The Canadian dollar continues to rally. USD/CAD is trading at 1.3328 in the North American session, down 0.22% on the day. The week wrapped up with Canada's May employment report, which usually is released at the same time as the US job data, but had the spotlight to itself today. The data was a disappointment. Canada's economy shed 17,300 jobs, all of which were...
The euro has edged higher on Thursday, trading at 1.0708, up 0.19%. The currency remains under pressure as the US dollar is flexing some muscles. On Wednesday, EUR/USD touched a low of 1.0635, its lowest level since March 20. There are clear signs of disinflation in the eurozone, as rising interest rates have dampened economic activity. Spain and France reported...
GDP/USD has started the week in positive territory, after a two-day slide that saw the pound lose 1.5%. In the North American session, GBP/USD is trading at 1.2514, up 0.54%. On the economic calendar, it's a fairly quiet start to the week. There are no releases out of the UK. In the US, the Empire State Manufacturing Index slid to -31.8, versus 10.8 prior and an...
The Canadian dollar continues to rally today and has climbed 120 points since Tuesday. Earlier in the day, USD/CAD touched a low of 1.3490, its lowest level since April 21st. The markets will be treated to key employment numbers on both sides of the border later today. Canada is expected to have added 20,000 new jobs in April, following 34,700 in March. This...
Job openings are a leading indicator of the unemployment rate. Lower job openings lead to a unemployment rate higher.
NZD/USD is considerably higher on Tuesday, trading at 0.6203, up 0.57%. Earlier, NZD/USD rose as high as 0.6218, its highest level since April 19th. New Zealand's labour market has remained robust, despite relentless tightening from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, which has raised rates to 5.25%. We'll get a look at first-quarter employment numbers later today,...
The UK employment report for March was a mixed bag. The number of unemployed persons jumped by 28,200, after a decline of 18,000 in February and higher than the estimate of -11,800. The unemployment rate nudged higher from 3.7% to 3.8%. These numbers, which point to a slight weakening in the labour market, were overshadowed by a jump in wage growth. Average...
Australia posted a blowout employment report today, giving the Australian dollar a strong boost. The economy created 53,000 new jobs in March, after a downwardly revised 63,600 a month earlier. This crushed the estimate of 20,000 and especially impressed as full-time employment increased by 72,000 (part-time decreased by 19,200). Unemployment was unchanged at...
The AUDUSD continues the upward move, firstly because of the weakness of the DXY overnight as the CPI data signaled a slowdown in overall inflation growth for the US. In addition, stronger than expected employment data for the Australian economy added on to the upward momentum. If the price closes above the resistance level of 0.6725, further upside potential...
It could be a busy day for the US dollar, with the release of nonfarm payrolls later today. Canada posted a strong employment report on Thursday, as employment change and unemployment were better than expected. In the European session, USD/CAD is trading at 1.3501, up 0.07%. All eyes are on US nonfarm payrolls, with a consensus estimate of 240,000 for March,...
The Australian dollar has taken investors on a roller-coaster ride this week, reflective of the gyrations we're seeing in the financial markets. In the North American session, AUD/USD is trading at 0.6656, up 0.56%. Australia's employment report for February was stronger than expected. The economy produced 64,600 news jobs, after a decline of 10,900 in January....
The Australian dollar, which has posted strong gains early in the week, has run into a wall on Wednesday. In the European session, AUD/USD is trading at 0.6638, down 0.66%. Australia releases the February employment report on Thursday (Australia time). Job growth is expected to rebound, with a consensus of 48,500 after a soft January read of -11,500. The...
It has been a disastrous session for AUD/USD, which has plunged 1.26% and is trading at 0.6899. RBA Governor Philip Lowe faced a grilling from Australian lawmakers earlier. Higher rates and high inflation have caused a cost-of-living crisis and the RBA has been heavily criticised for the sharp rate-tightening cycle. Lowe confirmed that more rate hikes were on...
The euro is catching its breath on Friday after some sharp swings over the past two days. EUR/USD is trading quietly at the 1.09 line. This week's central bank rate announcements sent the euro on a roller-coaster ride. The Fed's 25-basis point hike pushed the euro higher by 1.16%, while the ECB hike of 50-bp sent the euro down by 0.76%. The end result is that the...
The New Zealand dollar has edged lower on Tuesday. In the North American session, NZD/USD is trading at 0.6462, down 0.10%. New Zealand releases the Q4 employment report later today. Unemployment is expected to tick lower to 3.2%, following a 3.3% reading in the third quarter. This would mark the lowest unemployment rate in over four decades. Employment change is...
The Japanese yen is in positive territory on Friday. In the European session, USD/JPY is trading at 129.76, down 0.33%. Inflation indicators in Japan continue to head northwards. Tokyo Core CPI rose to 4.3% y/y in January, up from 3.9% in December and ahead of the consensus of 4.2%. This is the highest level in 42 years, but what is more worrying for the Bank of...
The Canadian dollar is unchanged on Friday, trading at 1.3466 in the European session. We could see some volatility in the North American session, as Canada releases retail sales. The markets are bracing for a downturn in retail sales for November, with a forecast of -0.5% m/m for the headline figure and -0.4% for the core rate. This follows a strong report in...
The Australian dollar has extended its slide on Thursday. AUD/USD is trading at 0.6884 in Europe, down 0.82%. Australia's December employment report was weaker than expected, sending the Australian dollar sharply lower. The headline reading showed a loss of 14,600 in total employment, which may have soured investors. The release wasn't all that bad, as full-time...