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EURGBP: Is Parity InevitableEURGBP Daily – Is Parity Inevitable? Earlier today the Euro broke the psychological $1.200 handle for the first time in 2 years whilst and it is now heading towards an all time high against the British Pound. At the start of the year, analysts had predicted further weakening for the Euro. We are now at the end of August and those predictions could not have been more wrong with the Euro rallying strongly. Despite being overvalued by most indicators, the Euro has continued to strengthen and this is expected to carry on. One of the biggest reasons for this is that the common currency is increasing its appeal to investors and traders as a safe haven. When analysts talk about safe haven currencies, they are usually referring to the US Dollar, Japanese Yen or the Swiss Franc. However, over the past months, demand for the dollar and yen during risk off sentiments have been lower than usual. For the Dollar, this is due to political uncertainty and the conflict with North Korea. Meanwhile, with the Yen, it is due to the risk from North Korea. As we saw yesterday, a missile fired into the Pacific Ocean by North Korea, flew within Japanese airspace, prompting, Japanese official to warn residents who could have been affected. The majority of global risk has been from the two factors mentioned here, which means that the most attractive safe haven currency left would be the Swiss Franc. However, the current stability in Europe and anticipation of the ECB winding down its large QE programme, has made the Euro a great currency for both investors and traders. The Euro strength has been mentioned as a concern by the ECB but they have not indicated plans to take any action just yet. Now that EURUSD has broken above, $1.200, traders should expect an ECB official to address this in the coming days but it is still unlikely for them to intervene. The CFTC commitment of traders reports last week also showed an increase in net long positions on the Euro, also suggesting that the rally is set to continue. However, analysts have mentioned that the Euro strength will weigh down on European companies as it becomes more expensive to import from the Eurozone, with the DAX dropping to 5 month lows yesterday. In the UK, the biggest fundamental factor continue to be Brexit but a lack of progress in talks has actually helped the pound to strengthen. The EUs Juckner is not happy with the position papers handed to the EU from the UK government. UK officials are complaining that the EU are simply being stubborn and currently negotiations look as if they are at a stalemate. The United Kingdom would like the EU to be more flexible and talk about their future relationship, whilst at the same time talking about the separation process. However, the EU are adamant that they will not talk about any future relationship until the terms of their divorce with the UK are resolved. It seems that the biggest hurdle in all of this is the agreement on how much the settlement bill should be, with Brexit secretary Davis saying that the UK will only pay what it is legally obliged to. The current situation is helping to support the pound at the moment but with the BoE not showing any signs of hawkishness, it is highly likely that any appreciation in the Pound is simply a retracement. Today, EURGBP has broken its 2016 high and we now expect it to reach its all time high at around 0.9800. Following this, Brexit makes it seem inevitable that this pair will reach parity but it will also depend on how long it takes to reach these levels and what impact the Euro strength is having on the Eurozone economy. We will be looking for buys on this pair, ideally after some sort of retracement. However, if we do not get a retracement, we will still looking to enter a smaller position and add on to this along the way.
Long
by priyesh
AUDJPY - Elliot Wave AttemptI am reading a book on Elliot Wave and am trying my hand at it. So we have the formation of a wave 1 that I drew a Fibonacci retracement on. The wave 1 has ended and appears to be in a triangle corrective formation that is reaching a point. By my analysis the wave should then break down into a 3 wave that is of more or less the same length as wave 1. The red line shows the length on wave one and is used to predict the end result of wave 3. Given the amount of pips this is expected to move this is probably more of a swing trade than a day trade. This trade is also in line with the fundamentals. JPY has been strong lately because of the geopolitical events that have been occurring lately. N. Korea and Donald Trump have been throwing Insults at each other all this has done is make people antsy and strengthen JPY. AUD has been weak lately precisely because there is a risk-off sentiment. We'll see what happens.....
Short
by basquefxb1
USDJPY Weakness Technical/Fundamental PlayMentioned in the previous post, there was an inherent weakness in the dollar-yen due to its price action around 113.22. While the pair rallied up to 113.35 prior to Asia opening, a huge wave of sell orders sent the pair tumbling. While we saw a potential short opportunity last evening (Singapore Time) on technical basis, the confirmation of North Korea's ICBM by US this morning has supported our technical views as traders remain weary of any military confrontation between the US and North Korea. For that, we remain bearish with a target of 112.40 in mind.
Short
by HouTianTan
USDJPY Epic Descending Triangle Breakdown ImminentOANDA:USDJPY has consolidated for a few days already and failed to retake the 112 level. With a series of lower highs, the supply resistance level is slowly going down to meet with the Weekly 200MA support. Its possible it might find support at the Daily 200MA level as it was able bounce off it from the previous downleg. In my opinion it might still test the 111 level one more time before the support finally breaks. Entry: 111.044 Profit: 108.215 Stop: 111.325 Any feedbacks are appreciated!
Short
by SimpleMillennialAverage
2
USDJPY Between 200MAs and a broken channel April 17-21OANDA:USDJPY just had a breakdown not only breaking the weekly 200MA but also the lower support channel but nothing goes in one direction in the markets so I expect a pullback before another move downwards. The price is currently between the daily and weekly 200MA so I expect sideways action with a slight bullish bias in the short term. It will be Daily Fibonacci: OANDA:USDJPY bounced right at the 50% mark at 108.11 so bulls should have a relief bounce for a few days. 4H Timeframe view: Unless news or events comes that will cause the risk off to end or strengthen the dollar I expect consolidation between the daily 200MA support and the broken lower channel that should act as resistance. Its also possible that there might be a spike upwards till the weekly 200MA but I dont expect it to break as there should be a lot of overhead resistance on that area. I still expect OANDA:USDJPY in the long term especially with its correlations have broken their respective supports reinforcing the trend. Nikkei Daily: US 10-Year Daily: Entry: 109.4-110 Stop: 110.6 Profit: 101-103 Any feedbacks are appreciated!
Short
by SimpleMillennialAverage
Short term risk off move starting?I think we'll see some kind of retracement in the massive trends we had in place accross the board. Overall, I'm looking to buy weakness in the dollar in the long term, and looking for good value stocks, shorting overvalued stocks if needed, but rarely, and navigating the main trends in commodities. Metals look poised to rally with bonds here, at least in the short term, so having some exposure there might be a good idea. Either that, or hedging your equity exposure for the time being. Good luck, Ivan Labrie.
FX:XAGUSDLong
by IvanLabrie
2
XAUUSD: Gold longs firmply planted above resistanceGold seems to be headed for the two targets on chart, to be reached before September 23rd. This seems to match my outlook for equities, which appear to be heading back down to the yearly lows, as depicted by Tim West's yearly forecast, of a sideways market. We can fade the sentiment extremes once reached, which is the ideal trading strategy for the rest of the year. Volatile markets are tricky to trade, but we are presented with a variety of opportunities, both long and short. I'd reccomend having gold in your portfolio for the next 2 months. You can enter a position here and factor in a stop loss under 1275 (let's say, under last week's low, which will work for any instrument, like miners, gld, futures, etc). You can add to the trade once spot gold breaches the 1340 mark too. Risk half on the additional entry, and use the same stop loss. Good luck! See you at the top. Check out my updated track record here: pastebin.com If interested in my trading signals, or in personal tuition, contact me privately. I'm offering a considerable discount on a packaged course which includes access to my private trading signals list for a year. Cheers! Ivan Labrie Link to Tim West's chatroom: www.tradingview.com We discuss setups like this often there. Feel free to stop by and subscribe to his indicator pack. If you have any questions ask. Risk disclaimer: My analysis is provided as general market commentary and does not constitute investment advice. I will not accept liability for any loss or damage including, without limitation, to any loss of profit which may arise directly or indirectly from use of or reliance on such information.
FX:XAUUSDLong
by IvanLabrie
2
RANGE BOUND - USDJPY: TRADING STRATEGY - PART 2 Trading for this week: 1. My plan for next week focuses on point "3." from the previous post - I am waiting for risk-on or risk-off assets to confirm investor conviction by using USDJPY as a barometer for net risk sentiment. Despite the market uncertainty and high volatility UJ last week traded within a 200pip range for the between 101.3-103.3. Therefore, I consider a 60pip break of either level to confirm the conviction to a sentiment e.g. 60pips higher is risk-on (Yen selling), 60pips Lower is risk-off (Yen buying). So of the two possibilities for this week (based on the previous post) Most likely i think is: 1) Global risk continues its recovery as I ask myself what possible risks/ events are there that could tip risk-off sentiment? My answer is none. However, there are several arguments for a risk-on bias e.g. 1) Central bank easing continues to offer risk higher e.g. a dovish RBA (5th) and BOE meeting (14th) price JPY lower and UJ higher 2) Implied vol continues dropping below realised vol, aiding bullish sentiment. 3) Brexit uncertainty continues its de-risking/ pricing as its unlikelihood increases. Further, I think Equities have another week of rallying to price before earnings uncertainty selling will become a factor. Trading Strategy: If Yen carries on Ranging I advise buying UJ at lows of the range e.g. between 101.3-101.9 - or you could buy at any price in the range as I have a target of 106 in the near-term and 110+ in the next 4+wks. Alternatively, I advise placing BUY STOP orders at 103.9-104.2 (level that confirms a risk-on breakout) as there will be 80% of UJ short Stop-Losses at this level, so we will likely see a short squeeze take us 200pips up instantly once UJ trades to at or about 104. I like owning UJ structurally in the medium term as even if UJ falls lower in the near term which is unlikely (what risk is likely to drive it lower?) as UJ trading at or below 101 (and the further it falls) the more likely the BOJ will be to launch emergency FX intervention and/or near term lower UJ increases odds of an aggressive BOJ cut at its July 28th meeting - which will make UJ trade 500pips+ higher, dependent on the measures/ aggressiveness taken. For some background/ support for the UJ higher trade 1. based on BOJ easing, recently JPY retail sales disappointed at -1.9% vs -1.6%, as did inflation which was seen at -0.4% nationally for CPI and Core and -0.5% for the same in Tokyo + BOJ's own Core measure continued its strong MoM downtrend at 0.8% (from 0.9% last) - consistently unresponsive inflation is the single biggest driver for BOJ easing/ cutting policy, and the poor inflation has been problematic since the last cut in January 2016 so this gives further weight to another cut, especially since it was 6+ months ago. - Also BOJ Kuroda and JPY Govt Aso and Abe had several emergency meetings last week as a result of the Brexit vote/ JPY appreciation, in which they discussed FX levels, although taking no action, such rhetoric and actions imply and give likelihood that the BOJ will take substantial action in July. - Technically, UJ has been oversold for several weeks, even if UJ higher isnt structurally long, we should at least be able to realise a 600-800pip recovery rally before moving lower again. Volatility - USDJPY Realised Volatility is trading higher than implied (bullish signal) with 2wk and 1mth at 19.64% & 15.6% vs implied's trading at 11.25% & 13.43% + there are some large notional OTM call strikes at 104.2 and 105, indicating the market may have a bullish bias. Also, the UJ 1wk/1m 25 Delta Risk Reversals Trade at apprx -1.6%, and falling, indicating the market is becoming more bullish by 1) being positioned long in the spot market but buying less downside option coverage and/or 2) Speculative Demand for UJ downside puts is falling. *Read my previous post "RANGE BOUND - USDJPY: IS THIS GLOBAL RISK RECOVERY REAL? PART 1" for analysis of last week and mo
Long
by QuantumLogicTrading
1
RANGE BOUND - USDJPY: IS THIS GLOBAL RISK RECOVERY REAL? PART 1Expectations vs Reality: 1. Following the referendum decision on Friday, as expected GBP sold off 10%+, the FTSE plummeted in a similar fashion and global risk assets sold off across the board, but FTSE/ Risk recovered a significant amount of those losses into Fridays close and for the rest of the next week.. So what happened to BREXIT? - Such behaviour would lead you to believe that the Brexit decision was all just a bad dream, with much of the price action volatility confined to Friday alone - rather where I had expected the decision on Friday to start a cascade of risk-on asset selling, as the brexit backdrop provides the perfect impetus to trigger the risk-off fear for the wider global risks e.g. US Election, Global growth, China Debt - and, ofc, the Brexit Macro economic spill-over itself. Why did we witness this Risk Recovery Paradox? 1. I think the main reason that risk managed to avoid carrying its bid bias into this week from Friday was PM David Cameron's decision early on Friday/ Monday to 1) Resign in October and 2) Refuse to sign the Article 50 which formally/ actually starts the Brexit Negotiations - the net effect is that brexit risks have been shifted into 2017 (or never) rather than present, thus providing investor confidence to buy risk at its Friday discount (why not) and take bets on a Brexit no show (illustrated by a buoyed GBP which imo should have fallen more). - What this combination of events now means is that Brexit now trades as a function of Political possibility rather than as a certainty because 1) By resigning in Oct and refusing to start the negotiations now, it means that Brexit itself is put on hold until at least October. Further, the fact that the above is the case, the whole "Brexit" likelihood is brought into question in itself as 1) How likely is the new PM in Oct going to sign the article 50 as soon as they get into office? I think VERY unlikely, its career suicide to start such a volatile process immediately when in office so that means the Brexit Negotiations are pushed further out and likely into 2017 (66.66% chance it occurs in 2017 now from odds-checker). 2) Will Brexit go ahead at all? I think Brexit absolutely is unlikely, as the new PM wont want the economic and political uncertainty that will follow - especially as the vote didnt happen under their leadership - imo its more likely that the new PM will forgo the blame onto Previous PM Cameron and/ or call for a re-referendum or scrap the idea completely and instead offer a solution to solve the "leave" voters problems e.g. Bid to fix EU immigration. 2. Worldwide Central Banks supportive/ Dovish statements - All Major CB have offered their support if their economy calls for it as a result of Brexit - namely the front-end of the FOMC's rate hike curve was severely flattened (Dec or 2017 hike now likely) and the BOE Gov Carney put 250bn in QE and 25bps of Int rate cuts on the cards - the net effect of these actions has been to smooth investor fear, and allow risk to rally, as low rates and QE has no doubt been the biggest driver for stocks in the last 8 years - the FTSE's recovery was/ is 100% underpinned by the BOE stance imo. 3. And the most interesting possibility is that - Investors don't believe in this risk-rally, instead it is just a micro unfolding that will eventually unravel, forcing risk to sell-off in the near future. And by looking at the stability of Gold, Bonds and Yen, this argument does carry alot of weight and is something ive been watching all week. All risk-off assets have traded flat/ higher, despite risk rallying - when risk-on and risk-off assets FAIL to maintain their negative correlation (as they are failing to do now, and are actually slightly positively correlated as they both rise) it usually means the rally is being undermined by a longer-term macro view - since liquidity is a 0 sum game in the long run, all assets cant grow at the same time, either risk must sell-off or
Long
by QuantumLogicTrading
USDJPY: 4h viewUSDJPY has tested the Brexit key level, and is currently fighting the monthly uptrend mode, which if it is broken down, could lead to an extended decline in this pair, a very dramatic one at that. I'm short from yesterday's high give or take, you may enter here if you didn't short at resistance, and use stops at least above yesterday's high, if conservative, over the 104 handle. Refer to the related idea for more information on the big picture in this pair. With the BOJ already at the rope's end, when it comes to easing, JGB's at record low yields, into negative territory, and a risk off rally strengthening the Yen and Gold, I don't think we have much risk in long Yen positions for the time being. At the very least, it'd be a good addition to a balanced portfolio here. Check out my updated track record here: pastebin.com If interested in my trading signals, or in personal tuition, contact me privately. I'm offering a considerable discount on a packaged course which includes access to my private trading signals list for a year. Cheers! Ivan Labrie Link to Tim West's chatroom: www.tradingview.com We discuss setups like this often there. Feel free to stop by and subscribe to his indicator pack. If you have any questions ask. Risk disclaimer: My analysis is provided as general market commentary and does not constitute investment advice. I will not accept liability for any loss or damage including, without limitation, to any loss of profit which may arise directly or indirectly from use of or reliance on such information.
Short
by IvanLabrie
2
BREXIT & GEO-POLITICAL AFTERMATH: SHORT GBPUSD - HOW TO TRADEGBPUSD - At the end of last week GU traded to lows of 1.32 on the brexit vote, before retracing substantially to 1.39 by the end of the day. - GU retraced 600-700pips after the brexit event IMO solely as investors took profit from their shorts (which causes buying) - thus there was no structural reason for GU recovering e.g. it was that 1.32 had mispriced GU too low for the brexit vote. On the back of this I expect the following for GU this week: 1. I have a 8/10 short conviction on GU and ultimately believe it will trade <1.30 by weeks end for the following reasons: - - As on friday, the bearish movements we saw on GBP were 90% fast money trades and NOT real/ slow money positioning (due to different regulations and trading strategies) therefore, this week, slow/ real money will now be able to get behind the short sterling move thus providing momentum for GBP to move lower and sub 1.30. *Fast money is hedge funds and slow money is asset managers* - David Cameron UK PM also resigned following the result, thus putting further downside expectations on GBP in the near-medium term particularly as it as all come at once. - Also the BOE plans to increase its QE by 66% 350bn to 600bn to support markets but this printing increasing GBP money supply affect puts downward pressure on the GBPUSD. - Further, members of the European parliament have asked and put pressure on the UK to make their exit faster than previously expected, this puts further uncertainty around the brexit and increases the negative impact it may have on the economy and therefore the GBP speculation is made further bearish. - As pictured I had expected the 1.356-1.382 range that had held at the end of last week to hold for the next 24hrs and for GU to trade relatively flat (24hrs for people to make decisions on positioning) however it looks like corporations and other entities have derisked their GBP exposure over the weekend hence we opened 300pips lower at 1.342. - With this range broken we now trade in no mans land, thus with all the negative biases my target from now is for GU to drift towards the lows set from last week for now - If the market changes significantly within the next few hours (e.g. trades back into range) i will update this view. - My target for GBP is <1.30 with a terminal value of 1.25 within the quarter - though i consider that the supportive (no hike) policy of the FOMC will ease GBPUSD losses somewhat. This in mind shorts at these levels are fair 1.34. Alternatively, I also encourage my favourite tactic of shorting/ fading any GBP rallies to 1.38/39 however the chance of GU realising such upside imo is only 50%, with bid trading dominating Volatility update: Current GU ATM 50 delta vols trade at 25%, which is surprisingly 2x higher than it was last week (the risk and volatility may not be over). 1wk GU ATM 50 delta vols trade at 30%, significantly higher than last week also. However 1ms trade 20.49% and are significantly lower than they were last week (illustrating the event risk that has elapsed). Current GU Option demand is skewed significantly to the downside, with Puts 27.5% vs calls 22.5% thus puts are in demand by about 20% more than calls - this supports current short views (RR -5). 1wk GU demand is also skewed in favour of downside coverage, with puts at 33% vs calls 28%, (RR -5%) with puts being demanded apprx 3% more than calls - supporting the near terms view of short GU USDJPY as a measure of market risk. I still suggest using UJ as a measure of GBPUSD market risk - the volatility seemingly isnt over, and with near term uncertainty high, it is prudent to track UJ and use breaks of its 101.2-103.2 range as signals of net risk on or risk-off commitment .e.g. UJ higher risk on (jpy selling), UJ lower risk off (jp buying). The risk off move for GU imo is lower in this environment, and the risk-on move is higher. Thus, IMO UJ and GU are sync'd, and the two should be used as a tool.
Short
by QuantumLogicTrading
3
BREXIT GBP: USE USDJPY AS A RISK-BAROMETER & WAIT FOR LONDON 8AMIndicators to check BEFORE GBP Shorting for confirmation I also suggest using two other key pieces of information BEFORE shorting GBP. 1. Use USDJPY as a measure of market risk appetite and stability - As you can see below UJ has traded with a tight 38pip range vs GBP$ at 180pips. Therefore we can use UJ as a measure of stability and risk appetite: 1) because of its stability - UJ isn't acting as susceptible to the volatility "noise" - with 4.5x less range; and 2) because as we know UJ is the "safe haven" FX pair which is sold massively when markets are trading risk-off. or risk averse. - How to use UJ for GBP direction: Assuming UJ is the stable measure of risk (which has been true for the past week) it is fair to ALSO assume: 1) A rise in UJ means increased JPY selling which means there is a stronger risk-on attitude in the market as investors shed "safe yen" - buying GBP in the uncertain BREXIT environment IMO is considered the "risk-on" move - SO we can confirm GBP rallies with a rise in UJ 2) Conversely a fall in UJ means JPY buying, which means investors are seeking risk-off/ safer currency plays - selling GBP in the BREXIT uncertainty environment IMO is considered the "risk-off/ low risk" move - SO we can confirm new GBP shorts with a fall in UJ *If you believe that the risk-on/ risk-off moves are the other way round e.g. GBP upside is the low risk play - then you can STILL use UJ as the indicator, just the other way around than above. IMO and logically, GBP lower in this uncertain UK environment is the LOW RISK trade - especially given we traded at 1.46 8wks ago (not much downside is priced at these levels thus GBP moves lower are lower risk) 2. Wait for London open between 8am-10am GMT (4-6 hours from now) - In these past weeks, the London open has been a key catalyst for GBP direction ESPECIALLY on the Sunday-Monday Asia which over as all of the weekend information is priced in for the biggest FX clients in LDN. - Therefore it is prudent NOT to take a position until the big money volatility/ fluctuations/ noise is out of the way otherwise SL's may be susceptible to being hit AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, we may misjudge the market direction/ sentiment (given LDN is the largest FX Flow session). - Several times the market direction and momentum has changed or been confirmed aggressively during the London open 8am-10am GMT so I think this indicator is a vital determinant
Short
by QuantumLogicTrading
3