Forex Major Currencies Outlook (July 18, 2016)

Headline retail sales rose 0.6% versus the projected 0.1% uptick while core retail sales advanced 0.7% versus the estimated 0.4% gain. Headline and core CPI came in line with expectations of 0.2% gains.There are no major reports due from the US economy today.

EUR

The euro gave up most of its recent gains at the end of the week when the attacks in Nice and the coup in Turkey weighed on market sentiment in the region. Final CPI readings in the euro zone were unchanged from the initial estimates for a 0.1% uptick in the headline figure and a 0.9% gain for the core reading. There are no major reports due from the region today.

GBP

The pound slumped on Friday as traders booked profits off the currency's post-BOE relief rally. There were no new reports out of the UK then and BOE Governor Carney didn't share any clues on the central bank's next moves in his testimony that day, but investors seem to be pricing in an August cut already. There are no reports due from the UK today.

CHF

The franc had a mixed performance as it lost ground to the dollar but advanced to the euro and pound. There were no reports out of the Swiss economy then so the currency likely reacted to changing market sentiment. There are still no reports due from Switzerland today.

JPY

The yen got back on its feet on Friday as traders probably booked profits off their yen shorts from earlier in the week. In addition, data from China was mostly better than expected, reviving confidence in the Asian market. There are no reports due from Japan today.

Commodity Currencies (AUD, NZD, CAD)

The comdolls were off to a good start thanks to mostly upbeat Chinese data. The Q2 GDP held steady at 6.7% while industrial production rose from 6.0% to 6.2% instead of falling to 5.9%. Over the weekend, New Zealand printed a weaker than expected quarterly CPI of 0.4% and the RBNZ noted that they will provide an update on the economy by the end of this week. There are no major reports due from the comdoll economies today.

By Kate Curtis from Trader's Way