Forex Major Currencies Outlook (July 15, 2016)

Initial jobless claims stood at 254K versus the 263K forecast while PPI reports also beat expectations. US retail sales and CPI are up for release today. Analysts are expecting to see a 0.1% uptick in headline retail sales and a 0.4% increase in core retail sales. Headline and core CPI could show 0.2% gains. Preliminary UoM consumer sentiment data is also up for release.

EUR

The euro followed in the pound's footsteps and rallied when the BOE refrained from cutting interest rates. There were no major reports out of the euro zone economy yesterday while today has the trade balance and final CPI readings due. Stronger than expected data could allow the shared currency to hold on to its gains and go for more.

GBP

The pound staged a strong rally when the BOE decided to sit on its hands instead of cutting interest rates. However this keeps the possibility of an August easing announcement in play, as the MPC minutes showed that policymakers discussed a range of stimulus options. BOE Governor Carney has a testimony lined up today.

CHF

The franc gave up ground to its peers as European traders flocked to the pound and euro. Data from Switzerland was weaker than expected as producer prices showed a meager 0.1% uptick versus the projected 0.2% increase. There are no reports due from the Swiss economy today.

JPY

The yen consolidated to its peers as traders continued to wait for more easing clues from the Japanese government and central bank. There were no major reports out of Japan yesterday and none are due today, which suggests that risk appetite could push yen pairs around.

Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)

The comdolls saw a lot of volatility as risk sentiment kept switching. Data from Australia came in weaker than expected as hiring grew by 7.9K versus the projected 10.1K increase. Traders are holding out for the release of top-tier data from China today, as the world's second largest economy is scheduled to print its Q2 GDP, retail sales, fixed asset investment, and industrial production reports.

By Kate Curtis from Trader's Way