First, a review of last week’s events:
- EUR/USD. The German Ministry of Economics has issued a gloomy forecast on the global outlook for the leading EU economy. The statement by the head of the IMF, Christine Lagarde, that the overall growth of the Eurozone economy slowed down, has not inspired investors either. Even the information that the share of the euro in the global reserves of leading countries began to grow could not help the European currency. This share is 20.7% now, and it is still very far from the US dollar with its 61.7%. The market does not forget about the possible resuscitation of the ECB quantitative easing policy (QE).
In general, the week did not work for the euro, and, as most experts assumed (60%), the pair turned to support in the zone 1.1200-1.1215 from the very beginning of the five-day week. However, it managed to achieve it only at the very end of the trading session, on the evening of Friday, June 14; therefore, a breakthrough below this zone did not happen; - GBP/USD. The holders of the British currency are not happy with the news either. And again, the news concern Brexit above all. It is highly likely that the post of the Conservative Party of Great Britain leader and, accordingly, the post of prime minister will be occupied by Boris Johnson. Following the first round, he is supported by 114 legislators. His closest competitor, Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt, has only 43 votes. This does not predict anything good for the pound, since Johnson considers it necessary to reconsider the deal that Teresa May agreed to with the European Union earlier. And this is a clear increase in political risks and another reason for the flight of investors from the British market. As a result, over the past five days, the pair dropped by about 150 points and finished the week at 1.2585;
- USD/JPY. Recall that last week 40% of analysts turned their views to the north, 40% to the south and 20% to the east. It is this equality of strength between bulls and bears that was reflected on the chart of the pair, which spent the whole week in a very narrow range, 108.15-108.80, and completed it at the level 108.55;
- cryptocurrency. On June 14, the President of the United States celebrated his 73rd birthday. A few days earlier, it was announced that Google users are much more likely to search for information about Bitcoin, and not about Donald Trump. There is another piece of news, testifying to the popularity of the basic cryptocurrency. It turns out that 60% of BTC coins have not moved anywhere over the past year, indicating a high investor interest in this asset.
This is confirmed by the fact that, starting from June 10, Bitcoin is steadily growing, approaching the May 31 high at the level of $9,100 once again. On Friday evening, June 14, it managed to reach the height of $8,700, having risen in price by about 15% in five days.
Litecoin (LTC/USD) maintains good momentum as well, at the maximum it reached $143.6. Ethereum (ETH/USD) has not added a single point in two weeks, but the Ripple is moving steadily down, having lost about 10% during the same time.
As for the forecast for the coming week, summarizing the opinions of a number of analysts, as well as forecasts made on the basis of a variety of methods of technical and graphical analysis, we can say the following:
- EUR/USD. The hot breath of another war in the Middle East is felt again. On June 13, two tankers caught fire off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. The US Department of State has accused Iran of a torpedo attack on the ships, Iran denies all the charges. But despite this, the oil price flew up.
The cold trade wars do not subside either. The United States seems to be confident of its victory over China, threatening to expand duties on all Chinese imports if Xi Jinping does not appear to meet with Donald Trump in Osaka, Japan. In response, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced that it would “fight to the end,” putting domestic consumption as a priority. The US threatens the EU with new duties as well.
Now, the upcoming events. If last week was dedicated to inflation, the coming one can be called the week of interest rates. The decision on the interest rate of the US Federal Reserve will be known on Wednesday, June 19, and the Banks of Japan and England will announce their decisions on the rate on Thursday. However, neither in the first, nor in the second, nor in the third case should you expect any sensations, all the rates will most likely remain unchanged. Of much greater interest are the accompanying comments, which may give clearer guidelines on the monetary policy of the mega-regulators. According to the Wall Street Journal experts, the likelihood of a recession in the United States has risen to its highest level since 2011, and therefore 70% of them expect the dollar rate to decline as early as this July-September.
In the meantime, 65% of analysts are expecting the pair to rebound up. The euro may be supported by the rise in oil prices associated with the conflict off the coast of the UAE. The target of the bulls is a return to the level 1.1350, the next target is the zone 1.1420-1.1450.
It is only 35% of the experts who side with the bears. The target is to break through the support around 1.1200-1.1215 and reach the horizon of 1.1100. Over 90% of trend indicators on H4 and D1 stand for the fall of the pair as well. As for the oscillators, the picture is completely different. 70% of them are colored red on H4, and 30% give signals the pair being oversold. A third of the oscillators are red on D1, a third is green, and another third is colored neutral gray; - GBP/USD. If we talk about macroeconomic indicators, in addition to the already mentioned interest rate decision, we are expecting the publication of the Bank of England’s inflation report on Monday and the consumer price index on Wednesday, which are predicted to play against the pound. However, their influence will be not strong and short.
Brexit is still the key factor for this pair's conduct. Markets have almost come to terms with Boris Johnson at the helm of the UK. Now the question is how the EU will respond to his attempt to start negotiations from the scratch. And here again, there is no clarity. That is why the votes of experts are divided almost equally: one third stand for the growth of the pair, one third expect its fall, and one third simply abstain from any forecasts.
As for the indicators, the majority points to the south, but about 10% of the oscillators on H4 and D1 are in the oversold zone; - USD/JPY. Here, the picture is not very clear either. Experts speak about the growth of risk-free sentiment almost unanimously. About the fact that the share of the US dollar in foreign exchange reserves of many countries has reached a historical low. About the fact that countries continue to diversify their assets in favor of safe haven currencies, such as the yen. About the fact that the recent auctions of 10- and 30-year Treasury securities in the United States reduced their profitability and stimulated good demand for the yen. In such circumstances, it would seem the quotes of the Japanese currency should soar to the skies. But the yen ... has been crawling in a narrow channel not exceeding 100 points, for the second week.
However, 80% of experts remain optimistic about its future, predicting a decline of the pair first to the level of 107.80, and then even lower by 80-100 points. Graphical analysis and 70% of trend indicators on D1 agree with this forecast. An alternative point of view is expressed by 20% of analysts. The zones of resistance are 108.85-109.00, 109.70-109.90 and 110.65-110.90;
- Cryptocurrencies. If Bitcoin can reach the May 31 high at $9,100, and then continue to grow steadily, we can say that the fall in the first days of June was nothing more than a correction. The target of bulls is the symbolic height of $10,000 per coin. 70% of experts are sure that this will happen if not until the end of June, then during the summer. The remaining 30% are more pessimistic and believe that we will soon see the pair BTC/USD in the $7,500–8,000 area.
Roman Butko, NordFX
Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.
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