Forex Major Currencies Outlook (Aug 31, 2015)

Data from the US was mostly weaker than expected, as the personal spending figure came in below consensus with a 0.3% gain versus the projected 0.4% increase while the personal income figure showed a 0.4% uptick as expected. The UoM consumer sentiment figure was downgraded from 92.9 to 91.9 versus the projected upgrade to 93.2. For today, only the Chicago PMI is lined up and no changes to the previous 54.7 figure is expected.

EUR

The euro gave back some of its recent wins, as data from the euro zone came in mixed. Germany showed a flat reading for its preliminary CPI while Spain posted a worse than expected 0.4% drop. For today, German retail sales and the flash headline and core CPI readings for the region are due.

GBP

The pound was in a weak spot on Friday, as the UK reports failed to provide strong support. The GDP reading was unchanged at 0.7% as expected while the quarterly preliminary business investment figure showed a stronger than expected 2.9% increase. There are no reports due from the UK economy today.

CHF

The franc enjoyed a bit of volatility on Friday due to the stronger than expected Swiss GDP of 0.2%, allowing the economy to dodge a recession. SNB head Thomas Jordan’s speech managed to erase some of the gains though, as he emphasized that they’re ready to intervene in the forex market if necessary.

JPY

The yen was able to chalk up some gains after seeing strong economic data but gave up ground on risk appetite. Retail sales showed a stronger than expected 1.6% jump versus the projected 1.1% increase while the jobless rate improved from 3.4% to 3.3%. The national core CPI stayed flat instead of showing the projected 0.2% decline. Earlier today, Japan reported a 0.6% decline in preliminary industrial production data for July.

Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)

The Loonie was able to rake in some gains on Friday, thanks to the back-to-back gains in oil prices. Earlier today, New Zealand reported a drop in its ANZ business confidence index from -15.3 to -29.1 while Australia showed a 1.9% drop in company operating profits as expected. Canada’s current account balance is due later on and a smaller deficit is eyed.

By Kate Curtis from Trader's Way