Daily Market Analysis From Forexmart

EUR/USD: USD likely to rise higher; EUR weak due to risk-off sentiment

The US dollar has kicked off the new week with a rapid increase. The euro, on the contrary, was unable to rebound. The greenback is gaining momentum despite a short-term drop last week.

On Monday morning, it advanced significantly against the euro. Its growth was facilitated by positive US macro stats published at the end of last week and the latest economic reports from China. By the end of October, the Chinese authorities announced an unexpected contraction in imports and exports. After the release of disappointing data from China, fears about a looming recession increased in markets, fueling demand for safe-haven assets, including the US dollar.

As the risk-on sentiment decreased, the US dollar won luster win investors again. The US dollar, the most popular safe-haven asset, rose the most. Its further growth may be stimulated by the US inflation report for October, which is due on Thursday, October 10. According to preliminary estimates, inflation is expected to slow down to 8%, logging the fourth decline in the indicator.

Analysts are confident that the Fed mainly takes into account inflation figures when making monetary policy decisions. Since early 2022, the Fed has raised the key rate six times to curb galloping inflation. It has started to slow down thanks to monetary tightening. However, after moving away from an all-time high of 9.1%, inflation still remains above the 2% target level.

Inflation will hardly drop considerably because of high wages in the United States. According to the Nonfarm Payrolls report for October, the economy added 261,000 new jobs, exceeding the previous forecast readings. At the same time, last month the unemployment rate rose to 3.7% from 3.5%. Economists at Capital Economics said that given the wage growth, it would be hard to push inflation to the 2% target. For this reason, the Fed is likely to stick to aggressive tightening.

The greenback was somewhat stuck in the narrow range due to market uncertainty. Judging by the data on the US dollar index (USDX), last week large traders significantly reduced their long positions on USD. If this trend persists, the US currency may lose momentum. However, many analysts are betting on a further rally of the greenback. On November 7, the EUR/USD pair was trading at 0.9962, showing steady growth. However, UBS analysts stress that in March 2023, the pair may fall to 0.9600. It is quite curious given that now there are plenty of fundamental factors for a rise to 1.0000 and above.

Alan Greenspan, the former Fed Chairman, expects a buoyant rally of the US dollar in 2023. Such a scenario is possible even if the regulator makes smaller rate hikes. If inflation peaks in early 2023, the US currency will continue to grow, Greenspan stressed.

This year, the US dollar has been rising mainly amid more aggressive tightening compared to other central banks. Many USD rivals, in particular the euro and the pound sterling, have reached multi-year lows due to the divergence in monetary policy. In addition, the Fed is actively shrinking its balance sheet, boosting the US dollar in the long term.

Analysts at UBS assume that next year the greenback is likely to retain its upside potential. At the moment, it is too early to talk about the end of the rally as inflation remains high. UBS believes that the central bank will continue to aggressively raise rates until a steady decrease in inflation. In the fourth quarter of 2022, the greenback is projected to grow and in the first quarter of 2023, it may reach new highs. This might be the first step towards the possible slowdown of the Fed's tightening hike cycle, analysts believe.

 

Tips for beginner traders in EUR/USD and GBP/USD on November 9, 2022

Details of the economic calendar from November 8
The midterm elections to the US Congress are in the center of everyone's attention. During which the House of Representatives and a third of the Senate will be re-elected. The first polling stations closed in a number of districts of Indiana and Kentucky at 23:00 UTC, and the last at 05:00 UTC - stations in Alaska and Hawaii stopped accepting ballots.

Ballot counting is still ongoing. As a result, 435 members of the House of Representatives and a third of its Senate will be elected. In addition, the governors of 36 states and three US overseas territories are elected.

As I wrote in the previous article, the victory of the Republicans will lead to heavy clashes in promoting legislative initiatives of the White House. As a result, characteristic uncertainty and even investors' fears may arise, which will lead to the sale of the US dollar.

Analysis of trading charts from November 8
The EUR/USD currency pair continues to show an upward trend in the market. A short stagnation within the parity level was replaced by a subsequent inertial move, which let the quote approach the local high of October.

The GBP/USD currency pair managed to maintain the upward cycle previously set in the market during the impulse jump. As a result, the quote remained above the 1.1525 mark. The scale of the strengthening of the pound sterling from November 4 to November 8 is about 400 points.

Economic calendar for November 9
Today, the macroeconomic calendar is empty, and it would not be of interest to traders because all their attention is focused on counting ballots.

Thus, investors and traders will monitor the information and news flow coming to the media and act on the market in relation to it.

Trading plan for EUR/USD on November 9
In this situation, the value of 1.0100 is considered a variable resistance level. In order for there to be a subsequent increase in the volume of long positions, the quote needs to stay above this value for at least a four-hour period. In this case, both the current upward cycle and the corrective move from the bottom of the downward trend will be prolonged.

At the same time, traders are considering the scenario of a price rebound from 1.0100. In this case, the inertial move may be interrupted, and the quote will return to the parity level limit.

Trading plan for GBP/USD on November 9
A stable holding of the price above 1.1525 may lead to a prolongation of the upward cycle. Under this scenario, it is possible to update the local high of October, which, in turn, will open the way in the direction of the resistance level 1.1750.

As for the downward scenario, it will again be considered by traders in case the price returns to the boundaries of the area of interaction of trading forces 1.1410/1.1525.

What is shown in the trading charts?
A candlestick chart view is graphical rectangles of white and black light, with sticks on top and bottom. When analyzing each candle in detail, you will see its characteristics of a relative period: the opening price, closing price, and maximum and minimum prices.

Horizontal levels are price coordinates, relative to which a stop or a price reversal may occur. These levels are called support and resistance in the market.

Circles and rectangles are highlighted examples where the price of the story unfolded. This color selection indicates horizontal lines that may put pressure on the quote in the future.

The up/down arrows are the reference points of the possible price direction in the future.

 

Hot forecast for EUR/USD on 10/11/2022

The first thing you should pay attention to is that since the beginning of the week, the dollar has fallen sharply in price, and the rebound was asking for it. Moreover, it was only the political factor that put pressure on it, in the form of uncertainty about the results of the midterm elections. So as soon as it became clear that the Democrats were apparently gaining control of the Senate, the US currency immediately began to actively rise in price. Although the counting of votes is still ongoing, and less than half of the ballots have been counted at some polling stations. Nevertheless, so far everything is going to the fact that the Democrats take the Senate, while the Republicans take the House of Representatives. The main driver of the dollar's weakening was the assumption that the Republican Party would win a crushing victory and gain control of both chambers of Congress.

There is a high probability that the dollar will be able to further strengthen its position today. The reason for this may be the US inflation report. And although the growth rate of consumer prices is likely to slow down from 8.2% to 8.1%, this still means that the Federal Reserve will continue to raise interest rates. Firstly, inflation remains at an extremely high level. Secondly, on a monthly basis, consumer prices should increase by 0.5%, whereas a month earlier they increased by 0.4%. In other words, prices continue not only to grow, but there are signs of even a possible acceleration of this process. Consequently, the US central bank will continue to pursue an extremely tight monetary policy.

Inflation (United States):

The EURUSD currency pair bounced precisely from the area of the local high in October. As a result, there was a pullback in the direction of the parity level.

During the price rebound, the RSI H4 indicator came out of the overbought zone. This is a fairly good technical signal about the regrouping of trading forces. It is worth noting that the indicator has not gone below the average line of 50, which indicates the bullish mood in the market.

The moving MA lines on Alligator H4 and D1 are directed upwards, which corresponds to an ascending cycle.

Expectations and prospects

In this situation, the parity level serves as a support in the market. Thus, it is possible to strengthen long positions. We expect the euro to rise only if the price stays above October's local high in a four-hour period.

As for the downward scenario, in order to consider it, the quote must first stay below the 0.9950 mark. This price move may restart short positions.

Comprehensive indicator analysis in the short-term and intraday periods has a sell signal due to the recent price rebound. In the medium term, the signal from the indicator is focused on an upward corrective move from the low of the trend.

 

Hot forecast for GBP/USD on 11/11/2022

Inflation, or rather the reassessment of the Federal Reserve's succeeding actions, turned out to be much more important for the market than the results of the midterm elections in the United States. Moreover, the counting of votes is still ongoing. So as soon as it became known that the growth rate of consumer prices in the United States slowed from 8.2% to 7.7%, a real rally began in almost all markets. The only exception was probably the oil market. But the pound jumped by more than three hundred points. After all, if inflation slows down much faster than forecasts, and the most desperate optimists expected it to fall to 8.0%, then the Fed has no reason to further tighten monetary policy. In other words, the US central bank may well start lowering interest rates next year. It was this change in expectations that caused the dollar to fall sharply.

Inflation (United States):

But the movement turned out to be so impressive that a rebound, or even a local correction, would only take a matter of time. And it is quite possible that today's preliminary data on UK GDP will just be an excellent reason for this. Indeed, according to forecasts, the economic growth rate of the United Kingdom should slow down from 4.4% to 2.3%.

GDP growth Rate (UK):

The pound has strengthened in value by more than 350 points against the US dollar. This strong inertial move led to a control tracking of the price with subsequent resistance levels of 1.1750.

The RSI H1 technical instrument entered the overbought zone during such an intense price move, which corresponds to a convergence with the resistance level. RSI D1 is moving confidently in the upper area of the 50/70 indicator, which indicates ongoing upward interest in the market.

The MA moving lines on Alligator H4 and D1 are directed upwards, this signal corresponds to the general mood of market participants.

Expectations and prospects

In this situation, the technical signal about the overbought pound still takes place on the market. For this reason, traders are considering the scenario of a price pullback from the resistance level of 1.1750.

As for the subsequent upward cycle, market participants will consider it in case the price stays stable above the 1.1750 level. With this development, the overbought signal will be ignored by traders.

Complex indicator analysis in the short, intraday and medium-term periods has a buy signal due to the upward cycle.

 

Gold breaks the trend

Dashing trouble began. After Jerome Powell's fiery speech about a higher peak federal funds rate, who would have thought that gold would not just bounce back but return to 3-month highs? In fact, the slowdown in the rate of tightening of the Fed's monetary policy is a bullish driver for XAUUSD. If inflation remains at elevated levels for a long time, and the Central Bank slows monetary restrictions and eventually pauses, real yields on Treasury bonds will fall, allowing the precious metal to rise above $1,800 an ounce.

The main catalysts of the 9.5% November gold rally were the releases of data on consumer prices and producer prices. Both indicators slowed down more than Bloomberg experts predicted, which gave rise to talk that the Fed is doing its job well and can afford less aggression. In the end, the tightening of monetary policy affects the economy with a time lag, rates are already at restrictive levels, so you can not go as fast as before.

However, in order to defeat inflation, you need to understand its causes well. The Fed and the White House have gone too far with stimulus in response to the pandemic. As a result, domestic demand grew by 21.4% in the three years to the end of the second quarter of 2022, which is equivalent to an annual GDP growth of 6.7%. No wonder inflation is so high and the job market is strong as a bull. Americans sitting on a mountain of dollars are in no hurry to return to work.

Dynamics of domestic demand in the US, Britain and the Eurozone

Sooner or later, the money runs out, which will lead to a slowdown in consumer prices in the US by itself. The Fed's aggressive monetary restriction can strengthen their decline. There will be a risk of deflation on the horizon, as in Japan. Ark Invest agrees with this scenario. The company sets the example of the beginning of the 20th century, which was overshadowed by the First World War and the Spanish flu epidemic. Inflation in 1920 in the United States exceeded 20%, but thanks to an aggressive increase in the federal funds rate from 4.6% to 7%, it fell to -15% in 2021.

Current conditions have much in common with the period of a hundred years ago. The same scenario of the development of events is not excluded, but in my opinion, it is unlikely. Its implementation would be disastrous for gold, returning its quotes to $1,610 per ounce.

On the contrary, a scenario where the Fed slows down and eventually pauses while inflation remains at elevated levels creates a tailwind for the precious metal. Simultaneously with the fall in real yields of Treasury bonds, the US dollar is also weakening.

Technically, on the daily chart of gold, due to the implementation of the triple bottom pattern the long-term bearish trend was broken. Quotes have gone beyond the descending trading channel and are moving away from the moving averages. I recommend holding the longs formed on the decline to the support at $1,702 and periodically increasing on pullbacks. The targets are $1,790 and $1,815 per ounce.

 

USD/JPY. The yen ignores the record inflation report and follows the dollar

The dollar-yen pair earlier this week updated a three-month price low, reaching 137.70. However, the USD/JPY bears failed to settle in the area of the 137th figure - dollar bulls stopped the downward momentum and turned the pair 180 degrees.

In general, the trajectory of the pair's movement correlates with the trajectory of the US dollar index. Once again, we are convinced that the yen is not an independent player against the greenback. The Japanese currency certainly has its trump card, but it rather serves as a "stop tap". We are talking about a currency intervention, the risk of which increases along with the USD/JPY rate. In this context, we can say that the Japanese government controls the upper limit of the price range within which the pair is traded. According to most analysts, this limit is in the area of the 150.00 mark: exceeding this target is fraught with consequences. As for the lower limit of the conditional price range, everything depends on the "well-being" of the US currency. USD/JPY bears are forced to follow the greenback, which determines the end point of any downward surge. The yen has no arguments of its own to strengthen – primarily due to the divergence of the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan rates.

The events of the last days serve as evidence of this. They eloquently illustrated the stated disposition, the essence of which boils down to an uncomplicated conclusion: the downtrend ends exactly where the dollar recovery begins.

As you know, the US currency significantly sank throughout the market after the release of the latest data on the growth of inflation in the United States. The market started talking about the fact that the Fed will slow down the pace of monetary policy tightening at the next meeting, which will be held in December. A little later, these assumptions were confirmed by many representatives of the Fed: according to them, the central bank can afford to reduce the speed, while maintaining the final goal at the same level (that is, above the 5.0% mark).

At first, traders mostly focused their attention directly on the fact of slowing down the pace of tightening of the monetary policy. But then they "listened" to the signals from the Fed representatives, who made it clear that no one was going to curtail the hawkish course – only the speed of achieving the goal slows down. In particular, Christopher Waller, a member of the Board of Governors, said that the markets should now pay attention to the "end point" of the rate hike, and not to the pace of its achievement. At the same time, he noted that the end point is probably "still very far away." Some of his colleagues also stated that, firstly, inflation in the United States is still at too high a level; secondly, it is impossible to make any long-term organizational conclusions based on only one report.

Such messages eased the pressure on the dollar, and, accordingly, cooled the ardor of bears of the USD/JPY pair. Turning to the upside, the pair gradually began to gain momentum, rising by 250 points in two days. At the same time, traders ignore Japanese statistics, even when it comes to the inflation report.

Key data on the growth of inflation in Japan was published during the Asian session on Friday. The report reflected a record growth of key indicators. For example, the overall consumer price index rose by 3.7% in October, which is the strongest growth rate of the indicator since 1982. The core CPI, which does not include fresh food, but includes energy prices (petroleum products), also updated the 40-year record. The consumer price index, excluding food and energy prices, jumped 2.5% year-on-year in October.

All components of the above report came out in the green zone, significantly exceeding the forecast levels. It is worth noting that inflation has been exceeding the BOJ's 2% target for seven months, but at the same time BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda continues to "hold the line", maintaining a soft monetary policy. This, in fact, explains such a phlegmatic reaction of USD/JPY traders to the report published today. Market participants reasonably doubt that Kuroda will toughen his rhetoric in response to the published figures.

Thus, the fate of the USD/JPY downward trend depends solely on the behavior of the US currency, which is gradually beginning to "come to its senses". After all, even taking into account the slowdown in the rate hike, the Fed continues to act as an ally of the greenback, and even more so in tandem with another, which cannot count on the support of the BOJ. In my opinion, the rhetoric of the Fed representatives will only tighten ahead of the December meeting (at least in the context of determining the upper limit of the current cycle), while Kuroda will once again ignore the inflation report, declaring the preservation of the accommodative policy.

All this suggests that the USD/JPY pair may demonstrate a more confident growth in the near future – at least to the Tenkan-sen line on the daily chart, which corresponds to the 142.40 mark. If we talk about the medium term, the main target here is 145.50: at this price point, the upper line of the Bollinger Bands indicator coincides with the upper limit of the Kumo cloud on the D1 timeframe.

 

GBP/USD. End of the "Scottish issue"

The GBP/USD pair tested the 21st figure on Thursday - for the first time since the beginning of August. This is mainly due to the dollar getting weaker, as it stopped moving upward across the market. U.S. trading floors were closed yesterday (Thanksgiving Day in America), and the minutes of the November FOMC meeting, published the day before, were interpreted against the dollar. Such a fundamental background made it possible for GBP/USD bulls to hit a new multi-month high, marking 1.2152.

Take note that the bulls were getting closer to the area of 20 figures during the last two weeks. After almost a week-long flat in the range of 1.1800-1.1950, the bulls decided to make a swift upward move, which enabled them not only to cross the level of 1.2000, but to also probe the area of the 21st figure. Do remember that the pound's growth was caused not only by the dollar getting weaker, but because it also had political overtones.

The fact is that this week the British Supreme Court rejected the Scottish referendum bid for independence. According to the court's verdict, the Scottish government cannot initiate a second referendum without the UK Parliament's approval.

In other words, the Supreme Court put an end to a long-playing story that has emerged (making GBP/USD traders nervous) and then disappeared into oblivion. Therefore, this court ruling is strategically important for the British currency. The pound got rid of a threat that had been hanging over it for several years, threatening to collapse. After all, if the Supreme Court verdict had been the opposite, next year the UK could have experienced events comparable to those of 2016, when the historic referendum on Brexit was held.

As mentioned, the so-called "Scottish issue" has been hyped from time to time in the global press, going beyond local discussions in the local media. The last time this topic was actively discussed was at the end of last year, when the problems associated with the Coronavirus receded into the background. Back in September 2021, Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed at the Scottish National Party conference that she was planning to hold a second independence referendum before the end of 2023. She stressed that these plans, put on pause because of the pandemic, are "unchanged."

Recall that in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, 45% of those who voted "for" and 55% voted "against." That is, the majority voted for union with Great Britain. This plebiscite was held two years before another - historic - referendum, where the majority of British residents (though by a slim margin) voted for secession from the European Union. The Scots, in turn, were unequivocal: nearly 70% of the region's population voted against Brexit. After that "separatist" sentiments intensified in the region. According to experts, Scotland is now essentially divided 50/50 on independence. But analysts don't rule out a possibility that many politically neutral residents of Scotland can mobilize if necessary and use the chance that fell out. After all, it would obviously present itself to them next time in several decades. That is why sociologists have repeatedly warned that at the "X hour", when hypothetical plans for a new referendum take shape, the scales will tip in favor of the region's independence.

But to the disappointment of supporters of Scottish independence, the Supreme Court did not allow the local authorities to organize a second vote without an approval from the British Parliament.

Downing Street has already rushed to say that the Cabinet will not allow another plebiscite. According to the government, this is a "once in a generation" event. It is obvious that the Conservatives, who control the House of Commons (and will control it at least until 2024) will not allow the Scottish nationalists to realize the idea of another referendum. Therefore, this issue can be considered closed: for the foreseeable future, all slogans and calls for Scottish independence will have no effect on the pair.

However, despite the importance and significance of the Supreme Court ruling, the pair's fate now depends on the dollar's behavior. The "Scottish issue" usually flares up brightly, but fades quickly. And it looks like this time it will fade today and for a long time. Next week traders of dollar pairs will focus on the Federal Reserve representatives' rhetoric. The market's tumultuous reaction to the minutes of the November FOMC meeting suggests that the dollar continues to "rule" the currency pairs of the major group. Traders in the second round played back the news that the U.S. central bank will slow down the pace of monetary policy tightening as early as December. But at the same time, the question of what level of the rate the central bank will stop at in the current cycle is still a matter of debate. And this discussion, the degree of "hawkishness" of which will be determined by members of the Fed, will allow GBP/USD traders to determine the vector of price movement.

In my opinion, the Fed's minutes will fade into the background at the beginning of next week (Fed representatives have already announced all the theses of this document). The focus will be on U.S. statistics (Nonfarm) and comments of the Fed members. If they reiterate that it is not the speed of rate hikes that matters but the end of the current cycle, then the dollar may come out on top again. The probability of this scenario is quite high, given the earlier statements of Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and many of his hawkish wing colleagues.

Bulls on GBP/USD, who are taking advantage of the moment (shortened trading session on Friday, low liquidity), may try to cross the resistance level of 1.2150 (the upper line of the Bollinger Bands on the D1 timeframe) again. However, taking into account the current fundamental background, it is better to wait for the upward momentum to end, and by next week, you should consider short positions with the first target being 1.1940 (the Tenkan-sen line on D1) and the main target at 1.1700 (the middle line of Bollinger Bands on the same timeframe).

 

Trading Signal for GBP/USD on November 28-29, 2022: buy above 1.2025 (21 SMA - GAP)

Early in the European, session the British pound (GBP/USD) is trading around 1.2043. The currency pair is going through a slight technical bounce, having reached a low of around 1.2025.

According to the 4-hour chart, we can see that the British pound has formed a bearish GAP around 1.2089 which was Friday's close. If GBP/USD bounces above the 21 SMA located at 1.2020, it could cover the gap and could reach the top of the downtrend channel around 1.2096.

In case the British pound breaks above the downtrend channel formed on November 23 and settles above 1.2097, it will be a clear signal to resume buying and the price could reach +2/8 Murray located at 1.2207.

Conversely, if GBP/USD breaks below the psychological 1.20 level, it could fall rapidly towards 1.1962 (+1/8 Murray) and could even reach the area between the support of 8/8 Murray (1.1718) and 200 EMA (1.1649).

The eagle indicator is trading above a downtrend channel. A technical correction is expected in the next few hours and then the pair will resume its bullish cycle. Therefore, the British pound is expected to trade above the psychological 1.20 level, which will be a signal to continue buying.

The strength of the US dollar (USDX), observed in the last hours of trading on Friday, was boosted by risk aversion, causing a reversal in GBP/USD. The British pound is likely to make a strong technical correction in the coming days due to overbought levels on the daily chart.

According to the daily chart, we can see that the British pound has a 200 EMA located at 1.21. As long as GBP/USD trades below this level, any technical bounce will be seen as a clear signal to sell, with short-term targets around 1.1697.

Our trading plan in the next few hours is to buy the British pound above 1.2035, with targets at 1.2096 and 1.2207 (+2/8 Murray). On the other hand, if the pound falls below the psychological level of 1.20, it will be a signal to sell with targets at 1.1650.

 

Will gold fall for the Fed's entreaties?

The external calm often hides internal tension. Despite gold's stabilization near $1,750 an ounce, we can't say the periods of turbulent XAUUSD quotes are far behind. The precious metal paused ahead of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's speech and is trying to see if he can do what the other FOMC members failed to do. Can he use hawkish rhetoric to persuade stock indices to fall and the U.S. dollar to strengthen? Both are fundamentally important to gold.

As a rule, when evaluating the prospects for XAUUSD, the dynamics of the USD index and Treasury bond yields are analyzed. The fall of the first of them below 106, according to DeCarley Trading, will contribute to the continuation of the peak to 98, raising the quotes of the precious metal significantly higher. Many factors have already been factored into the U.S. dollar, including a 5–5.25% federal funds rate ceiling and a shallow recession that the U.S. economy will plunge into in the second and fourth quarters of 2023, according to Barclays.

Dynamics of gold and US dollar

At the same time, capital flows also affect the value of gold. Queen Anne's Gate Capital says the current rally in XAUUSD is due to an outflow of money from the crypto market. In 2020, investors actively invested in ETFs and crypto assets. As a result, specialized exchange-traded funds grew from 80 million ounces to 110 million ounces. By now, they have fallen to 95 million ounces. Many are still under water, that is, in losses. They will take advantage of the rise in gold to close their positions. If ETFs shrink another 20 million ounces, the precious metal will plummet to $1,300.

The collapse of cryptocurrency broker FTX accelerated the collapse of BTCUSD, and money poured into gold, but a stabilization of bitcoin will reverse that process.

Gold and Bitcoin Dynamics

However, if the capital outflow from specialized exchange-traded funds stops and the demand for physical assets in Asia starts to fall, the downward trend of XAUUSD can be considered broken not only technically but also fundamentally. The fact is that, in an upward trend, gold tends to flow from the East to the West and vice versa during downturns—from China and India to the USA and Europe.

In this regard, a sharp drop in October imports of China's precious metal from Hong Kong to 18.7 tons, which is 45% less than in September, indicates a decrease in demand. However, Commerzbank believes that the dynamics of the indicator was affected by restrictions imposed by Beijing due to COVID-19. According to customs data from Switzerland, gold exports to China in October decreased slightly from 44 to 43.7 tons.

In the near term, the fate of XAUUSD will be affected by Powell's speech and the U.S. labor market report for November.

In technical terms, the 1-2-3 pattern can work out on the daily chart of the precious metal. However, for this, quotes must fall below $1,725, which will be a reason for selling. A fair price break of $1,762 per ounce is more likely to be a reason to buy.

 

USD/JPY: that's it, no movie!

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's dovish speech pulled down the dollar. Yesterday, the U.S. currency experienced a resounding sell-off on all fronts, but saw the biggest loss against the yen.

A crushing blow from Powell
At the middle of the week, Powell spoke about the economic outlook, inflation and US employment at the Brookings Institution.

It was Powell's first public speech since the November FOMC meeting, so traders were looking forward to his comments on the central bank's future course.

The market has been in a state of strong uncertainty. Softer inflation provoked speculations about a possible slowdown of tightening in the US, and recent hawkish comments made by Fed representatives have cast doubts on this.

Until yesterday, dollar bulls had illusions about further sharp rate hikes in the US. However, Powell just shattered their hopes: the central bank intends to slow down.

He said it makes sense to 'moderate' the pace at this stage to balance risks. He also hinted that the Fed might take less aggressive steps at its next meeting.

After Powell's dovish rhetoric, the likelihood of a 50 bps rate hike in December rose from 69.9% to more than 90%.

The sharp weakening of hawkish market expectations took a heavy toll on the dollar. It interrupted its 3-day climb and went into free-fall.

Yesterday, the DXY index posted its biggest daily loss of the week, falling more than 1% from its major peers.

Goodbye USD/JPY
The U.S. currency showed the worst dynamics on Wednesday against the yen. The USD/JPY plummeted 1.2%, testing the 3-month low at 136.50 in one moment.

A steep peak in yields on 10-year U.S. Treasuries contributed to the yen's sharp growth. The index fell to a one-month low of 3.6% after Powell's comments.

"The dollar is losing more altitude as the market embraces a less hawkish than feared message from the Chair," said Rodrigo Catril, strategist at National Australia Bank Ltd. in Sydney. The "big decline in 10-year Treasury yields sees the yen at the top of the leaderboard."

Recall that this year the Japanese currency suffered the most from the aggressive Fed rate, and the Bank of Japan's dovish policy adds more pressure on it.

The BOJ is the only major central bank that has never raised interest rates this year.

The hope that appeared last month that the Fed might soon slow down the pace of tightening helped the yen recover from its multi-year lows.

The JPY showed the best uptrend against the dollar in November. It strengthened by more than 7%. This is the biggest monthly gain for the JPY in 14 years.

Now, when Powell actually gave the signal to start a slowdown in interest rates in the U.S., many analysts have revised their forecasts for the pair - downward.

According to experts, the asset has already exhausted its bullish potential and is unlikely to return to spectacular and confident growth in the near future.

In the short term, the major will move mainly downwards, still weighed down by Powell's dovish statement.

Also, US economic data may become a headwind for the dollar-yen pair. If the market sees another symptom of the approaching recession, it will finally convince traders that the US central bank will hit the brakes this month.

Analysts predict this is likely to happen. The ISM manufacturing activity index for November will be released today. Economists are predicting that the index will fall from 50.2 to 49.8.

Another headwind for the dollar will be the return of risk sentiment to the market due to the easing of anti-Covid measures in China. This should also favor USD/JPY bears.