FOREX TECHNICAL ANALYSIS: PRICE ACTION SLOWS DOWN ON THE BACK OF A QUIET FUNDAMENTAL SCENE
Posted → Weekly Commentary
EUR/USD
Forex Technical Analysis: Last week’s price action made it clear that the European economy is in need of further stimulus while employment levels in the United States rose more than anticipated, adding fuel to an already strong US Dollar.
Technical Outlook
The current selloff is one of the longest seen in recent years as price is falling since July without even a slight retracement on the Weekly charts. It is true that some bullish retracements were seen on the daily charts, but nothing significant and this raises questions about where price will stop. The first support ahead is located at 1.2440 and the Relative Strength Index is deep in oversold territory so we might see some bull power here. However, last week we warned that another bearish week is possible even though the RSI is oversold and the market dropped; the same applies for this week but the fundamental scene lacks huge releases so we might be in for slower price action.
Fundamental Outlook
Monday there are no important American indicators and the Euro will only be affected by a medium-impact release: German Factory Orders. This is a leading indicator of production as more orders placed with manufacturers would suggest that activity will have to increase to fill these orders.
Tuesday we have another slow day in terms of economic releases for both the Euro and the Dollar but Wednesday we expect more action as the FOMC will release the Minutes of their latest Meeting. The document will offer insights into the reasons which influenced the members’ latest vote regarding interest rates and may also contain hints about a potential rate hike.
Thursday the G20 (Group of 20) meetings start and ECB President Mario Draghi will speak in Washington DC about the recent European situation. As always, his speeches are reasons for increased volatility and caution is recommended. Friday the G20 meetings will continue but other than that, no major economic or financial releases are scheduled.
GBP/USD
British economy showed signs of slowing down last week as economic data disappointed somewhat and the US Dollar continued to strengthen, resulting in a bearish week and broken support.
Technical Outlook
Now that 1.6060 is broken, the pair is heading towards the important zone around 1.5900 which acted as strong support in the past. For the entire 2014 the pair traded above 1.6000 and the move below this psychological support is an important victory for the bears but we must note the oversold condition of the Relative Strength Index which increases the chances of a bullish bounce if price will touch 1.5900. First major resistance sits at 1.6250 while immediate resistance is located at 1.6060.
Fundamental Outlook
British Manufacturing Production data will be released Tuesday and the same day a Gross Domestic Product estimate will be announced. Both indicators have the potential to strengthen the Pound if their value will be higher than forecast and vice versa for lower numbers. Thursday the Bank of England will announce their interest rate decision but no change is expected from the current 0.50% so we don’t expect a lot of volatility. Thursday and Friday the pair’s movement will be affected by the G20 Meetings.
Written by: Bogdan Giulvezan