Category — Patterns

With mixed news coming out of the world’s remaining superpower in recent weeks, the recent US dollar rally induced widespread befuddlement. With Europe suddenly looking economically worse-off than America, it is easy to understand why the USD has rallied against the EUR. However, the USD has rallied against many of the major currencies, including the JPY and the CHF. In other words, it is not only bad news coming out of the Euro-Zone that is fueling this USD rally. So, the important question is what exactly is causing this rally?

One obvious corollary is oil prices. Having fallen about $20 (or about 15%) in the past week or so, relaxed oil tensions have allowed the USD to achieve solid gains. However, the Forex market is rarely so simple in its explanations of cause and effect, so it would be unwise to solely attribute this USD rally to oil prices. However, the main theory that I am proposing is related very closely to oil prices, whose unprecedented levels are causing rising inflation all throughout the globe.

The hidden culprit, I believe, is foreign government entities. As the bulk of the commodity world – including oil – is priced in US dollars, the weakened state of the USD has been a primary component of the widespread inflation. The issue of permanently lowering oil costs (or oil demand) has not dissipated by any stretch. In lieu of a radical shift in the energy industry, however, is a simpler, temporary solution: a stronger USD. As countries have come to witness the terrible effects that the oil situation is wreaking on their economies, I believe that they are beginning to act in a manner to try to build up the USD.

It is unclear if the past few days are indication of any real changes or if they are just testament to the EURUSD being in a range-bound market. However, if the USD continues to rally and oil continues to fall, then perhaps we could be witnessing a long-overdue correction. Should that occur, inflation concerns could begin to lessen, and then central banks might be able to focus more on fixing other problems. As always, only time will tell.

Upcoming Figures
EUR German IFO Current Assessment (Jul)
EUR Euro-Zone Current Account (May)
GBP Retail Sales (Jun)
JPY Consumer Price Index (Jul)

For several months, one of the hottest debates in the currency world has been “1.50 or 1.60?” Those who follow the Euro-US Dollar currency pair have been debating its future for several months. Since around the end of February, the price has been locked within a range of 1.50 and 1.60. Only on three days has the price ventured outside that area during the past few months, yet each of those days, the price closed back within the range. In other words, despite minor breaks, the tight range between 1.50 and 1.60 is still in play, signaling more uncertainty and likely more range-bound movements in the coming months.

Given that the EURUSD is the most liquid global financial instrument, the importance of the pair is unparalleled in the currency world (and it’s not even close). The EURUSD is involved in 27% of the trades in the FX market.¹ The next most commonly traded pair, the USDJPY, is involved less than half as frequently. Movements in the EURUSD ripple throughout the entire market, and looking back over several years, it is clear that many other currency pairs have mimicked the trends of this predominant instrument.

As there is presently a firmly established range, trading has become more tedious for many. Some traders thrive in range-bound markets, yet most do not. Many of the more well-known traders are not range-traders, but carry-traders. They thrive on trends and rollover, and while the rollover is still present in a range-bound market, the trends go out the window. The strategy of simply buying a currency and letting it sit for some time becomes more dangerous, as it is unclear which direction the price will move after breaking out of the range. While the trend for much of the decade in the EURUSD has been upwards, many analysts believe that the current range will eventually lead to an end of that overall trend. While I personally feel the opposite, the important point here is that range trade has certainly thrown a wrench into the trend. As a result of being in such a tight range, it has become much more difficult to predict future movements for the EURUSD.

The next few months promise intrigue for the pair. Now that each central bank, the US Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank, seem to be done moving rates for the time being, the pair should be allowed to fluctuate without fundamental interruptions. We will be able to see if the USD is ready to make a resurgence, or if this range is merely a bump in the road for the rise of the EUR.

Upcoming Figures
EUR Euro-Zone Trade Balance (May)
CAD Leading Indicators (Jun)

¹ I based my statistics off of the Bank for International Settlements’ “Triennial Central Bank Survey of Foreign Exchange and Derivatives Market Activity in 2007”.

As the U.S. dollar fell to record lows against the euro last week, technical analysis may indicate an earlier than expected rebound in the short run. Last week traders speculated long-run rebounds due to the U.S. economy benefiting from a weak dollar and from pressure on the ECB by Nicolas Sarkozy to cool a strengthening euro. But as traders have been eyeing the Relative Strength Index (RSI) on the EUR/USD pair, there is a possibility of a short-run rebound.

The RSI measures the strength of a currency pair price movement typically within the past 14 days. When the RSI is over 70 there is a good chance the price movement will fall. At over 70 most sellers who have been looking to sell perceive the current price to be the best price. On the other hand, buyers will likely wait for the price to fall when the RSI is in fact over 70.

Thus, in the context of the current EUR/USD pair, the RSI is at 76.34 today hinting at a future fall in favor of the dollar. The U.S. currency did in fact make a small gain to $1.3817 per euro this morning. This level is up from last week’s record low of $1.3845, but not enough to indicate an actual rebound. Nevertheless, the high RSI value may indicate a rebound sooner than expected.

Currency Outlook and Strategy:
On July 25^th, the National Association of Realtors is due to report figures on last month’s existing U.S. home sales. It is expected that U.S. existing-home sales have fallen the lowest in 4 years. This could further hurt investor confidence in the dollar. Looking across the Atlantic, European Central Bank Executive Board member Lorenzo Bini Smaghi states he is not worried about euro appreciation. But Nicolar Sarkozy, newly elected French President, thinks otherwise.

Tim Shea, currency analyst at FXCM, concludes: “This week in the Euro looks very quiet news-wise. We’ve got next to nothing on the European calendar, and pretty much just housing data and GDP in the USA. So, watch the housing numbers and the Dow for some direction, and don’t forget about $75 per barrel oil.”  

As U.S. interest rates remain unchanged at 5.25% for the 8^th straight Federal Reserve meeting, and as terrorist arrests in London spur worldwide concern, the U.S. dollar has dropped against major currencies. The dollar fell 0.5% to 1.3605 per euro and 0.6% to 122.44 yen. Investors have become more risk-averse with the recent geopolitical events. As a result, demand for the yen and the swiss franc, a haven for security, has increased. According to Derek Halpenny, senior currency strategist at the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ in London, interest-rate differentials will continue to move against the U.S. dollar as a result of the unchanged U.S. monetary policy.  

This trend may continue in the long run. Despite recent positive reports of increased retail sales and job growth, investors are worried that losses from hedge funds owning subprime mortgage bonds will slow economic growth. This increase in risk aversion has caused an increase in holdings of risk free debt. Treasury holdings are at 35% of funds overseeing $315 billion in bonds. This is 1% higher than holdings in corporate and sovereign debt for the second consecutive week. In the previous month for the first time in a year, U.S. treasuries have outperformed corporate and emerging-market bonds.

Investors like Bill Gross of Pacific Investment Management Co. are speculating that the housing slump will restrain the economy for the rest of the year. The subprime mortgage crisis is the worst since 1991, and the effects may even be felt next year as well. Investors are speculating that the Federal Reserve will be forced to lower interest rates in the long run in order to induce consumption.

What will lower interest rates mean for the value of the U.S. dollar? Lower interest rates will cause a drop in the value for the U.S. currency. If the Fed does in fact decide to lower interest rates, in the attempt to avert further dampening effects on the economy by the housing meltdown, currency traders will decrease demand for the U.S. dollar. A decrease in demand in will bring down the value of the currency.  

We have an early head and shoulders formation on the NZD/USD monthly chart. Many would wait until the bottom of the shoulder before taking a short, but even if you target the middle of the shoulder you have about a 400 pip move possible.

Beware this trade could take a while to develop as we are looking at a monthly chart and the carry is against you on this trade.

Definition: Head and Shoulders