash, the rise in costs is likely to be a problem, unless they look at raising prices in the months ahead. Since those November numbers were released the share price has fallen sharply to new record lows, not for any other reason that with US interest rates on the rise the case for investing in loss-making businesses has become less compelling. Q4 losses are expected to come in at $1.91c a share.

  Walmart Q1 24 – 18/05 – when Walmart reported its Q4 numbers back in February, the shares fell sharply in the days after, before rebounding off 5-month lows and the 200-day SMA on the 10th March. The reaction was surprising given that the retailer saw a record quarter, with revenues coming in at $164.05bn, although the weaker outlook may have had a part to play in that. US comparable sales rose by over 8%, while profits came in at $1.71c a share, building on the solid numbers seen in Q3. On the outlook, Walmart said it expected to see Q1 sales growth of 5%, and profits of between $1.25c to $1.30c a share, with the full year pictureR appearing to be more challenging. Consensus forecast appears to align with this, with revenues expected to come in at $148.36bn, and profits of $1.30c a share. Since those 5-month lows in March Walmart shares have risen sharply, rising to 11-month highs in April. Annual EPS profits are expected to be lower than last year's $6.29c a share, at between $5.90 to $6.05c a share.   Target Q1 24 – 17/05 – Target shares have struggled since hitting 6-month highs at the start of February and have been languishing since reporting a sharp fall in Q4 profits back in February. These numbers in Q4 came against a backdrop of a cut to its guidance in Q3, and while sales in Q4 increased by 1.2% to $30.98bn pushing annual sales up by 2.8% to $107.59bn. Q4 profits fell by 41% to $1.89c a share, or $876m, but were still better than forecast. Annual profits came in at $2.78bn or 5.98c a share, a decline of 57.6%. Higher costs have been the main problem for Target as a business, these rose by 9.7% to $82.2bn over the year. This appears to be a turned that might continue with Target's Q1 guidance particularly underwhelming. Sales are expected to come in a wider range, either side of zero, from a low single digit decline to a low single digit increase, with profits expected to come in between $1.50c to $1.90c. For the full year Target is expecting a similar sales performance as Q1. Consensus forecast for same-store sales is for a rise of 1.3% on revenues of $25.2bn, and profits of $1.79c a share. Read next: BT Group full year earnings expected to hit £20.53bn. Would Burberry earnings go hand in hand with LVMH and Hermes counterparts?| FXMAG.COM    

We saw a modestly subdued start to the week for markets in Europe yesterday, with a mixed session, despite positive signs that the ongoing US debt ceiling talks were making progress. US markets also underwent a choppy session, slipping briefly into negative territory after a disappointing Empire manufacturing survey for May, before recovering into the black to close modestly higher on the day. The past few days have seen stock markets chop in a tight range with little conviction one way or the other. This looks set to continue over the next few days, even as we digest a host of economic announcements from China to the UK, as well as the US over the next 12 hours. When Chinese authorities announced at the end of last year that they were starting the process to relax covid-19 restrictions, there were many who suggested that we would see a sharp V-shaped rebound, which would have the effect of creating a supply shortage in certain commodity markets. Against most expectations this hasn't happened in the manner expected with inflationary pressure remaining extremely muted, while the rebound in economic data has been lacklustre. Today's retail sales numbers for April speak to this to some extent even as we saw an improvement of 18.4%, which while it was the biggest year on year gain since March 2021, the numbers came in below forecasts, and needs to be set in the context of the Chinese economy being subject to various restrictions this time last year, when retail sales then crashed by -11.1%. Industrial production also disappointed, rising by 5.6%, against an expectation of a 10.9% increase, underlining how the Chinese economy has continued to struggle with low confidence and weak demand. As we look ahead to today's European open the focus returns to the UK in the wake of last week's Bank of England rate hike and the latest wages and unemployment data for the 3-months to March, both of which have remained robust. In February, wage growth unexpectedly remained steady for the 3 months to February at 6.6%. Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has said on several occasions that the MPC expects inflation to cool and that the country needs to be careful about a wage-price spiral. Read next: This week's earnings schedule - Q1 revenues of Walmart and Target| FXMAG.COM We are currently nowhere near that given that inflation is averaging over 10% a month, and wages have lagged CPI since October 2021. Unemployment did tick higher in February to 3.8%, back to the levels it was in Q2 2022, although a lot of the rise may be down to people returning to the jobs market as the cost-of-living squeezes incomes further. Average earnings growth has remained resilient and looks set to rise further to 6.8%, with increasing evidence that we could continue to see this measure head higher as more and more people secure wage increases above 10%, further compounding the Bank of England's difficulties in trying to combat inflation. Eurozone GDP Later in the morning we have EU Q1 GDP. The recent Q1 GDP numbers from Spain, Italy, Germany and France showed an EU economy that was slightly more resilient than was expected at the end of last year, largely due to the milder winter which kept energy costs down. Nonetheless the recent EU flash Q1 GDP numbers were a little surprising as they came in weaker than expected at 0.1%, at the end of last month, while Q4 was revised lower to a -0.1% contraction. This week's final Q1 numbers aren't expected to provide any surprises but given the weakness in manufacturing there is a concern that any recovery in Q2 might be snuffed out by the ECB's continued tightening measures. With uncertainty growing about how the Federal Reserve's rate increases are likely to affect the US economy over the next few months, there has been little evidence that the rise in rates has impacted spending patterns in a material way. US retail sales growth has been reasonably resilient so far year to date, starting strongly in January at 2.4%, before slowing to 0% in February, while March was revised up from -0.8% to -0.4%. This spending appears to be being driven by increasing credit card balances after last night's New York Fed report showed that US Household debt rose to a record $17.5trn in Q1. It was also noted that US credit card debt failed to decline in Q1 for the first time in 20 years, at a time when this type of debt tends to fall as consumers pay off pre-Christmas spending.    This high debt level could start to act as a headwind in the coming months even as inflation has continued to fall back against a backdrop of a resilient labour market, and resilient wages. Walmart and Target present their earnings soon It will be interesting to see what sort of trends this week's earnings numbers from Walmart and Target show up when they come to deliver their guidance for the rest of the year. The recent turmoil in the US banking sector did appear to be giving consumers some pause when it came to their spending patterns with the weakness seen in March. This could potentially spill over into today's April retail sales numbers, especially given that one year inflation expectations have jumped sharply higher in recent weeks to a 6-month high of 4.6%. Consensus is for anything between a 0.4% and 0.8% gain. Forex EUR/USD – currently holding above support near the 1.0830 area, with a break below 1.0820 opening up the potential for further losses and support at 1.0770. Rebounds likely to find resistance at the 1.0940 area. GBP/USD – seen a modest rebound from the 1.2440 area after last week's sharp losses. A move below 1.2430 could signal further weakness towards the 1.2280 area in the short term, where we also have trend line support from the October lows. Resistance currently at 1.2530.   EUR/GBP – after failing to push back above the 0.8740 area and the 200-day SMA, the euro has slipped back, with last week's low at 0.8660 key support. A move below 0.8650 could see a move towards 0.8620. USD/JPY – has continued to build on last week's rebound off the 50-day SMA, pushing above the 136.00 area with the next resistance at the 200-day SMA at 137.00, with the March and May peaks at 137.80/90 also a key barrier.  FTSE100 is expected to open 3 points lower at 7,774 DAX is expected to open 4 points lower at 15,913 CAC40 is expected to open 2 points lower at 7,416

GBP: Hard to fight the aggressive BoE pricing   Money markets now price 100bp of Bank of England tightening by November.   This would put the Bank Rate at 5.50%. Our team's view is that such an amount of tightening is highly unlikely and that the usually reticent Bank of England may try and verbally push back against it.   However, UK data is doing the most of the talking and it will probably be the jobs/wages data (13 June) or the May CPI data (21 June) which will be the key determinant on whether the market reins in aggressive tightening expectations.   Until then, EUR/GBP can probably press support at 0.8650, below which 0.8600/8610 is the next target. GBP/USD can better resist the stronger dollar. Support around the 1.2275/2300 area may hold temporarily.

Gold has been trading upside as I expected and I see potential for the further upside continuation towards the upside references.    Due to the mid-long term upside trend and the short-term upside momentum, I see potential for the further growth towards the upside reference. Upside objectives are set at the price of $2.047 and $2.078 MACD oscillator is showing bull reading, which is good sign for the upside continuation. Key support is set at the price of $1.935

Polish first-quarter GDP shows disinflationary structure, with odds of a rate cut growing. Poland's statistics office has revised the first-quarter GDP estimate to -0.3% year-on-year. In 2023 as a whole, we expect economic growth to be around 1% on the back of the improving foreign trade balance.   Seasonally adjusted GDP rose by a hefty 3.8% quarter-on-quarter in the first quarter of 2023, following a decline of 2.3% QoQ in the fourth quarter of last year. But seasonally adjusted data have shown surprisingly high volatility in recent quarters and should be taken with a pinch of salt.   The composition of the first quarter GDP was also revealed and shows a quite disinflationary picture, with some caveats. Domestic demand contracted by 5.2% year-on-year amid a deepening decline in consumption, which fell by 2.0% YoY, following a drop of 1.1% YoY in the fourth quarter of 2022. Investment activity continues to hold up well, expanding by 5.5% YoY in the first quarter of this year (vs +5.4% YoY increase in the fourth quarter of last year).   As expected, the change in inventories had a negative impact on activity, subtracting 4.1 percentage points from the annual GDP growth rate. This was offset by an improvement in the foreign trade balance. The positive impact of net exports on the change in annual GDP amounted to 4.3 percentage points. The exports of goods and services increased by 3.2% YoY, while imports were 4.6% lower than a year earlier. The GDP deflator reached 15.6%.     With respect to value added, we saw declines in trade and repair (-4.4% YoY), industry (-1.4% YoY) and transport and storage (-1.2% YoY). Most other sectors of the economy recorded increases.   2023 GDP and inflation outlook As expected, the start of 2023 brought a decline in GDP on a year-on-year basis, but on a markedly smaller scale than we had feared. However, this does not mean that the outlook for the year as a whole is markedly better. High-frequency data point to weakness in retail sales, industry and housing construction in the second quarter. At the same time, growth in infrastructure-related construction continues.   This is accompanied by continued elevated levels of inflation, which negatively affects consumers, dragging on the performance of the economy. On the other hand, investment activity will have a positive impact on the economy. Investments will most likely concentrate in large companies and the public sector (including defence spending). We expect that the main driving force of the economy will continue to be the improving foreign trade balance, mainly due to low imports.   The structure of GDP growth should be disinflationary this year due to the weakness of consumption, rising investment and the large role of foreign trade in shaping economic activity. Combined with the eradication of the direct impact of the energy shock, this should favour a further decline in inflation, with its pace being constrained by core inflation. The latter is more sticky than the headline CPI.   One factor in the slower deceleration of core inflation will be a tight labour market and high wage growth. We forecast that by the end of 2023, both the headline CPI and core inflation may moderate to single-digit levels, but the outlook for 2024 is more uncertain.     National Bank of Poland rates outlook Expectations for a cut by the National Bank of Poland (NBP) may rise (we see 30-40% odds in the second half of the year). Theoretically, today's data show an improvement in the inflation outlook: a better GDP structure, month-on-month core CPI slowing, and NBP more vocal on rate cuts.   But the cross-country comparison (especially with the Czech Republic) suggests this could be a premature move.   Moreover, we still see important inflationary risks in the long term: a strong public acceptance of price increases, an election spending race, and strong investment mainly in energy (other sectors are still performing poorly to offset high costs).   In our view, an NBP cut would not help Polish government bonds (POLGBs) with longer maturities.   The premature cut would extend the return of CPI to the target, which is already a distant prospect (in 2025-26).

Technical outlook: The US dollar index has hit the initial projected target at about 104.15 as seen on the 4H chart here. The Fibonacci 1.618 extension was exceeded as the bulls registered a high close to 104.23. The index reversed sharply from there, dragging the index lower through 103.00 before finding some near-term support. It is seen to be trading close to 103.70 at this point in writing.     The US dollar index seems to have more room on the upside to complete the rally, which had begun from the 100.34 lows. After witnessing a straight rally from 100.60 towards 104.23 levels, the price could consolidate ahead of 105.50 which looks like the next Fibonacci extension and target. Near-term support is seen just below 103.00.   The US dollar index should be targeting 105.50 and higher in the next few trading sessions. Please also note that 105.50 is the next price resistance and the bulls want to take that out to complete the larger-degree corrective pattern. After hitting 105.50, the US dollar index could begin a bearish reversal dragging the price much lower.   Trading idea: A potential rally through 105.50 remains possible in the near term.    

GBP/USD: On Friday, the pound fell by 75 pips amid mixed but not exactly weak US employment data. This morning, upon the news of President Biden signing a bill to lift the debt ceiling on Saturday, the pound lost another 20 pips, entering the range of the May 31 candle.     The nearest target at 1.2403, the MACD daily line, is now open. Breaking below this line opens up the target of 1.2273, which is both the April 3 low and the February 14 high. The Marlin oscillator is moving deeper into the downtrend area, and it may reach the oversold zone when the price approaches the target range of 1.2125/53.       On the four-hour chart, the price is moving between two target levels while the Marlin oscillator remains negative. It is likely that the price will attempt to break 1.2403. If successful, the pound will aim for the MACD line on the four-hour chart around 1.2370. Breaking below this support, the British pound will be aiming for 1.2273.  

Indonesia: Inflation back within target but BI likely on hold until end of year. Headline inflation finally reverted to target in May, with headline inflation slipping to 4.0% year-on-year   Headline inflation back to target after a year Headline inflation slipped below expectations to 4.0% YoY, roughly 0.1% higher compared to the previous month. Inflation is back within Bank Indonesia's (BI) 2-4% target after 12 months and will likely stay within target for the rest of the year. Headline inflation enjoyed a much more pronounced moderation this year, sliding back within target even ahead of BI's expectations. Lower energy and food prices from a year ago level helped push headline inflation lower or unchanged across all items in the CPI basket. Meanwhile, core inflation was also down, dipping to 2.7% YoY and also lower than market expectations (2.8%).       Price stability objective reached but BI likely on hold to steady the IDR Bank Indonesia was one of the first central banks in the region to pause its tightening cycle earlier this year. BI Governor Perry Warjiyo who had expected inflation to slow gradually and revert to target by 3Q, has kept rates at 5.75% since the 16 February policy meeting. Despite the quick reversion to target for inflation, we believe BI will carry out an extended pause to shore up support for the Indonesian rupiah, which was down roughly 2.15% for the month of May. Thus we expect BI to retain policy rates at 5.75% until the end of the year and only consider cutting policy rates should global central banks opt to ease monetary policy.

Australia’s Reserve Bank lifts cash rate again This latest hike was not totally surprising given the backward steps from inflation according to the monthly data. Further tightening is not ruled out, but we think this may well be the peak for rates as we expect inflation to ease more substantially in the coming months.     Recent guidance has not been helpful We went into this meeting with very low conviction on our call for a further 25bp rate hike, taking the cash rate to 4.1%. This was in contrast to the consensus view, which was about 3:2 in favour of no hike at this meeting.   The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) had already delivered a 25bp rate hike at its May meeting, and that was against a backdrop of much better inflation data and came after the bank had hinted that rates may already have peaked. So with their reaction function muddied by recent actions, it was not at all clear whether the RBA would indeed respond to the increase in April inflation from 6.3% to 6.8% year-on-year, or wait for the full quarterly inflation figures to come out - and give more time for the effects of previous tightening to become apparent.   As it turns out, that April inflation increase was too much for the RBA to ignore, and policymakers did raise rates again. The recent increase in the unemployment rate also doesn't yet look like a convincing turn in the labour market, and indeed, disappears completely with just a little smoothing (three-month moving average) of the recent data, though a few more months may provide some more confidence that labour developments are moving in an encouraging direction. Labour data remains a key input into the RBA's rate-setting decision, at least that is what its statement suggests. Though we suspect it will cease to be as instrumental for policy decisions as inflation eases.     Any more? Never say never, but we think not As for whether this marks the peak in rates, we suspect the answer may be "yes". The statement accompanying the decision notes "Some further tightening of monetary policy may be required to ensure that inflation returns to target in a reasonable timeframe, but that will depend upon how the economy and inflation evolve." It feels like the RBA is hedging its bets on whether it will need to hike again, but we believe that inflation will fall more rapidly in the coming months (see chart), and that this will narrow the gap between inflation and policy rates, making real policy rates less negative. Real policy rates at zero tend to be a fairly basic benchmark for the point at which policy shifts from being accommodative to restrictive.   Risks to this view remain firmly on the upside, however. It would only take some acceleration in wage costs, some climate or other supply shock or more notable increases in house prices to shift the balance to one further (and probably final) hike. But as things stand, we believe this latest hike from the RBA should be enough, and still leaves a chance for the RBA to pull off the soft landing that it is clearly aiming for.  

Rates Spark: Enough out there to nudge market rates higher Weak economic data dents the European Central Bank’s ability to push rates up. Even if July and September hikes were fully priced in, Bund and swap will find it hard to rise above the top of their recent range. Direction is far from clear, but our preference is to position for upward pressure on yields.     Soft economic data dents ECB hawkish rhetoric For financial markets, a flurry of weak economic activity data – most prominently in the manufacturing sector such as yesterday’s German factory orders and tofay's industrial production – sits awkwardly with the European Central Bank's (ECB) message that more monetary tightening is needed.   The pre-meeting quiet period starts tomorrow, making today the last opportunity to skew investor expectations but markets pricing a 25bp hike at this meeting are unlikely to move much. Another important clue as to future policy moves will be in the staff forecasts released at the same time as next week’s policy decision.   The 2025 headline and core inflation projections at the March meeting stood at 2.1% and 2.2% annualised, above the ECB’s target and a clear signal that more tightening is needed – even above and beyond the path for interest rates priced by the market in late February.   Dovish-minded investors can point to a decline in oil and gas futures since the March meeting, as well as a downtick in consumer inflation expectations in the most recent survey released yesterday. Will this be enough for the ECB to no longer signal that it has ‘more ground to cover’? Probably not, but markets may not care. The focus among hawks is squarely on core inflation and the modest decline from a 5.7% peak in March to 5.3% in May hasn’t been met with much relief by the Governing Council, but it has pushed euro rates down relative to their dollar peers.        

The market may move downward from the level of 1.2420 (closing of yesterday's daily candle) to 1.2387, the 61.8% pullback level (blue dotted line). In the case of testing this level, the price may move upward with the target of 1.2448, the 38.2% pullback level (red dotted line).     Comprehensive analysis: Indicator analysis - down; Fibonacci levels - down; Volumes - down; Candlestick analysis - down; Trend analysis - down; Weekly chart - down; Bollinger bands - down.     General conclusion: Today, the price may move downward from the level of 1.2420 (closing of yesterday's daily candle) to 1.2387, the 61.8% pullback level (blue dotted line). In the case of testing this level, the price may move upward with the target of 1.2448, the 38.2% pullback level (red dotted line). Alternatively, the price may move downward from the level of 1.2420 (closing of yesterday's daily candle) to 1.2362, the 76.4% pullback level (blue dotted line). In the case of testing this level, an upward movement is possible with the target of 1.2448, the 38.2% pullback level (red dotted line).    

In my morning forecast, I highlighted the level of 1.0800 and recommended making entry decisions based on it. Let's look at the 5-minute chart and analyze what happened there. The rise and formation of a false breakout at 1.0800 provided a sell signal for the euro, but there was no significant downward movement. The technical picture remained largely unchanged in the second half of the day.       Everyone awaits the US inflation figures, which will determine the market and the Federal Reserve's actions. If prices drop more than economists' expectations, the euro will have a chance to continue rising against the US dollar, as the central bank is likely to take the first pause in the interest rate hike cycle since 2021. If inflation remains high, we can expect renewed pressure on EUR/USD and a decline in the pair. In that case, I will act on the decline and the false breakout around the support level of 1.0767, formed based on yesterday's close and where the moving averages, favoring buyers, are located.   This will provide an opportunity to enter long positions with the target of another rise towards the level of 1.0800. A breakthrough and top-down test of this range are necessary for buyers, as it will strengthen the demand for the euro, creating an additional entry point for increasing long positions with an update to the next level of 1.0830. The ultimate target remains around 1.0870, where I will take profits. In the case of a decline in EUR/USD and the absence of buyers at 1.0767, the pressure on the euro will return. Therefore, only the formation of a false breakout around the next support level of 1.0734, the weekly low, will provide a signal to buy the euro.   I will open long positions after a rebound from 1.0705, with a 30-35 point upward correction target within the day. To open short positions on EUR/USD, the following is required: Bears managed to defend the market around the resistance level of 1.0800, but there was no significant downward movement. The US inflation data will determine everything. However, considering the bullish market with selling pressure in the second half of the day, it is better to take your time.   I will act only after another unsuccessful consolidation above the resistance level of 1.0800. A false breakout at this level will provide a sell signal capable of pushing the pair back to 1.0767, where the moving averages favoring bulls are located. Consolidation below this range and a reverse test from below to above will lead straight to 1.0734. The ultimate target will be around 1.0705, where I will take profits.       If EUR/USD moves upward during the American session and there are no bears at 1.0800, which is likely to be the case, the demand for the euro will only strengthen, potentially leading to a more powerful upward surge in the pair. In that case, I will postpone short positions until the new resistance level of 1.0830.   Selling can be done there, but only after an unsuccessful consolidation. I will open short positions immediately on a rebound from the maximum of 1.0870, with a 30-35 point downward correction target.   The Commitment of Traders (COT) report for June 6 showed a decrease in long positions and a slight increase in short positions. Despite this, the Federal Reserve's decision on interest rates this week can significantly change the market dynamics, so paying much attention to the abovementioned changes may be optional. If the Fed decides to pause the rate hike cycle, the euro will gain significant weight, and the US dollar will weaken.   Along with the European Central Bank's aggressive policy, despite the first signs of a slowdown in underlying inflationary pressure, all of this will lead to a continued rise in risk assets against the US dollar. According to the COT report, non-commercial long positions decreased by 5,757 to 236,060, while non-commercial short positions increased by 1,457 to 77,060. The overall non-commercial net position decreased to 158,224 from 163,054 by the end of the week. The weekly closing price decreased to 1.0702 from 1.0732.   Indicator signals: Moving averages. Trading occurs above the 30-day and 50-day moving averages, indicating a likelihood of the euro's rise. Note: The author considers the period and prices of the moving averages on the hourly chart (H1), which differs from the general definition of classical daily moving averages on the daily chart (D1).  

The Polish economy should reach a bottom in 1H23 but recovery in 2H23 could be sluggish as the main growth engine from last year (consumption) will improve only gradually with lower CPI and some election spending.   Net exports should be the main growth driver depending on uncertain foreign demand. CPI peaked in February at 18.4%YoY but should fall to single digits in 3Q23 and 2024. July’s NBP projection is likely to bring a lower CPI trajectory and the NBP may provide a single cut in 2H23 (50% possibility), also referring to strong PLN. We see risk of persistently high core CPI at c.5% in 2024- 25. To achieve the 2.5% target, Poland needs a paradigm shift in policy, ie, nominal wages growth below 5%YoY, less consumption and more investment. PLN is no longer undervalued; we still see some appreciation. POLGBs curve may keep steepening due to rate cut expectations driving the short end and risk of spending affecting the long end, both from the ruling and opposition parties.

We doubt the BoE would endorse a 6% Bank Rate at this stage But not pushing back against rate expectations is not the same thing as validating them. And we have strong doubts that the BoE will take rate hikes as far as markets expect. Admittedly there’s no hard-and-fast rule that tells a central bank how high is too high. The BoE’s models have suggested that inflation will be well below target if rates were to go to the 5% area – let alone 6% – although policymakers have made it clear that they’re sceptical of these forecasts right now. But if we look at the mortgage market – the main transmission mechanism for interest rates – then 6% rates would mean a homeowner with a 75% loan-to-value ratio would, on average, be paying close to 40% of their disposable income on repayments. That compares to roughly 30% at the peak going into the 2008 financial crisis. The difference between now and then is that the share of households with a mortgage has fallen, and more people own their home outright now. And more importantly, around 90% of mortgages are fixed – predominantly for five years – a huge sea change compared to 10+ years ago when most were on variable rates. The result is that the length of time rates stay elevated is now arguably more important than the level, and the impact of 5%+ mortgage rates for a prolonged period would be large. The BoE is also right to highlight that the impact of past rate hikes is only now beginning to bite as a greater number of mortgage holders refinance.   Homeowners will be paying close to 40% of their average disposable income on repayments after refinancing    

RBA minutes state that the rate hike decision was close China’s central bank trims key lending rates The Australian dollar has hit a bump in the road and is down 1% this week. In the European session, AUD/USD is trading at 0.6795, down 0.80% on the day.   RBA minutes – rate decision was close The Reserve Bank of Australia has a habit of surprising the markets. The RBA’s rate hike earlier this month was a shocker, as the markets had expected rates to remain unchanged. The minutes of the meeting, released today, indicated that the decision was “finely balanced” between a pause and a hike. In support of a pause, members noted that the sharp increases in rates raised the possibility of the economy stalling. In the end, however, concerns over persistent inflation won the day as the Bank voted to hike rates by 0.25%. The takeaway from the dovish minutes is that the RBA was very close to taking a pause and will be open to holding rates at the July meeting, depending on the data, especially inflation. The Australian dollar has fallen sharply today as investors have lowered their expectations over future rate hikes. The RBA has backed up hawkish words with action, raising rates to 4.1%, the highest level since 2011. Still, inflation has been stickier than expected, and headline inflation jumped in April from 6.3% to 6.8%. The core rate fell from 6.9% to 6.5%, but that is incompatible with the target of 2%. The RBA has projected that inflation will not fall to 2% until mid-2025, which means more hikes are likely, barring a sharp drop in inflation. China’s central bank announced on Tuesday that it was cutting key lending rates, in a move to boost investment and consumption. The post-pandemic recovery has been slow, and soft demand for exports has been bad news for Australia, as China is a key trading partner. China posted 4.5% growth in the first quarter, which was better than expected, but key indicators such as retail spending and industrial output missed expectations in May. . AUD/USD Technical 0.6772 is under pressure in support. Below, there is support at 0.6668 0.6836 and 0.6940 are the next resistance lines        

Crypto Industry News: Over the past week, BTC miners have been sending their Bitcoins to exchanges en masse. It is worth adding that according to the Glassnode analytical platform, this is the largest BTC transfer to trading platforms in the last 5 years.   The cryptocurrency community is watching the actions of the SEC and sees the impact on the market. The miners' actions may be a preventive sale of their BTC, for fear of further declines. The first cryptocurrency established by Satoshi Nakamoto is still going strong. Miners are constantly mining more Bitcoins, and the value of this cryptocurrency is currently around $26,000 for one BTC.   Bitcoin is currently more than 60% away from its ATH. The outflow of BTC to trading platforms is very clearly visible and it is the largest transfer in the last 5 years. Nevertheless, the miners of the first cryptocurrency still hold 1.829 million BTC, which is worth about $50 billion in total. The BTC transfer was most visible after the actions of the American SEC regarding the Coinbase and Binance exchanges.   On June 11, experts from Glassnode reported a significant BTC transfer by miners in just a week. USD 70.8 million worth of Bitcoins entered the exchanges.   This is the third record BTC inflow, but lower by USD 30.2 million from the record USD 101 million recorded during the 2021 bull market.   Technical Market Outlook: The BTC/USD pair has been seen rallying over 17% from the low made at the level of $24,753, so the last local high made at the time of writing the analysis was located at $28,996. The bulls had broken above the technical resistance located at $28,446 and now this level will work as the technical support. The market conditions are extremely overbought on the H4 time frame chart, but the next target for bulls is still seen at the level of $32,350.    

The EUR/USD pair had made higher high at the level of 1.0971, so the bulls are still in control of the market and then started a pull-back. The price break below the 50 MA around the level of 1.0917 and now the bulls are trying to resume the up move again. The next target for bulls is seen at the level of 1.1007 and the intraday technical support is seen at 1.0917 and 1.0905.   The momentum is coming off the extremely overbought levels, heading towards the neutral level of fifty on the RSI (14) indicator. Please expect bears to defend the supply zone located between the levels of 1.1006 - 1.0999.    

The EUR/USD pair had made higher high at the level of 1.0971, so the bulls are still in control of the market and then started a pull-back. The price break below the 50 MA around the level of 1.0917 and now the bulls are trying to resume the up move again.   The next target for bulls is seen at the level of 1.1007 and the intraday technical support is seen at 1.0917 and 1.0905. The momentum is coming off the extremely overbought levels, heading towards the neutral level of fifty on the RSI (14) indicator. Please expect bears to defend the supply zone located between the levels of 1.1006 - 1.0999.  

Swiss National Bank expected to raise interest rates on Thursday Fed Chair Powell testifies before Congress Wednesday and Thursday The Swiss franc is showing little movement on Wednesday, trading at 0.8984 in the North American session.   Will Swiss National Bank deliver a hawkish surprise? The Swiss National Bank will announce its rate decision on Thursday, and the meeting is live, as the markets have priced a 0.50% hike at 60% and a 0.25% at 40%. The current benchmark rate is 1.50%. SNB Chair Jordan hasn’t missed an opportunity to send out warnings that inflation remains too high. Earlier this month, Jordan stated that inflation “is more persistent than we initially thought” and that with rates at a low 1.5%, it wasn’t a good idea to keep rates low and face higher inflation later. Jordan’s rhetoric has remained hawkish even though inflation is low in Switzerland and fell to 2.2% in May. Other central bankers would be happy to switch roles with Jordan, with inflation around 2%, but the SNB is not happy with the inflation picture. Inflation remains above the Bank’s 0%-2% target and Jordan appears willing and able to continue hiking in order to curb inflation. The SNB, once known for its negative rates, has been aggressive, raising rates by 225 points in the current tightening cycle. It should be remembered that since the SNB meets only four times a year, the SNB may opt for a 0.50% hike at Thursday’s meeting in order to get “a bigger bang for the buck”.

 BSP extends prudent pause Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas held rates at 6.25% today, a move widely expected by market participants. Governor Felipe Medalla had previously been talking up the likelihood of a pause at today’s meeting, citing moderating inflation as the main consideration. BSP's inflation forecast was adjusted lower for 2023 (5.4% year-on-year from 5.5% previously) but the 2024 inflation forecast was raised to 2.9%YoY from 2.8%. Meanwhile, BSP expects 2025 inflation to settle within target at 3.2%YoY. Today’s decision extends the BSP’s “prudent pause” to two meetings and we could see BSP on hold for a couple of more meetings if inflation continues to moderate and head closer to target. BSP expects inflation to settle within its target band as early as September, although the central bank did indicate that risks to the inflation outlook remain tilted to the upside. A looming bout with El Niño (the unusual warming of the eastern Pacific Ocean which subsequently drives surface air temperatures and pressure changes throughout the equator) could force food prices higher, and thus BSP has left the door open for further tightening if warranted.   Philippine real policy rates now in positive territory   Last dance for Medalla? Today’s policy decision could be the last policy move for Medalla, whose term ends by the close of the month. President Ferdinand Marcos has yet to decide whether to reappoint Medalla to a second term or choose another candidate.  Marcos’ choice for governor will likely inform our outlook for BSP’s policy stance, but should Medalla be reappointed, we expect BSP to be on hold for at least two more policy meetings before possibly cutting rates once inflation settles back within target. 

Yesterday, there was only one entry signal. Now, let's look at the 5-minute chart and figure out what actually happened. In my morning article, I turned your attention to 1.0933 and recommended making decisions with this level in focus. A rise and a false breakout of this level led to a sell signal, which resulted in a drop of only 20 pips. In the afternoon, there were no signals to enter the market.   For long positions on EUR/USD: Theeuro continued to rise after the speech of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. He didn't exactly say anything surprising, and traders expected a bullish scenario for EUR/USD.   Today, the European Central Bank represented by ECB Executive Board member Fabio Panetta and ECB board member Joachim Nagel are expected to give another interview. We are already aware that politicians will support ECB President Christine Lagarde's plans to fight inflation by betting on a further increase in the cost of borrowing in the eurozone, which will definitely support the euro on its way to break through the 1.1000 level.   The eurozone consumer confidence indicator will not be of much significance as experts do not project drastic changes in June. Like yesterday, I will go long on a decline from the nearest support level at 1.0956, which is in line with the bullish moving averages.   A false breakout there will create a buy signal, and the pair could go back up, and the resistance level will be updated at 1.0997. A breakout and a downward retest of this level will boost demand for the euro, pushing it to a monthly high of 1.1029. A more distant target will be the 1.1060 level where I recommend locking in profits. If EUR/USD declines and bulls fail to defend 1.0956, the demand for the euro will be very weak.   Therefore, only a false breakout of the support level of 1.0911 will create new entry points into long positions. You could buy EUR/USD at a bounce from 1.0862, keeping in mind an upward intraday correction of 30-35 pips.

Bitcoin's over 24% increase in just 6 days is due to several significant events. Deutsche Bank's search for a crypto-license and the race to create a Bitcoin ETF fund are the main reasons why BTC began to climb again towards 30,000. USD. On June 15, BlackRock filed a Bitcoin Spot ETF application with the SEC, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Yes, to the same SEC that is pursuing cryptocurrency exchanges such as Binance or Coinbase.   It is worth noting that the SEC has definitively rejected such applications in the past, however, the latest attempt was made by the largest player in the asset management market. In reaction to these events, Invesco applied for the creation of such a fund many times in the past. The third applicant turned out to be WisdomTree, which also intends to apply for the creation of a cryptocurrency exchange fund ETF in the United States. An interesting event in the context of the increase in the value of Bitcoin is also WallStreet's support for new digital asset platforms - EDX Markets. Although there is still a long way to ATH, interest in the oldest cryptocurrency is still very high. The actions of the SEC did not scare off investors, which could have been suggested by the record transfer of BTC from crypto-miners.   Technical Market Outlook: The BTC/USD pair has been seen rallying over 24% from the low made at the level of $24,753, so the last local high made at the level of $30,777. The bulls had broken above the technical resistance located at $28,446 and now this level will work as the technical support. The market conditions are extremely overbought on the H4 time frame chart and on a Daily time frame chart. The next target for bulls is still seen at the level of $32,350.  

The EUR/USD pair has been seen moving higher on the daily time frame as there is still a room on the RSI indicator before it hits the extremely overbought market conditions. The next target for bulls is seen at the level of 1.1054 - 1.1097, which creates a supply zone for bears. The intraday technical support is located at 1.0971 and 1.0873. The bulls are clearly in control of the market and there is no indication of a up trend termination or reversal.      

Higher timeframes Bullish players completed the correction and updated the high, continuing the upward movement. In doing so, they entered and closed the previous day above the daily cloud. If there is consolidation in the bullish zone relative to the daily cloud, and the upward movement continues, the daily target for a cloud breakout can be added to the bullish targets.     In the meantime, the immediate target is to update the high (1.1096) and the recovery of the weekly upward trend. The upper boundary of the daily cloud (1.0970), the monthly medium-term trend (1.0901), and the area of 1.0862-69, which combines daily and weekly levels, serve as support in the current conditions.  

South Africa A very quiet week with PPI the only notable release. Inflation is falling back towards target and the PPI may offer insight into whether those pressures are continuing to head in the right direction.   Turkey Thursday’s 6.5% rate hike suggests Turkey is on the path back to a conventional monetary policy approach. Markets were pricing in a lot more but with President Erdogan openly against hiking rates – despite replacing the Governor who was happy to cut on his behalf – the CBRT may be treading a little carefully. As we’ve seen before, Erdogan will not hesitate to sack a Governor so perhaps his new appointment simply has ambitions to still be employed in September. No major economic releases next week.   Switzerland There are a few data releases next week, but SNB Chair Thomas Jordan’s appearance will probably be the highlight. The SNB hiked rates by 25 basis point this past week and markets believe there’s another in the pipeline. Jordan previously hinted at the neutral rate being 2% and the SNB indicated on Thursday that another hike may follow. With inflation forecast to stay above 2% for the next couple of years, only a drop in it over the next couple of months may change the SNBs mind.   China Not much action on the economic data front with the only key data on manufacturing and services activities to digest. On Friday, we will have the release of the NBS Manufacturing and Non-Manufacturing PMIs for June. Manufacturing PMI is forecasted to rebound slightly to 49.0 after it contracted to a five-month low of 48.8 in May. In contrast, the growth trajectory of Non-Manufacturing PMI is forecasted to dip to 53.7 in June from 54.5 in May. If it turns out as expected, it will be the third consecutive month of a growth slowdown in services activities. These data will be closely watched to determine and gauge the next move from China’s top policymakers as market participants wait eagerly for the amount and scope of an impending new fiscal stimulus measure that the State Council stopped short of giving out any details about it last week. India A couple of key data to take note of on Friday; bank loan growth, Q1 current account where its deficit is forecasted to narrow to -$16 billion from $-18.2 billion recorded in Q4 2022, and Q1 external debt that is forecasted to edge lower to US$602 billion from $613.1 billion recorded in Q4 2022.

The market may move upward from the level of 1.0905 (closing of yesterday's daily candle) to test 1.0986, the 76.4% pullback level (red dotted line). Upon testing this level, a downward movement is possible with the target of 1.0958, the 23.6% pullback level (yellow dotted line). In case of testing this level, the price may move up.   General conclusion:   Today, the price may move upward from the level of 1.0905 (closing of yesterday's daily candle) to test 1.0986, the 76.4% pullback level (red dotted line). Upon testing this level, a downward movement is possible with the target of 1.0958, the 23.6% pullback level (yellow dotted line). In case of testing this level, the price may move up. Alternatively, the price may move upward from the level of 1.0905 (closing of yesterday's daily candle) to test 1.0958, the 23.6% pullback level (yellow dotted line). Upon testing this level, a downward movement is possible with the target of 1.0930, the historical support level (blue dotted line).  

The EUR/USD pair has retraced 50% of the last wave down and hit the level of 1.0930. The next target for bulls is 61% Fibonacci retracement level located at 1.0949. The intraday technical support is located at 1.0865 and 1.0893.   The bulls are clearly in control of the market and there is no indication of a up trend termination or reversal, despite the fact that the corrective cycle was quite deep and solid. When the up trend is resumed, the next target for bulls is seen at the level of 1.1054 - 1.1097, which creates a supply zone for bears. Larger time frame trend remains up.    

Yesterday, the British pound edged up following the euro, trading freely within the consolidation range of 1.2678-1.2785. This morning, the price and the Marlin oscillator turned downwards. The pound sterling should break below the support level of 1.2678 to gain momentum for medium-term decline.     The first target is 1.2600. If the price breaks above the nearest resistance level at 1.2785, it will change the main scenario to an alternative one, with the pair rising towards 1.2870. On the 4-hour chart, the price stopped rising by the balance indicator line.     The signal line of the Marlin oscillator is trying to return to negative territory as quickly as possible. If it does, the oscillator's move into the positive area will prove to be false, further fueling the downward movement.

H4 - H1 The main advantage on the lower timeframes currently belongs to the bears. Their reference points are the supports of the classic pivot points (1.2574 - 1.2516 - 1.2428) and the target for breaking the H4 cloud (1.2521 - 1.2485). Today, the key levels 1.2662 (central pivot point of the day) and 1.2711 (weekly long-term trend) serve as resistances. Establishing a foothold above them will change the current balance of power and open the way to intraday targets of 1.2720 - 1.2808 - 1.2866 (resistances of the classic pivot points).    

Inflation slips in Indonesia, but central bank expected to keep rates on hold Inflation in Indonesia fell to 3.5% year-on-year in June, from 4% in May, which was slightly below market expectations.   Headline inflation slipped to 3.5% year-on-year in June, down from 4.0%YoY in the previous month. The June reading was slightly below market consensus for a 3.6%YoY rise with prices up only 0.14% from May. Meanwhile, core inflation dipped to 2.6%, down from 2.7% in May.  A favourable base, in addition to moderating commodity prices, has helped steer prices back within target. We expect inflation to remain subdued in the near term, barring substantial supply-side shocks.   Inflation comfortably back within target     Bank Indonesia likely to extend pause Bank Indonesia (BI) hiked aggressively in late 2022 to help bring inflation back within target. However, despite price pressures abating, we do not expect the central bank to resort to rate cuts as it hopes to ensure continued support for the Indonesian rupiah.  Foreign exchange stability will likely determine any BI rate adjustment, and we expect Governor Perry Warjiyo to extend his pause until IDR stabilises.

Trend analysis (Fig. 1). The GBP/USD currency pair may move downward from the level of 1.2693 (closing of Friday's daily candle) with the target at 1.2640, the 38.2% pullback level (blue dotted line). Upon reaching this level, an upward movement is possible with the target of 1.2688, the 38.2% pullback level (red dotted line). Fig. 1 (daily chart). Comprehensive analysis: Indicator analysis - down; Fibonacci levels - down; Volumes - down; Candlestick analysis - down; Trend analysis - down; Bollinger bands - up; Weekly chart - down.   General conclusion: Today, the price may move downward from the level of 1.2693 (closing of Friday's daily candle) with the target at 1.2640, the 38.2% pullback level (blue dotted line). Upon reaching this level, an upward movement is possible with the target of 1.2688, the 38.2% pullback level (red dotted line).   Alternatively, the price may move downward from the level of 1.2693 (closing of Friday's daily candle) with the target at 1.2627, the 14.6% pullback level (red dotted line). Upon reaching this level, an upward movement is possible with the target of 1.2688, the 38.2% pullback level (red dotted line).  

Canada’s GDP surprises to the upside US PCE Price Index eases in June ISM Manufacturing PMI expected to contract The Canadian dollar is trading at 1.3259, up 0.07%. Canadian markets are closed for a holiday and I expect USD/CAD movement to be limited. On the economic front, the US releases ISM Manufacturing PMI. The index is projected to tick lower to 46.9 in June, down from 47.0 in May.   Canada’s GDP climbs in May Canada wrapped up the week with a strong GDP report. The economy is estimated to have gained 0.4% in May, after flatlining in April. The Canadian economy continues to surprise with its resilience despite rising interest rates. The Bank of Canada raised rates to 4.75% earlier this month after a five-month pause, arguing that monetary policy was not restrictive enough. The BoC statement pointed at strong consumer spending and higher-than-expected growth as factors in the decision to raise rates. The BoC also expressed concerns that inflation could remain entrenched above the 2% target. The strong GDP report has added fuel to speculation that the BoC will raise rates again on July 12th but there is also concern that higher rates will lead to a recession. Canadian 10-year bonds have fallen further below the 2-year bonds, as the yield curve inversion, a predictor of recession, has become even more pronounced. Inflation has been falling and headline inflation eased to 3.4% in May, down from 4.4% in April. Core inflation also declined to 3.8%, down from 4.2%. The question remains whether inflation, still well above the 2% target, is falling fast enough to prevent another rate hike in July. In the US, there were more signs that inflation is weakening. On Friday, the PCE Price Index, which is the Fed’s favourite inflation gauge, declined from 0.4% to 0.1% in June. As well, UoM Inflation Expectations dropped to 3.3% in June, down from 4.2% in May and the lowest since March 2021. Despite these signals that inflation is decelerating, the Fed is widely expected to raise rates at the July meeting.   Canada’s GDP surprises to the upside US PCE Price Index eases in June ISM Manufacturing PMI expected to contract The Canadian dollar is trading at 1.3259, up 0.07%. Canadian markets are closed for a holiday and I expect USD/CAD movement to be limited. On the economic front, the US releases ISM Manufacturing PMI. The index is projected to tick lower to 46.9 in June, down from 47.0 in May. Canada’s GDP climbs in May Canada wrapped up the week with a strong GDP report. The economy is estimated to have gained 0.4% in May, after flatlining in April. The Canadian economy continues to surprise with its resilience despite rising interest rates. The Bank of Canada raised rates to 4.75% earlier this month after a five-month pause, arguing that monetary policy was not restrictive enough. The BoC statement pointed at strong consumer spending and higher-than-expected growth as factors in the decision to raise rates. The BoC also expressed concerns that inflation could remain entrenched above the 2% target. The strong GDP report has added fuel to speculation that the BoC will raise rates again on July 12th but there is also concern that higher rates will lead to a recession. Canadian 10-year bonds have fallen further below the 2-year bonds, as the yield curve inversion, a predictor of recession, has become even more pronounced. Inflation has been falling and headline inflation eased to 3.4% in May, down from 4.4% in April. Core inflation also declined to 3.8%, down from 4.2%. The question remains whether inflation, still well above the 2% target, is falling fast enough to prevent another rate hike in July. In the US, there were more signs that inflation is weakening. On Friday, the PCE Price Index, which is the Fed’s favourite inflation gauge, declined from 0.4% to 0.1% in June. As well, UoM Inflation Expectations dropped to 3.3% in June, down from 4.2% in May and the lowest since March 2021. Despite these signals that inflation is decelerating, the Fed is widely expected to raise rates at the July meeting.   USD/CAD Technical USD/CAD is putting pressure on resistance at 1.3254. Next, there is resistance at 1.3328 1.3175 and 1.3066 are providing support  

From what we see in the daily chart of Gold commodity asset, Gold seems moving inside bearish Pitchfork channel as well as confirmed by CCI indicator which manages to break down to the level 100, 0, & -100 and currently stuck moving at the -100 to 0 area level, all of which indicate the trend condition of Gold on the daily chart is still in a bearish condition except when a correction rally occurs above the 1956.28 level and is supported by the CCi indicator which managed to break above level 0 and above level 100 then it is possible that the bearish condition will be restrained for the next few days but if this does not happen then the probability to continue the decline is quite large where the Ross Hook level 1892.51 will be the main target for gold in the next few days.  

The latest research shows that almost all countries are intensifying work on the creation of central bank digital currency (CBDC) systems, and some of them are close to completing this work. According to a report by the Atlantic Council think tank, based in Washington, 130 countries, which together generate 98% of the world's GDP, are exploring the possibility of introducing it. This is a huge increase compared to May 2020, when only 35 countries were considering implementing a CBDC.   The report shows that a record number of 64 countries are already at an advanced stage of exploring the CBDC system. They have implemented initial development, are conducting pilot tests or are even in the commissioning phase. Among them are 19 out of 20 G20 countries. Interestingly, the US seems to be the exception to this rule, with retail CBDC adoption progressing. This one seems to be stuck there at a dead end right now.     Technical Market Outlook: The bulls are clearly in control of the ETH market and they resumed the up trend again and made the last high at the level of $1,974. The market is approaching the key technical support located at the level of $1,930, so in a case of a bounce from this level the next target for bulls is seen at the level of $2,020. The momentum turned into positive on the RSI (14) indicator, so the short-term outlook for ETH remains bullish, however the market conditions on the lower time frames are now extremely overbought. The short-term technical support is seen at the level of $1,777.  

EUR: Downside risks into the weekend Medium-term consumer inflation expectations in the eurozone continued to ease in May, with the 12-month expectation gauge declining from 4.1% to 3.9%. However, long-term (three-year) inflation expectations – arguably of greater interest for the European Central Bank - remained unchanged at 2.5%, well above the bank’s 2% target. When taking June’s flash core CPI estimates on board, the ECB hawks hardly lack arguments to continue tightening. Today, the eurozone calendar is very light, and EUR/USD will trade in line with the dollar's reaction to US data. We suspect the pair is facing some downside risks in the latter part of the year after the FOMC minutes set the bar quite high for data to convince markets to price out Fed rate hikes. There is still a gap to be filled (around 20bp) between the Fed communication (dot plots) and the market pricing, while the ECB’s communication is pretty much matched by the EUR OIS curve, which currently embeds two hikes by year-end. EUR/USD could slip below 1.0800 before the end of the week, if US data were to come in on the strong side.

We now expect the Federal Reserve to begin rate cuts in the first quarter of 2024, with the European Central Bank and Bank of England following shortly thereafter.   Our projections for the major central banks   Federal Reserve Comments from Federal Reserve officials indicate that while progress has been made, there is more work to do to return inflation to target. The June no-change decision was merely a slowing in the pace of hikes, with the Fed signalling that it sees the need for two additional 25bp interest rate increases before the end of the year. A July rate rise looks virtually certain given inflation is above target and the jobs market remains tight, but we are not convinced the Bank will carry through with the second hike. The Fed acknowledges that goods price inflation is under control and housing costs will slow rapidly through the second half of 2023, but policymakers are focused on core services excluding housing, which remains hot. There are tentative encouraging signs, which we suspect will intensify as the lagged effects of previously implemented policy rate increases and tighter lending conditions bite. With core CPI likely to be in the 2%-2.5% region by the first quarter of next year, the Fed may well be inclined to move policy from restrictive territory in the direction of neutral by March as the economy weakens.  

Technical Market Outlook: The EUR/USD pair has broken above the short-term trend line resistance and is trading around the level of 1.0954 at the beginning of the new trading week. The intraday technical resistance is seen at the level of 1.0974, at the local high. The intraday technical support is seen at the level of 1.0935. Please notice, the momentum has hit the extremely overbought conditions again, so there is a confirmation of the bearish pressure on the lower time frame charts. In a case of a breakout lower, the next target for bears is seen at the level of 1.0901 and 1.0876. Only a sustained breakout below the moving average dynamic support around 1.0900 would change the outlook to more negative.    

EUR/USD On Monday, the euro overcame the upper band of the descending price channel colored in green. Now it's abolished, and the price continues to rise towards the nearest target of 1.1028. Overcoming this level will open the second target of 1.1085. As we remember, all the growth since July 6 is a speculative attack on the dollar, buying the single currency against fundamental data.     Such movements do not last long, we are waiting for the first signs of a reversal from the level of 1.1085. Consolidation above this level can extend the growth to 1.1155. The Marlin oscillator has slightly turned down, indicating a slowdown in the growth rate. Yesterday, the S&P 500 finally showed gains (0.24%) after a corrective drop since July 3. But we are also waiting for a reversal on the stock market. Most likely, the drop in the euro and the S&P 500 will be synchronized.   On the four-hour chart, the Marlin oscillator is creating the first sign of forming a sideways range (the gray rectangle on the chart). With this, the pair can slowly rise and will increase the risks for the bulls. Of course, the range may not be established, but the first signs of weakening growth are already there, a lot of effort was spent on such an operation.    

FX Daily: Underdogs make a comeback ahead of US CPI It has been a good week for the underdogs in the G10 FX world. The Japanese yen, Norwegian krone, Swedish krona and Swiss franc led the gains against the dollar over the last week. This may well be a position adjustment against the risk of a benign US CPI print today and a tweak in Bank of Japan policy at the end of the month. Today's CPI reading will therefore be key.   USD: Benign CPI could unlock a leg lower lower in the dollar Another European morning follows another Asian session where USD/JPY has led the dollar lower. The Japanese yen has now appreciated 3.6% against the dollar over the last week, closely followed by NOK (+3.4%), SEK (+2.7%) and CHF (+2.4%). We discussed some of the push-pull factors driving the dollar in yesterday's update, but the outperformance of these underdog currencies clearly points to some position adjustment at work. The broad-based nature of the rally in these currencies suggests investors may be anticipating a more benign US price environment like the one we saw in November last year when the US started to print core inflation at 0.3% month-on-month after a string of 0.6% releases. That nicely brings us to today's main event, which is the June CPI release at 14:30CET. Expectations are for a more benign 0.3% MoM core reading - the lowest since last November - and base effects bringing the headline CPI down to just 3.1% YoY - the lowest since March 2021. Assuming no nasty upside surprises here, this may be enough to firm up a view that a 25bp Fed hike may well be the last in the cycle. If so, DXY could make a run at the year's lows near 100.80. A quick word on the yen. Developments in USD/JPY - especially the sell-off in early Asia - seem to be led by selling in the JGB bond market. Here, 30-year JGB yields are rising - spreads between 30-year US and Japanese government bonds have narrowed 12bp over the last week - and the Nikkei equity index is underperforming. This has all the hallmarks of position adjustment before the 28 July Bank of Japan (BoJ) policy meeting, where expectations are growing that the BoJ could switch to targeting the five-year part of the JGB yield curve - another small step to policy normalisation. In short, then, this USD/JPY move looks driven by the private not public sector (i.e. no intervention) and something like 138.25 looks like a near-term target for USD/JPY assuming today's US CPI data does not surprise on the upside    

GBP/USD Higher timeframes Yesterday, on the daily chart, the pound crossed the lower border of the monthly cloud (1.2893). This is an important monthly level, so it may yet have its influence and, thanks to the force of attraction, delay the continuation of the rise. If the bulls maintain activity, the upper border of the monthly cloud (1.3142) serves as their next target in this area.     H4 - H1 On lower timeframes, the bulls are developing an upward trend movement, having a clear advantage. It should be noted that during trend movement, corrective declines are as natural as rises. At the moment, we observe a corrective slowdown around 1.2957 (first resistance of the classic pivot points). Further upward targets within the day are R2 (1.2986) and R3 (1.3038). In case the current correction deepens, the chart on lower timeframes suggests the following levels as supports today: 1.2905 (central pivot point) - 1.2876 (S1) - 1.2824 (S2) - 1.2806 (weekly long-term trend). *** The technical analysis of the situation uses: Higher timeframes - Ichimoku Kinko Hyo (9.26.52) + Fibo Kijun levels Lower timeframes - H1 - Pivot Points (classic) + Moving Average 120 (weekly long-term trend)    

The recent US Consumer Price Index (CPI) reading has ignited discussions and speculation regarding the future monetary policy of the Federal Reserve. Traders and investors have closely scrutinized the implications of this report, seeking insights into the direction of interest rates and the overall stance of the central bank. To gain further perspective on the matter, we reached out to Matthew Ryan, CFA, an expert in the field, for his analysis. Ryan emphasizes that the US dollar experienced a widespread sell-off in response to the soft US inflation report. The June data revealed a significant easing of headline inflation, reaching its lowest level in over two years. Equally notable was the unexpected drop in the critical core index, falling below 5% for the first time since November 2021, marking a significant turning point.     The dollar selling off across the board after soft US inflation report intensified bets that the Federal Reserve's rate hike cycle may soon be nearing an end. Headline inflation eased sharply in June, falling to its lowest level in more than two years, while the critical core index also unexpectedly dropped below 5% for the first time since November 2021 - somewhat of a watershed moment.   The retreat in the sticky core inflation measure will be particularly welcome news for the Fed, as it suggests that the bank's ultra-aggressive tightening cycle is finally bearing fruit. There remains a long way to go before underlying price pressures return to target, though the notion that almost all metrics of US inflation are trending in the right direction will be highly comforting for officials.     Recent hawkish communications from FOMC officials, including chair Powell, suggest that another 25 basis point rate hike remains highly likely later this month. We are, however, of the opinion that additional hikes beyond then are far from guaranteed, and are increasingly confident in our call that the July hike will be the last in the current cycle, before rate cuts commence at some point in H1 2024. We think that this dovish pivot should open the door to additional downside in the US dollar in the coming months.    - Matthew Ryan, CFA    

Poland’s inflation may fall to single digits in August but pace of disinflation to slow The final CPI print for June confirmed that inflation slowed to 11.5% year-on-year from 13.0% in May. We estimate that core CPI fell to 11.1% YoY from 11.5% a month prior. We see further deceleration ahead, likely allowing the MPC to cut rates in September and October.   Prices of goods rose by 11.4% YoY, and service prices by 11.7% YoY, compared with 13.3% and 12.3%, respectively, in the previous month. The biggest contributors to further disinflation in June were the deepening of the decline in fuel prices, the slowdown in the growth of prices of energy carriers, and the slightly slower growth of food prices compared to a month ago. These factors lowered the annual inflation rate in June by about 1.1 percentage points relative to May. For the second month in a row, consumer prices did not change significantly vs. the previous month. Core inflation declined markedly again and according to our estimates eased to about 11.1% YoY in June vs.11.5% in May. However, the months of rapid disinflation are behind us. Since the peak in February, CPI inflation has declined by nearly seven percentage points. We expect the disinflation process to continue, but its pace in the second half of the year will be slower, due to, among other things, a somewhat smaller drag from the reference base. In July, we may see a decline in prices relative to June and we may see the annual inflation rate at single-digit levels as early as August. The Monetary Policy Council has officially ended the cycle of interest rate hikes and is preparing for rate cuts, which, according to recent announcements by the National Bank of Poland President Adam Glapinski, may take place as early as after the summer holidays. This is also our baseline scenario, assuming rate cuts in September and October (both by 25bp). At the same time, the NBP's July projection indicates that even in the absence of interest rate changes, inflation will take a long time to return to target so the space for rate cuts seems limited. The market-priced scale of monetary easing may prove too aggressive.

We are finally seeing the kind of bull market steepening in the US yield curve that marks a new stage in the economic cycle. This is typically positive for activity currencies and bearish for the dollar. The dollar may not fall quite as quickly as late last year, but the direction of travel looks clear. Commodity currencies should be favoured now.   Like many others we have been looking for a weaker dollar in the second half of this year but have been uncertain of timing. There is now a strong case that the softer US June CPI numbers have fired the starting pistol on the cyclical dollar decline. Importantly, we look for the June CPI data to presage a series of softer price data releases this year.  The Fed should welcome this news. Strong signs of US disinflation and bullish steepening of the US yield curve should be a EUR/USD positive. Positioning and Rest Of World growth prospects may not trigger the kind of 8% dollar drop seen last Nov-Dec, but the dollar should still decline. One last hike from the Fed, plus two more hikes from the European Central Bank should keep rate differentials supportive of EUR/USD.       USD/JPY: No need for intervention after all     USD/JPY has reversed sharply from 145 – an area where it looked like Tokyo was readying for FX intervention. Instead, it looks like investor positioning for a possible Bank of Japan policy tweak (28 July) and the softer US inflation data have foregone the need for intervention. A sustained move lower in USD/JPY will require some follow-up – i.e. either from the BoJ or US data. The reason why speculation has built over the 28 July meeting is that the BoJ also releases its Outlook Report containing new forecasts – i.e. whether the rise in CPI is sustainable. 145 could now prove a solid cap. We target 130 for year-end.    

Turkey: Expected policy rate hike of 5ppt to 20% The CBT has acknowledged that inflation has been well above its target, which calls for more effective use of monetary policy. The June decision was considered to be "the first step of the monetary tightening process”. Given this backdrop and rising pricing pressures amid i) FX pass-through from recent lira weakness, ii) strong mid-year wage adjustments and iii) inflationary effects from the government’s revenue rising measures, we expect a policy rate hike of 5ppt to 20%. However, risks point to a smaller move given the bank’s signals of gradualism.    

British pound extends losses UK manufacturing and services PMIs decline in July The British pound continues to lose ground. In the North American session, GBP/USD is trading at 1.2822, down 0.23%. The pound has been on a nasty slide, losing over 300 points since July 14th.   UK manufacturing and services PMIs ease in July The week started on a sour note, as the UK manufacturing and services PMIs both slowed in July. Manufacturing fell to 45.0, below the June reading of 46.5 and the consensus estimate of 46.1 points. The manufacturing sector has now declined for 12 straight months and today’s release marked the PMI’s lowest level this year. Services slipped to 51.5, down from 53.7 and shy of the consensus of 52.4 points. This marked a 6-month low and pointed to weaker growth in business activity, which has been a key driver of the economy. It’s a very light data calendar in the UK, with no other tier-1 releases this week. Still, it could be a busy week for GBP/USD, with the Federal Reserve decision on Wednesday and US GDP on Thursday.   Fed expected to hike on Wednesday The Federal Reserve meets on Wednesday and the money markets have priced in a 0.25% hike as a near certainty and are heavily leaning towards a pause in September. This stance may be out of sync with the Fed, as Jerome Powell and other members have voiced concern that inflation isn’t falling fast enough and that could be a hint at further rate hikes after July. With the economy performing well and the labour market remaining tight, an argument can be made that the Fed has a golden opportunity to keep tightening in order to push inflation back to the 2% target. There have been concerns about whether the Fed can guide the economy to a soft landing, but the economic data is looking good and the chances of a major recession are low.   GBP/USD Technical GBP/USD tested resistance at 1.2858 earlier. Next, there is resistance at 1.2932  There is support at 1.2757 and 1.2637  

EUR/USD The euro is once again (after 20 days) disrupting the market. The European Central Bank raised its rate by 0.25% yesterday, and ECB President Christine Lagarde indicated that this increase may be the last one (similar to the Federal Reserve) in the current tightening cycle. The euro lost 0.95% or 108 pips.   Media reports that such a sharp decline was caused by the US Q2 GDP report, which showed that the economy expanded by 2.4% against the expected 1.8%. In addition, durable goods orders in June added 4.7% (forecast was 1.0%). Only the S&P 500 fell by 0.64%, reflecting expectations of a recession in the US and an expansion in the yield curve inversion in the government bond market.     The volume of yesterday's trades was the largest in the last 4 months, which means there is still potential for further decline. The 1.0924 level is an important support on the daily chart, which the MACD line is approaching. Consolidating below it will initiate a new downtrend in the medium-term. The Marlin oscillator has settled in the negative area. If the euro does not fall below 1.0924, it may rise again, even against unfavorable grounds. We are expecting a significant reversal of the euro that is in sync with the stock market decline (in September).     On the four-hour chart, the situation is bearish: the price is developing below both indicator lines, and the Marlin oscillator has settled in the downtrend territory. Consolidating below yesterday's low at 1.0966 opens up the target at 1.0924. Some kind of price convergence with the oscillator supports the euro's consolidation in the 1.0966-1.1012 range  

AUD: RBA can still hike in September As we expected, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) kept rates on hold today, defying consensus expectations. The Bank pointed out how higher interest rates are “working to establish a more sustainable balance between supply and demand in the economy” and opted for a pause to better assess incoming data. The new CPI forecasts now see inflation declining to 3.25% by the fourth quarter of next year and fall back into target by the end of 2025. This is probably a dovish signal, as it implies the current pace of tightening is appropriate to take inflation back to target in an acceptable timeframe. However, the RBA has shown elevated sensitivity to data, and we doubt this will change very soon: another high inflation read may well convince it to add a hike before the peak. Our base case is still for one last 25bp increase to be delivered in September when electricity tariffs could deliver an inflation surprise. AUD may underperform other peers like the NZD and the Scandies until a bullish “pocket” emerges in September, should the RBA go ahead with one last hike.

Top 10 Stocks to Watch: August 2023 BY:RYAN SULLIVAN Our list of hot summer stocks includes ecommerce, auto, gambling, entertainment, retail and AI S&P 500 E-Mini Futures reached a year-to-date high of about $4,600, with potential for new all-time highs if it surpasses resistance at $4,630 and $4,700.  The $4,500 support level could be tested if the current bull run ends, possibly triggering another push toward all-time highs.  Stock options can be beneficial after earnings reports to dodge binary volatility but exploit short-term fluctuations.  Market update: S&P 500 e-mini futures up 18% year to date  The S&P 500 e-mini futures—electronically-traded futures and options contracts on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME)—pushed to new year-to-date highs this month on July 12. Since then, we have continued higher to $4,600. We are currently retesting this year-to-date (YTD) high. As I type, the S&P is ticking into $4,600. The next key resistance level above current price action is around $4,630, and the next stop after that is around $4,700.  If price action breaks through $4,630 with force, look for bulls to target $4,700. If that happens as we roll into August, and we do tag $4,700, it would not be too surprising if we try to push to new all-time highs in the S&P 500.    It is also possible that this is the last leg up for the current bull run that started at the end of May this year. If that is the case, the next thing the bears are going to want to test is the $4,500 level support. If $4,500 support holds, we could then see a push to all-time highs anyway.   If the market doesn’t want to record an all-time high yet, it is likely that price action bounces around $4,500 looking for either buyers or sellers to take control.  A quick note on the stock picks in this article; you can put on an options position right after an earnings report, so that you can avoid the binary volatility event but still take advantage of short-term volatility.    Year-to-date price percent change chart for SPY, QQQ, SLV and TLT     Top 10 stocks to watch in August 2023   UBER – 8/1 - Before the Open  AMD – 8/1 - After the Close  PYPL - 8/2 - After the Close  SHOP – 8/2 - After the Close  AMZN – 8/3 - After the Close  DKNG – 8/3 - After the Close  RIVN - 8/8 - After the Close  DIS – 8/9 - After the Close  TGT - 8/16 - Before the Open  NVDA – 8/23 - After the Close  1) Uber Technologies Uber (UBER), a multinational ride-hailing company, disrupted traditional taxi services. Beyond transportation, Uber has diversified into new verticals like food delivery with Uber Eats and freight logistics with Uber Freight. It operates in numerous cities globally and primarily makes money by taking a commission from each ride or delivery.  Uber stock is trading at $47.28, an 86.34% increase from its 2023 opening price of $25.37. The current implied volatility rank (IVR) on the tastytrade platform is 34.5, with the implied volatility (IV) in the next two monthly contracts above 47. Uber has reported positive net income in one of the last five quarterly reports.  Uber’s options market in August and September contracts is a couple pennies wide and offers a field to craft almost any assumption you might have. The product is small enough for a strangle position in smaller accounts. Iron Condors and spreads will also set up well. August and September contracts can be used for earnings plays. It may be helpful to play earnings in August and roll out to September if you need to.     2) Advanced Micro Devices Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), a leading global semiconductor company, designs and builds processors and graphic cards for computers and professional systems. AMD is known for its consumer- and professional-grade CPUs (central processing units) under the Ryzen, Threadripper and EPYC brands, as well as Radeon GPUs (graphic processing units). The company competes directly with Intel (INTC) in the CPU market and Nvidia (NVDA) in the GPU market.  AMD is trading at $112.36, up 70.25% from its opening price of $66.00 in 2023. The IVR on the tastytrade platform is 45.4, with IV in the next two monthly contracts above 49. AMD has reported positive net income in four of the last five quarterly reports.  This options market in August and September is pennies wide and offers the opportunity to form almost any options position you’d like to put on. Five- and 10-dollar wide iron condors and spreads set up well. Make your earnings play in August and roll out to September if you need to.    3) PayPal Holdings PayPal (PYPL), an American company operating a worldwide online payments system, supports online money transfers. PayPal serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper methods like checks and money orders, enabling users to make payments or hold funds in 25 currencies. The company also offers services like credit product offerings and has business solutions that help merchants collect payments.  PayPal is trading at $73.42, a -0.37% change from its 2023 opening price of $73.69. The IVR on the tastytrade platform is 25.3, and the IV in the next two monthly contracts is above 42. Paypal has reported positive net income in four of the last five quarterly reports.  Paypal’s options market in August and September is pennies wide. An eighteen-delta short Strangle sets up well in August and September with a decent premium to buying power requirement ratio. Short thirty-delta Spreads also set up well if you have a directional assumption.    4) Shopify  Shopify (SHOP), a Canadian e-commerce company, provides a platform for businesses to create their own online stores. Shopify offers tools for managing products, inventory, payments and shipping, which are used by businesses of all sizes. Shopify's platform is subscription-based, and it also generates revenue from its payment processing system, Shopify Payments, as well as other merchant solutions.  Shopify is trading at $65.26, up 82.9% from its opening price of $35.68 in 2023. The IVR on the tastytrade platform is 32.6, with the IV in the next two monthly contracts above 58. Moreover, SHOP has reported positive net income in one of the last five quarterly reports.  Short 17-delta Strangles set up well in August and September, with a good premium collected to buying power required ratio. Iron condors and spreads will also set up well if you’d like to define your risk going into an earnings play.    5) Amazon  Amazon (AMZN), an American multinational technology company that started as an online marketplace for books, but has expanded to a wide variety of products and services. It is known for its disruption of well-established industries through technological innovation and mass scale. It is now the world's largest online marketplace, AI assistant provider, live-streaming platform and cloud computing platform, with various other operations in areas like digital streaming, brick-and-mortar retailing and more.  Amazon is trading at $129.10, reflecting a 51.06% increase from its opening price in 2023. The IVR on the tastytrade platform is 30.3, and the IV in the next two monthly contracts is above 38. Amazon has reported positive net income in three of the last five quarterly reports.  Amazon’s options market is very liquid and pennies wide in August and September. A liquid market like Amazon's offers the opportunity to craft almost any type of options position you’d like create. Calendar spreads are available if you’d like to take advantage of the difference in volatility between monthly contracts. Strangles, iron condors and spreads also set up well.     6) DraftKings  DraftKings (DKNG), a digital sports entertainment and gaming company, provides daily fantasy sports, sports betting and iGaming. DraftKings enables users to enter daily and weekly contests and win money based on individual player and team performances in five major American sports, Premier League and UEFA Champions League soccer, NASCAR auto racing, Canadian Football League, mixed martial arts, and tennis.   DraftKings is trading at $31.50, marking a significant increase of 170.15% from its 2023 opening price of $11.66. The IVR on the tastytrade platform is 28.2, while the IV in the next two monthly contracts stands above 60. However, DKNG has not reported positive net income in any of its last five quarterly reports.  DKNG is a small enough product and has liquid enough markets for smaller accounts to consider an undefined risk position. However, be cautious because smaller underlyings tend to make bigger moves when they get going. At-the-money spreads also set up well for directional assumptions.   Read more

AUD: Room for a big rebound We have just published an update of our macro and market views on Australia. As highlighted in recent commentary, we are very reluctant to align with the view that the Reserve Bank of Australia is done with monetary tightening, and think that the market is underestimating the risks of another rate hike, which is our base case. That should be driven by a surprise in the monthly inflation data, potentially already in September. This should pave the way for a recovery in the Aussie dollar, which currently is undervalued in the short and medium-term, having absorbed the negative implications of Chinese growth rerating and recent instability in global sentiment. We see substantial room for a recovery in AUD/USD before the end of the year, in line with our call for a USD decline, and target a return to the 0.69 July peak in the fourth quarter.  

Tokyo Core CPI expected to tick lower to 2.9% US to release jobless claims and durable goods orders later on Thursday USD/JPY put together a mid-week rally with gains of 1% but is considerably lower on Thursday.  In the European session, USD/JPY is trading at 145.72, up 0.60%.   Markets eye Tokyo Core CPI Japan releases Tokyo Core CPI on Friday, the third inflation report in just over a week. The previous two releases were for July, but Tokyo Core CPI is the first indicator of August inflation, hence its importance. The Bank of Japan closely follows core inflation, which excludes fresh food, as it is considered a more accurate estimate of underlying price pressures than headline inflation.  But which way is core inflation headed? Last week, National Core CPI eased to 3.1% in July, down from 3.3% in June.  However, BoJ Core CPI followed this week with a gain of 3.3%, up from 3.0%. Tokyo Core CPI eased to 3.0% in July, marking the 14th consecutive month above the Bank of Japan’s 2% target.  This is a sign that inflationary pressures remain strong.  Little change is expected for August, with a consensus estimate of 2. The BoJ has insisted that inflation is transient and that without evidence that high inflation is sustainable, such as stronger wage growth, it will not tighten policy. Still, there is speculation that unless inflation falls significantly, we could see the central bank make a shift in policy, especially if the yen remains at such low levels.     USD/JPY Technical USD/JPY is testing resistance at 145.54. Above, there is resistance at 146.41 There is support at 144.51 and 143.64

GBP/USD The British pound plummeted by 125 pips on Thursday, immediately overcoming two strong support levels: 1.2666 and 1.2614. The signal line of the Marlin oscillator is declining in negative territory, with 1.2500 as the target - the embedded line of the price channel is open. Overcoming this mark will allow the price to fall to 1.2447.     To extend the decline, the price will need to settle below 1.2447, with the 1.2307 level as the target. Today's Jackson Hole symposium increases the risk of speculative movements. The market will listen to the Fed's head, Jerome Powell, remarks regarding the central bank's monetary policy.     On the four-hour chart, the price has settled below 1.2614, and the Marlin oscillator shows an intention to turn around as it approaches the oversold territory. Possibly, before the speeches of the symposium's key figures, the pound will consolidate.    

Global bond yields have noticeably fallen in the last 24 hours after softer-than-expected preliminary PMI data. A significant drop in activity has been noted in the eurozone's services sector, especially in Germany. This reduces the chances of the European Central Bank raising rates in September and weighs on the euro. On Thursday, the market will focus on the report on durable goods orders and the weekly unemployment benefits. USD/CAD Retail sales in Canada showed weak results, leading to a decline in yields of short-term Canadian government bonds and a decrease in the CAD exchange rate.       At the same time, the pace of growth in average wages remains high, as the labor market supply lags behind demand. To curb inflation, there needs to be a swift deceleration in wage growth, which is only possible in conditions of a saturated labor market or a general economic slowdown. Another route is an increase in productivity, which remains low with no signs of improvement yet. The net short position on CAD increased by CAD 799 million for the reporting week, reaching CAD -845 million. Positioning is bearish, and the price is moving upwards.   A week earlier, we assumed that the upward movement would progress, and the main target is the upper band of the channel at 1.3690/3720. This target remains relevant. The consolidation is due to technical reasons rather than fundamental ones, and after the consolidation or minor correction concludes, we expect to see further growth.   We perceive support in the middle of the channel at 1.3360/80, but a potential decline to this zone before turning upwards seems unlikely. USD/JPY The core inflation rate (excluding fuel and food prices) in July accelerated from 4.2% to 4.3%, indicating that the Bank of Japan's cautious policy hasn't yielded significant results yet. The BOJ is the only one among major central banks continuing an ultra-soft policy, based on the assumption that inflation largely has an imported nature and will decrease as soon as global energy prices stabilize and the previously disrupted supply chains of goods and raw materials are restored       Such an approach might be justified, but the growth in core inflation indicates that there's more to it, and the Bank needs to be very cautious in choosing its next steps. The Ministry of Finance plans to allocate 28,142.4 billion yen to service the national debt in the 24th fiscal year, which is 2,892.1 billion yen more than in the 23rd fiscal year. The rate used to calculate JGB bond servicing costs remained at 1.1% for seven years, from the 17th to the 23rd fiscal year. If the Bank of Japan begins to raise the accounting rate, the calculated rate for servicing will also be increased for the first time in 17 years. Currently, there are no problems in servicing the national debt, but by the end of the 22nd fiscal year, the outstanding volume of JGBs amounted to a staggering 1,027 trillion yen. If Japan's economy continues to grow, increasing tax revenues will allow the debt to be serviced without significantly increasing borrowing.   However, if the global economic crisis intensifies, an increase in the BOJ's rate will lead to a rapid increase in the government's debt servicing expenses. For now, we must assume that any hints at an interest rate hike will lead to the yen's growth, complicating the debt servicing situation due to a deteriorating trade balance and reduced budget revenues. The Japanese government fears this scenario, hence any comments on monetary policy will continue to be very cautious. In the current circumstances, the yen is more likely to depreciate than strengthen. The net short position on JPY was slightly adjusted by 300 million, to -6.952 billion, with positioning decidedly bearish. The price is above the long-term average, the trend remains bullish, but the chances of an extended consolidation or a shallow correction has increased.     We expect an uptrend from the USD/JPY, with the upper band of the channel at 147.80/148.10 as the target. The risk of a deeper correction to the middle of the channel at 142.50/80 has increased, but the long-term trend remains bullish, and there's no reason to anticipate a reversal at the moment.  

US Now that we heard from Fed Chair Powell at the Kansas City Fed’s Jackson Hole Symposium, the focus shifts back to the data. This week is filled with data that will outline how quickly the economy is weakening. Consumer data will show personal income growth is not keeping up with spending, while confidence holds steady. The Fed’s favorite inflation reading is also expected to show subdued growth is holding steady on a monthly basis. Friday’s NFP report will show private sector hiring is cooling.    Over the weekend, the spotlight will be on US-China relations.  US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo will meet with Chinese officials, striving to lower tensions between the world’s two largest economies.  The week will also be filled with Fed speak.  On Monday and Tuesday, Barr speaks about banking services. On Thursday, we hear from both Bostic and Collins, while Friday contains appearances by Bostic, a couple of hours before the NFP report, and Mester on inflation later in the morning.   Eurozone Next week is data-heavy but there are a few releases that stand out. The most notable is the HICP flash estimate for the eurozone on Thursday which is expected to drop slightly at the headline and core levels. There will be individual country releases in the days running up to this which may signal whether Thursday’s data will likely beat or fall short of expectations. ECB accounts are also released on Thursday which will be of interest considering markets now view the rate decision at the next meeting as a coin toss between 25 basis points and no change.    UK  The week starts with a bank holiday and it doesn’t get much more exciting from there. There are a few tier-three data releases and Huw Pill from the Bank of England will make appearances on Thursday and Friday. Russia A selection of economic data is on offer next week including unemployment on Wednesday, GDP on Thursday, and the manufacturing PMI on Friday.  South Africa No major events next week with PPI on Thursday the only notable release. It follows CPI data this past week which fell to 4.8%, well within the SARB 3-6% target range, following a much lower 0.9% monthly reading in July.  Turkey The CBRT surprised markets last week by hiking rates far more aggressively than expected, taking the repo rate to 25%, up from 17.5%. The move may cost people at the central bank their jobs if history is anything to go by, with President Erdogan openly no fan of higher rates. That said, he did employ these people shortly after his election victory so perhaps with that behind him, he may be more open to it while remaining vocally against. This week offers very little, with GDP on Thursday the only release of note. Switzerland Inflation data on Friday is expected to show prices rising 1.5% on an annual basis, slightly lower than in July and well below the SNB 2% target. The central bank hasn’t appeared satisfied though and markets are fully pricing in a hike in September, with 32% chance of it being 50 basis points. The manufacturing PMI will also be released on Friday, with retail sales on Thursday, and the KoF economic barometer and economic expectations on Wednesday. China Only three key economic releases to monitor for the coming week. First up, the NBS manufacturing and services PMIs for August will be out on Thursday. Another contractionary print of 49.5 is expected for the manufacturing sector, almost unchanged from July’s reading of 49.5. If it turns out as expected, it will be the fifth consecutive month of negative growth for manufacturing activities as China grapples with a weak external environment and domestic financial contagion risk that has been triggered by debt-laden property developers. Secondly, the NBS services PMI for August is forecasted to remain surprisingly resilient at 51, almost unchanged from 51.5 in July. The services sector is still in an expansionary mode albeit at a slower pace that is likely being supported by domestic tourism. Thirdly, the private sector-focused Caixin manufacturing PMI for August which consists of small and medium enterprises will be released on Friday, 1 September. Consensus is still expecting a contractionary reading of 49.5, almost unchanged from July’s print of 49.2. If it turns out as expected, it will be the second consecutive month of negative growth. A slew of key earnings releases to take note of starting this Saturday, 26 August will be China Merchants Bank, and Bank of Communications followed by; BYD (Monday, 28 August), Ping An Insurance, NIO, Country Garden (Tuesday, 29 August), Agricultural Bank of China (Wednesday, 30 August), ICBC, Bank of China, China Minsheng Bank (Thursday, 31 August). Also, market participants will be on the lookout for fiscal stimulus measures to defuse the $23 trillion debt bomb owed by local governments, financial affiliates, and property developers. On Friday, 25 August, China policymakers unveiled a further easing of its home mortgage policies that scrap a rule that disqualifies first-time homebuyers who had a mortgage that is fully repaid from being considered a first-time buyer in major cities in an attempt to boost up residential property transactions.  India Two key data to focus on. Q2 GDP on Thursday where the consensus is expecting a further economic growth expansion to 7% y/y in Q2, a further acceleration from 6.1% y/y recorded in Q1. Lastly, the manufacturing PMI for August will be released on Friday where it is being forecasted to come in at 57, almost unchanged from the July reading of 57.7 which will indicate a 26th straight month of growth expansion for manufacturing activities. Australia Retail sales for July will be out on Monday, with a recovery to 0.3% m/m from -0.8% m/m in June. On Wednesday, the important monthly CPI indicator for July will be out and the consensus forecast is another month of cooling to 5.2% from 5.4% in June. If it turns out as expected, RBA may have more reasons to justify its current pause at 4.1% for two consecutive meetings. Its next monetary policy meeting will be on 5 September, and as of 24 August, the ASX 30-day interbank cash rate futures have priced in a 12% chance of a rate cut to 3.85% (25 bps cut).  New Zealand A quiet week with the only focus on the ANZ business confidence indicator for August on Thursday followed by ANZ consumer confidence for August on Friday. Japan The action comes mid-week. Consumer confidence for August is released on Wednesday and is expected to be almost the same at 37.2 versus July’s 37.1. On Thursday, we will have retail sales and industrial production for July. Growth in retail sales is expected to slip slightly to 5.4% y/y from 5.9% in June. Meanwhile, industrial production is expected to contract to -1.4% m/m from 2.4% m/m in June, and -0.7% y/y is forecasted from 0% y/y recorded in June. Singapore The sole key data to monitor will be the producer prices index for July out on Tuesday with another month of negative growth forecasted at -9% y/y, a slower pace of contraction from -14.3% recorded in June. It would be the 7th consecutive month of decline.

Early in the European session, gold is trading around 1,936.52, below the high reached at 1,938.13, and below 4/8 Murray. Yesterday, the US consumer confidence data showed a worsening of sentiment. This survey displayed concerns among consumers about the prices of groceries and gasoline in particular. This negative data for the US dollar affected Treasury yields which caused a strong rally in gold, breaking the 200 EMA located at 1,925.     According to the 4-hour chart, we can see that gold is trading within an uptrend channel. It is expected to continue moving there until it reaches the daily resistance zone located at 1,943. According to the 4-hour chart, we can see that the Eagle indicator reached the 95-point area which signals an imminent technical correction. It is likely to happen in the next few hours if XAU/USD falls below 4/8 Murray. The metal could reach the 200 EMA located at 1,925 and could even drop as low as 3/8 Murray at 1,921.   Given that the trend remains bullish, we could expect a rally in the next few hours and gold could continue its rise. In case of a break above 1,945, gold could reach 5/8 Murray located at 1,953. This level could serve as a strong rejection. Up to that level, the instrument is considered overbought which could also be seen as a clear signal to sell. On the other hand, if gold falls below 1,937 (4/8 Murray), we could see a clear signal to sell which will give us an opportunity to take profits around the bottom of the uptrend channel located at 1,917. The daily pivot point is located at 1,930.   If gold trades around this price level of 1,930, we could expect an accumulation or consolidation in the next few hours. Below 1,930, we could see a clear signal to sell. Conversely, above this level, a technical bounce could be triggered. Our trading plan for the next few hours is to sell gold below 1,937. In case there is a pullback around 1,943, we could sell with the target at 1,920. The Eagle indicator is in an overbought zone which supports our bearish strategy.  

Technical Market Outlook: The EUR/USD pair has bounced from the key technical resistance located at 1.0834 and is heading towards the 100 MA on H4 time frame chart located at 1.0887. The big Head & Shoulders pattern on the H4 time frame chart extends the market drop the downside with a potential target seen at the level of 1.0636 (H&S measurement), however, now is the time for a pull-back. The intraday technical support is seen at the level of 1.0841 and the intraday technical resistance is located at 1.0893. The strong and positive momentum on the H4 time frame chart supports the short-term bullish outlook for EUR.     Weekly Pivot Points: WR3 - 1.08599 WR2 - 1.08348 WR1 - 1.08265 Weekly Pivot - 1.08097 WS1 - 1.08014 WS2 - 1.07846 WS3 - 1.07595   Trading Outlook: Since the beginning of October 2022 the EUR/USD is in the corrective cycle to the upside, but the main, long-term trend remains bearish. This corrective cycle might be terminated at the level of 1.1286 which is 61% Fibonacci retracement level when it is hit, so please keep an eye on this level and the way the market participants (bulls and bears) will deal with it.    

Early in the European session, EUR/USD is trading around 1.0541, above the 21 SMA, and above the downtrend channel that was broken yesterday in the American session. In the next few hours during the American session, data of crucial importance for the US economy will be published, namely, Non-Farm Payrolls (NFPs).   This data could generate strong volatility in the market and we could see bullish movement in the EUR/USD pair. This data, if negative, could give bullish momentum to the euro so that EUR/USD could reach 3/8 Murray and even the 200 EMA located at 1.0675. As the euro is exiting the overbought zone, a technical correction from current price levels towards the psychological level of 1.0500 could be seen as an opportunity to resume buying. The 2/8 Murray zone could be seen as an opportunity to buy just in case a technical bounce occurs above this area. On the other hand, if EUR/USD falls below 1.0500 (21 SMA), we could expect a bearish move to occur. The instrment could reach the October 3 low around 1.0447 and even 1/8 Murray at 1.0385. The daily pivot point is located around 1.0532 which favors a positive outlook. However, with a bounce around the daily S_1 support, we could expect an opportunity to buy the euro above 1.0513. The eagle indicator has been giving a positive signal since October 3. However, any pullback and while the euro trades above 1.0450 will be seen as an opportunity to buy with the target at 1.0675 (200 EMA).  

Walmart Q3 24 – 16/11 – has been a significant stand out when it comes to the US retail sector, the shares have made strong gains this year with the shares hitting record highs earlier this month. The US consumer has held up well this year with Q3 seeing personal consumption contributing 4% to US GDP growth. There is a danger however that could be as good as it gets as we head into the final quarter of 2023 and Q4. When Walmart reported in August they crushed expectations, growing revenues, and profits. Q2 revenues rose 5.7% to $161.63bn, while profits came in at $1.84c a share. Total same-store sales rose by 6.3%, with the retailer raising its forecasts for the full year. Walmart said it expected Q3 profits to come in between $1.45 to $1.50c, while raising its full year profit forecast to between $6.36 to $6.46 from between $6.10 and $6.20 a share. Full year net sales were raised to between 4% and 4.5%. Target Q3 24 – 15/11 – while Walmart has been sweeping all before it, Target has gone in the other direction the shares slipping towards their 2020 lows, the retailer has been struggling with higher costs, and several cuts to their guidance, with management warning of "shrinkage" impacting its margins, given that several of their stores are in less salubrious geographic locations. Q2 revenues slowed to $24.38bn, falling short of expectations, although profits saw a solid increase to $1.80 a share, comfortably beating the top end of forecasts of $1.70 a share. Target also downgraded its full year profits forecast from $7.75 to $8.75 to between $7 and $8 a share. The retailer also projected Q3 profits of between $1.20 and $1.60 a share, although it is noteworthy that there has been an improvement in operating margins, which would appear to account for the better profit numbers and could prompt a surprise to the upside in this week's numbers. Q3 revenues are expected to come in at $25.1bn.   Home Depot - Q3 24 – 14/11 – in the leadup to Home Depot's Q2 numbers the share hit a 6-month high, however those gains quickly disappeared with the shares sliding to their lowest levels this year at the end of October. The sharp falls in the aftermath of the Q2 numbers were somewhat surprising given that the results came in ahead of forecasts. Back in May the company cut its full year forecasts sending the shares sharply lower. Q2 revenues saw a modest decline from last year to $42.9bn, as same store sales growth declined by -2%. Profits also beat consensus coming in at $4.65c a share. The outlook for the second half of the year is more uncertain with the company reaffirming its guidance from May for same store sales to decline between 2% and 5%. The retailer also outlined a new $15bn share buyback, however this wasn't enough to stop the shares from sliding back, with the uncertainty offered for the second half of the year perhaps the main reason for the share price weakness seen since then. Q3 revenues are expected to come in at $37.87bn, while same-store sales are expected to decline by 3%. Profits are forecast to slow to $3.82c a share.

Back to US: retail sales, Big Retail earnings & US political jitters   Yesterday's rush to open fresh long US Treasury positions was likely intensified by a hurry to cover short positions. We shall see a correction in the US yields, as the Fed members still maintain their position for 'higher for longer' interest rates. But the market position is clear. The pricing now suggests a 50bp cut from the Fed by July next year; the sweet and sour cocktail of softening jobs market and easing inflation suggests that the Fed's next move will probably be a rate cut, rather than a rate hike.   So yes, ladies and gentlemen, the way is being paved for a potential Santa rally this year. But the Fed will continue to calm down the game, and any strength in the US economic data should reinforce the 'high for long' rhetoric and tame appetite.  Investors will watch the US retail sales data today. A strong figure could pour cold water on heated Fed cut bets. A soft figure, on the other hand, could bring in more buyers to US bond markets.   On the individual front, Home Depot shares rallied more than 5% yesterday. Earnings and revenue narrowed and the company released a cautious year-end guidance, but the results were better than expected. Target is due to report today, and Walmart on Thursday.  To add another layer of complexity – on top of the economic data and corporate earnings – the US political scene will impact bond pricing in the next few days. The US politicians try to avoid a government shutdown by Friday. The latest news suggests that the odds of shutdown diminished yesterday as House Speaker Mike Johnson gained more Democratic support for his interim funding plan. The interim plan however excludes aid for Ukraine, aid for Israel and could lead to a two-step shutdown at the start of next year. And it does not include the steep spending cuts that the hardcore Republicans are looking for. In summary, the political mess continues.   In the best-case scenario, the US politicians will agree on another short-term relief package and avoid a government shutdown, push away the threat of another rating cut – from Moody's this time. The latter would maintain appetite in US bonds and support a further rally in the US stocks. In the worst-case scenario, the US government will stop its operations by the end of this week and the political chaos will lead to a bounce in US yields and stall the equity rally.   

Back to US: retail sales, Big Retail earnings & US political jitters   Yesterday's rush to open fresh long US Treasury positions was likely intensified by a hurry to cover short positions. We shall see a correction in the US yields, as the Fed members still maintain their position for 'higher for longer' interest rates. But the market position is clear. The pricing now suggests a 50bp cut from the Fed by July next year; the sweet and sour cocktail of softening jobs market and easing inflation suggests that the Fed's next move will probably be a rate cut, rather than a rate hike.   So yes, ladies and gentlemen, the way is being paved for a potential Santa rally this year. But the Fed will continue to calm down the game, and any strength in the US economic data should reinforce the 'high for long' rhetoric and tame appetite.  Investors will watch the US retail sales data today. A strong figure could pour cold water on heated Fed cut bets. A soft figure, on the other hand, could bring in more buyers to US bond markets.   On the individual front, Home Depot shares rallied more than 5% yesterday. Earnings and revenue narrowed and the company released a cautious year-end guidance, but the results were better than expected. Target is due to report today, and Walmart on Thursday.  To add another layer of complexity – on top of the economic data and corporate earnings – the US political scene will impact bond pricing in the next few days. The US politicians try to avoid a government shutdown by Friday. The latest news suggests that the odds of shutdown diminished yesterday as House Speaker Mike Johnson gained more Democratic support for his interim funding plan. The interim plan however excludes aid for Ukraine, aid for Israel and could lead to a two-step shutdown at the start of next year. And it does not include the steep spending cuts that the hardcore Republicans are looking for. In summary, the political mess continues.   In the best-case scenario, the US politicians will agree on another short-term relief package and avoid a government shutdown, push away the threat of another rating cut – from Moody's this time. The latter would maintain appetite in US bonds and support a further rally in the US stocks. In the worst-case scenario, the US government will stop its operations by the end of this week and the political chaos will lead to a bounce in US yields and stall the equity rally.