Forex Major Currencies Outlook (Oct 17, 2014)

The initial jobless claims showed a  264K reading, lower than the estimated 286K figure and indicative of more improvements in the US labor market. Industrial production and capacity utilization data also printed stronger than expected results. US building permits and housing starts are due today, along with the preliminary UoM consumer sentiment index and a speech from Fed head Yellen.

EUR

The euro halted from its recent climb, even though the euro zone saw better than expected economic data. The trade balance beat expectations with a 15.8 billion EUR surplus versus the projected 13.5 billion EUR figure while the previous month’s reading was upgraded. There are no major events lined up in the euro zone today.

GBP

The pound regained ground recently since there were no disappointing reports released from the UK, allowing traders to book profits off their recent pound shorts. There are still no major reports due from the UK economy today, leaving pound pairs sensitive to risk sentiment.

CHF

The franc advanced further to the dollar, thanks to improving euro zone data. There were no reports released from Switzerland yesterday and none are due today, which suggests that market sentiment might be in the driver’s seat of franc price movements.

JPY

The yen gave up some ground, as USDJPY bounced off a key area of interest while other yen pairs also found support at major levels. There have been no reports released from Japan then and none are due today, with risk aversion likely to keep the lower-yielding Japanese yen supported.

Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)

The comdolls were stuck mostly in consolidation to the dollar in recent trading, as the increasing global uncertainties weighed on the higher-yielders’ price action. Data from Canada was mixed, with weaker than expected manufacturing sales but better than expected foreign securities purchases. For today, Canadian CPI figures are up for release and might confirm if the downturn in price pressures also took hold on their economy. 

By Kate Curtis from Trader's Way