The Bank of Japan took control of it’s currency in grand style last week, having duly selected the largest hypodermic they could find, filled it with steroids, and then injected a syringe full directly into the artery of the dollar yen.
The USD/JPY appears to have run into a slight headwind in the short term on the daily chart, at the 96.60 area, with the pair having tested this price level on three occasions over the last 10 days, before pulling back.
The U.S. Dollar is trading higher against the Japanese Yen during the mid-morning U.S. session going into the weekend.
The New Zealand Dollar was the second best performer this week, finishing just 0.12 percent lower against the top performer, the Australian Dollar. The Kiwi crushed the safe haven currencies, the Japanese Yen and the US Dollar, appreciating by 3.72 percent and 2.05 percent, respectively. As Currency Strategist Ilya Spivak frequently notes, the New Zealand Dollar has a very tight correlation to the MSCI World Stock Index, so the commodity currency is at bay to global risk trends.
The Dow Jones-FXCM U.S. Dollar Index (Ticker: USDollar) is 0.05 percent higher from the open after moving 77 percent of its average true range, and the greenback may continue to recoup the losses from earlier this month as Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke softens his dovish tone for monetary policy
The greenback is markedly weaker at the close of North American trade with the Dow Jones FXCM Dollar Index (Ticker: USDOLLAR) off by 0.67% on the session after moving a full 135% of its daily average true range. The losses come on the back of a stellar performance in equity markets with a rebound in risk appetite fueling a broad-based rally in stocks amid speculation that the ECB will
The British Pound tumbled near year-to-date lows and took the dubious honor of worst-performing major currency on the week, falling almost four percent against the surging Japanese Yen. Disappointing UK PMI Manufacturing survey numbers capped a difficult week for the British Pound, and indeed the stage is set for further declines into an important week ahead.
This stock market has problems. Problems indeed! With what appeared to be an oversold bounce this morning was shattered on more negative news from the ECB cutting funding to certain Greece’s banks not to mention the FOMC statement about highlighting several members saw the need for additional stimulus causing the bulls packing once again.
Most of the major currency pairs continue to show significant correlations with the MSCI World Stock Index, suggesting that broad-based risk appetite trends remain dominant as drivers of price action. This puts thematic macro-level concerns – specifically, the durability of the US recovery and its ability to offset headwinds from Europe and China facing global growth – squarely at the forefront. The US economic calendar is relatively quiet, with headline event risk clustered at the end of the week as PPI and UofM Consumer Confidence readings cross the wires on Friday. This puts the onus on evaluating the extent of downward pressure.
The ongoing political turmoil in Europe continues to shake the markets, with the inability for Greece to form a government now fueling speculation that the country might soon exit the Eurozone. Although an exit by Greece would have only a minimal impact on the broader economy, given the country’s size, fears of contagion seem to be the bigger problem right now, as investors start to price in the impact this will have on larger economies like Spain and Italy.
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