It is guaranteed to be a volatile week given the stacked economic calendar. Tonight, the Fed is expected to hike interest rates by 25bps, and on Friday we have the always highly anticipated US non-farm payroll data.
As per my previous idea, I got the timing wrong for my expected move to 18.55 but I’m still holding my buy orders in placed around the 18.21 level which coincides with the 50-day MA and the black 61.8% Fibo retracement rate. The rand was on the backfoot yesterday which saw the pair push up into the red resistance range between 18.50 and 18.55. The dollar is however weaker across the board this morning which is allowing the rand to pull the pair lower towards the navy-blue downward channel’s neckline. It seems as if the pair broke out of this downward channel but don’t rule out a retest of the upper neckline of this channel (support range between 18.28 and 18.33).
A break below this support range will allow the pair to re-test 18.21. 18.21 is a critical support level, a break below will invalidate my expected move above 18.55 and will allow the rand to pull the pair into the blue support range between 18.00 and 18.10.
The resistance rates to watch sit between 18.50 and 18.60. A break above this range will confirm my expected 5-wave impulse and the test of the yearly high at 18.71.
The daily indicators are rand negative. The MACD is holding a buy signal while the RSI still has plenty room to move higher before sliding into overbought ranges.
Fundamentals (latest US data prints):
The writing is on the wall for a stagflation environment over the next 3-5 years. The latest US GDP print for the 1Q2023 came in at 1.1%, down from 2.6% QoQ. It is clear that the US and the Fed won’t avoid a recession or the “soft landing” bs they refer to. But wait there’s more, the recent interest rate cycle has not managed to contain inflation, gasp, with the latest PCE price index rising by 4.2% in 1Q2023, up from 3.7%. A low growth inflationary environment does not bode well for risk assets such as the rand and the recent fragilities in the US banking sector will only increase investor risk-off sentiment. All these factors are rand negative.
Zooming back to the present, yesterday’s trading saw the DXY close lower after it touched a three-week high of 102.409. The DXY is firmly on the backfoot this morning and is currently back below the 102 handle in the lead up to the Fed hike. There were also some peculiar moves in the US bond market in yesterday’s session in the lead up to today’s Fed rate decision. US bond yields cratered as the US 10-year yield fell from 3.575% to 3.429% while the shorter dated 02-year yield fell back below 4%.
As per my previous idea, I got the timing wrong for my expected move to 18.55 but I’m still holding my buy orders in placed around the 18.21 level which coincides with the 50-day MA and the black 61.8% Fibo retracement rate. The rand was on the backfoot yesterday which saw the pair push up into the red resistance range between 18.50 and 18.55. The dollar is however weaker across the board this morning which is allowing the rand to pull the pair lower towards the navy-blue downward channel’s neckline. It seems as if the pair broke out of this downward channel but don’t rule out a retest of the upper neckline of this channel (support range between 18.28 and 18.33).
A break below this support range will allow the pair to re-test 18.21. 18.21 is a critical support level, a break below will invalidate my expected move above 18.55 and will allow the rand to pull the pair into the blue support range between 18.00 and 18.10.
The resistance rates to watch sit between 18.50 and 18.60. A break above this range will confirm my expected 5-wave impulse and the test of the yearly high at 18.71.
The daily indicators are rand negative. The MACD is holding a buy signal while the RSI still has plenty room to move higher before sliding into overbought ranges.
Fundamentals (latest US data prints):
The writing is on the wall for a stagflation environment over the next 3-5 years. The latest US GDP print for the 1Q2023 came in at 1.1%, down from 2.6% QoQ. It is clear that the US and the Fed won’t avoid a recession or the “soft landing” bs they refer to. But wait there’s more, the recent interest rate cycle has not managed to contain inflation, gasp, with the latest PCE price index rising by 4.2% in 1Q2023, up from 3.7%. A low growth inflationary environment does not bode well for risk assets such as the rand and the recent fragilities in the US banking sector will only increase investor risk-off sentiment. All these factors are rand negative.
Zooming back to the present, yesterday’s trading saw the DXY close lower after it touched a three-week high of 102.409. The DXY is firmly on the backfoot this morning and is currently back below the 102 handle in the lead up to the Fed hike. There were also some peculiar moves in the US bond market in yesterday’s session in the lead up to today’s Fed rate decision. US bond yields cratered as the US 10-year yield fell from 3.575% to 3.429% while the shorter dated 02-year yield fell back below 4%.
