Forex Major Currencies Outlook (Aug 17, 2015)

US headline PPI came in better than expected with a 0.2% gain versus the expected 0.1% uptick while the core PPI showed a 0.3% increase. Capacity utilization was in line with consensus while industrial production was better than expected at 0.6%. The preliminary UoM consumer sentiment figure fell short of expectations at 92.9. For today, the Empire State manufacturing index is due and a climb from 3.9 to 5.0 is eyed.

EUR

The euro gave back some of its recent wins despite news that the third bailout package was passed by the Greek parliament and European creditors. This week, the event risks associated with this is the actual payment of the ECB deadline on August 20. Data from the euro zone was mostly weaker than expected on Friday, with the preliminary GDP readings from the top economies falling short of expectations. For today, only the euro zone trade balance is due.

GBP

The pound edged slightly higher in recent trading sessions, even though there were no major reports released from the UK. Earlier today, the Rightmove HPI showed a 0.8% decline in prices, leading to a bit of weakness for the pound. There are no other reports due from the UK today.

CHF

The Swiss franc could be in for more volatility than usual today with the Swiss retail sales up for release during the London trading session. After printing a 1.8% annualized decline during the previous release, a 0.6% drop is expected this time. Stronger than expected data could lead to a bit of gains for the franc while weak data could spur more losses.

JPY

The yen had a mixed performance as it mostly acted as a counter-currency on Friday. Earlier today, the Japanese GDP release showed a slightly better than expected result, although it still indicated a 0.4% contraction for Q2. No other reports are due from Japan today.

Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)

The comdolls were still in a weak spot last week due mostly to the drop in gold and oil prices. There were no reports released from Australia, New Zealand, and Canada then while today has the foreign securities purchases report from Canada. Further declines in oil and gold could weigh on their price action while a rebound could pave the way for some gains.

By Kate Curtis from Trader's Way