S&P 500 Chart Warns of Indecision, Dollar to Challenge Key Support

S&P 500 – Prices put in a Doji candlestick below resistance at the top of a rising channel set from late December, pointing to indecision and hinting and move lower may be ahead after two consecutive days of gains. Initial support lines up at the 1300 figure. Channel resistance is now at 1322.40.

CRUDE OIL – Prices are once again testing support at 97.70 following a rejection at familiar resistance in the 101.28-103.35 region. The downside is reinforced by resistance-turned-support at the top of a falling channel set from mid-November, now at 96.85. A break below the latter boundary initially exposes 95.78, the November 23 close.

GOLD – Prices are testing support-turned-resistance in the 1666.37-1677.05 region, with a break higher exposing the 1700/oz figure. Near-term support lines up at 1638.84, with a break below that initially targeting 1615.65.

US DOLLAR – Prices broke below the midline and top of a falling channel in place since mid-December, exposing a former Head & Shoulders neckline at 9823 as sellers’ next objective. A breach of this level on a daily closing basis would amount to a meaningful bearish change in tone for the greenback. The channel midline, now effectively at the 9900 figure, has been recast as near-term resistance.

EUR/USD: Remain Short Through Upswing

I entered short EURUSD at 1.3526 on November 9 expecting the Eurozone debt crisis to continue to spread and moved my stop to 1.3231 after the pair met my secondary objective at 1.2872, aiming for the next target at 1.2586. Prices took out resistance at the top of a falling channel set from early November last week, hinting the correction I was waiting for is gaining momentum. Near-term resistance begins at 1.3144. I will look for the upswing to yield an opportunity to add to the trade, aiming for renewed selling in the weeks ahead.

MARKET VIBRATIONS: DYNAMIC INTRADAY NEWS COMMENTARY

OVERALL RISK: bullish

US EQUITIY FUTURES: Slightly bearish

CURRENCY WINNER/LOSER: +NZD, -GBP

1010 GMT French Presidential election frontrunner Hollande is talking tough on banks, pledging if elected to separate investment activities from other activities as well as ban them from tax havens. He has also proposed a new Franco-German treaty to increase cooperation. Geopolitics has dominated headlines this morning with the German Foreign Minister pledging to increase EU pressure aimed at stopping funding that the EU suspects is being used to develop nukes.

0853 GMT EURUSD has rallied strongly above 1.2900 and is now at 1.2930. Sources are saying Middle Eastern buyers are behind the move. German Foreigm Minister Westerwelle is now speaking in Brussels, says Iran sanctions are aimed at cutting funds for nukes, adding that EU will agree to sanctions. NYMEX is volitile on Iran developments. Bonds are seeing some strength ahead of the EU summit with EMU peripheral 10-years looking better.

0745 GMT Greek PSI update: reports are saying bondholders have made their final and "maximum" debt swap offer to the EU and IMF. Italy's Monti and ECB's Draghi have voiced a desire to see the ESM expanded by 100% to EUR 1tln. SNB quashes EURCHF speculation, saying will defend 1.2000 peg with "utmost determination." French BusCon indicator for January comes in at 91, versus expected 95 and previous 94.

0645 GMT In European trade this morning, commodity currencies continue to be strong. The Asian session saw some comments saying that Italy wants an increased EU bailout fund, as well as a vote by Croatia to join the EU. Keep heads up for German and French auction results later today, as well as the EU FinMin meeting.

FOREX: Euro Debt Crisis in Focus as Finance Ministers Meeting Looms 

The Eurozone debt crisis remains in focus as traders look to a meeting of the currency bloc’s finance ministers today for details of the much-anticipated “fiscal compact” aimed at introducing structural reforms to restore confidence and rein in borrowing costs ahead of a larger EU leaders’ summit next week. Also on the agenda is a final agreement on the degree of private-sector involvement (so-called “PSI”) in the Greek bailout. The agreement on a 50 percent haircut for the country’s creditors hashed out in October now looks like it may unravel.

The newswires point to a loose agreement whereby private creditors would accept losses of as much as 65-70 percent on their holdings of Greek debt but the particulars of a bond swap exchanging outstanding paper for new longer-dated maturities to help the country finance its immediate obligations remain elusive. If the talks fail, Greece may yet face a disorderly default that threatens to throw credit markets at large into turmoil. Indeed, a PSI agreement is vital to releasing a tranche of funding from the second EU/IMF bailout for the beleaguered country needed to cover €14.5 billion in debt maturing in March. The main point of contention is reportedly the coupon rate assigned to the new bonds.

Against this backdrop, France and Germany will tap the markets to sell €7.3 billion and €3 billion in shorter-term debt, respectively. Paris will be selling 91-, 168- and 350-day bills while Berlin will offer 12-month paper. As usual, traders will keep an eye on prevailing yield and bid-to-cover readings following the auctions for a reading on the degree of solvency stress in the markets. On the data front, a quiet European docket is likely to put the spotlight on the Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index reading due out in the US, where forecasts call for the highest print in 8 months.

Asia Session: What Happened

GMT	CCY	EVENT	ACT	EXP	PREV
0:30	AUD	Producer Price Index (QoQ) (4Q)	0.3%	0.4%	0.6%
0:30	AUD	Producer Price Index (YoY) (4Q)	2.9%	3.0%	2.7%
5:00	JPY	Supermarket Sales (YoY) (DEC)	-0.6%	-	-2.3%

Euro Session: What to Expect

GMT	CCY	EVENT	EXP	PREV	IMPACT
7:45	EUR	French Own-Company Production Outlook (JAN)	-	-2	Low
7:45	EUR	French Production Outlook Indicator (JAN)	-36	-37	Low
7:45	EUR	French Business Confidence Indicator (JAN)	95	94	Low
8:00	CHF	Money Supply M3 (YoY) (DEC)	-	7.2%	Low
8:00	CHF	Real Estate Index Family Homes (4Q)	-	398.6	Low
10:15	EUR	Germany to Sell €3B in 12mo Bonds	-	-	Medium
14:00	EUR	France to Sell €7.3B in 91-350 day Bills			Medium
15:00	EUR	Euro Zone Consumer Confidence (JAN A)	-21.4	-21.1	Medium
16:00	EUR	Euro Zone Finance Ministers Meet in Brussels	-	-	High

Critical Levels

CCY	SUPPORT	RESISTANCE
EURUSD	1.2883	1.2982
GBPUSD	1.5492	1.5620

 

Dollar at the Mercy of Risk Trends Early, Fed and 4Q GDP on Deck

Dollar at the Mercy of Risk Trends Early, Fed and 4Q GDP on Deck

Though the dollar managed to regain a little lost ground against the euro Friday, the currency was still under pressure into the close. For the Dow Jones FXCM Dollar Index, this would lead to a fifth consecutive daily (open-to-close) bearish close – the longest series of losses for the benchmark currency since the run through October 10th. The opportunity to press new 12-month highs has considerably diminished, but it is still early to claim the greenback has made a critical bearish change in trend. Moving forward, there are two key fundamental considerations to monitor for guidance on the dollar: the sentiment surrounding the euro and the progress in underlying risk appetite trends. For the greenback’s most liquid counterpart, the relief of an impending crisis has dissipated, and the euro can continue to draw capital away from the world’s most extreme safe haven. Investor sentiment itself is what we should be most concerned with. The S&P 500 has capped a three-week advance to five month highs, yet conviction is still flimsy. It could find a serious booster however if the Fed hints at QE3 or US 4Q GDP impresses this week.

Euro Advance Takes a Step Back as Market Awaits Word on Greece

Having posted its best rally against the benchmark dollar in three months against a foul-weather fundamental backdrop, it makes sense to have seen the euro ease into the close of this past week. Considering the region’s troubles are so well known at this point, the currency is running fully on speculation of the timing for expected troubles. A side effect of knowing that you are fighting the current, however, is a greater sensitive to holding risk through lockups. With the weekend approaching and negotiations over the discount on private holding of Greek debt ongoing, it is natural to ease the risk of a long euro exposure a little.

Heading into the new trading week, there is a list of potential fundamental threats; but the weight of their influence has lessened considerably from just a few weeks ago. Given expected time frames, the terms of the private sector investors’ accommodation for Greece’s debt burden will be the first concern. The current consensus is still for a 50 percent haircut (essentially debt forgiveness), in a roll to new 30-year bonds with a significantly reduced 3.0 to 4.75 percent coupon. Anything along these lines could buy us a little more time of disregard for real fundamental threats. We have come to expect the same quick-fix and we’ll-fix-it-later policy decisions to follow the EU Finance Minister summit on Monday. A little more open to surprise are the growth-based economic indicators and the ECB’s three-month liquidity tender due in the first 48 hours.

British Pound: Will We See Confirmation of Policy Official’s Recession Warnings

If there is a recession or region-wide financial crisis for the Euro Zone, it is highly likely that the United Kingdom is not far behind (if it is not already suffering the same fate). The relationship between euro and sterling price action against third party currencies is exceptional due to its fundamental connections, but there are still external factors that can offer a degree of separation. Those alternative factors led to the significant swing in EURGBP over the past week. The three-day rally through Thursday was the influence of the euro’s relief rally and the sterling lagging response. Friday’s plunge was encouraged by rising gilt yields but follow through requires something more. A bullish surprise in the face of growing recession fears for the UK could offer a relief rally akin to what the euro has enjoyed. With 4Q GDP seen contracting, the line is drawn.

Gold Working on its Best January Performance Since 2008

So far this year, gold is up 6.6 percent. This represents the first time in three years that we could see a positive opening month and it is generally the best performance for the period since 2008. Under normal circumstances, we could say this strength was guided by anti-dollar capital flows; but the rolling, 20-day (trading month) correlation between the fiat and metal has deteriorated significantly recently. Furthermore, we see that the relationship between the traditionally safe commodity and risk-inclined S&P 500 is tightening (currently 0.83 – 1.00 being perfect). From this, we can are seeing the distribution of speculative capital from absolute liquidity havens to relative (but expensive) safe havens.

ECONOMIC DATA

Next 24 Hours

GMT	Currency	Release	Survey	Previous	Comments
0:30	AUD	Producer Price Index (QoQ) (4Q)		0.6%	Another item that will influence the RBA in its decision-making at the Feb 7 meeting
0:30	AUD	Producer Price Index (YoY) (4Q)		2.7%
7:45	EUR	French Own-Company Production Outlook (JAN)		-2	French business confidence has been sliding since mid-2011 on worsening Eurozone outlook
7:45	EUR	French Production Outlook Indicator (JAN)		-37
7:45	EUR	French Business Confidence Indicator (JAN)		94
8:00	CHF	Money Supply M3 YoY (DEC)		7.2%	The 12-month average hit a May 2004 high with the last reading.
8:00	CHF	Real Estate Index Family Homes (4Q)		398.6	Looking for exchange rate influence for growth bearing
13:30	CAD	Leading Indicators MoM (DEC)		0.8%	Will act as a placeholder for year-end GDP speculation
15:00	EUR	Euro-Zone Consumer Confidence (JAN A)		-21.1	Has weakened since mid-2011
23:00	AUD	Conference Board Leading Index (NOV)		0.6%	Signs of a slowing economy coupled with weakening inflation would boost rate cut concerns

GMT	Currency	Upcoming Events & Speeches
10:15	EUR	German Bill Auction
11:45	EUR	Germany’s Merkel Meets with Belgian Prime Minister Di Rupo in Berlin
14:00	EUR	French Bill Auction
16:00	EUR	Euro-Area Finance Ministers Meet in Brussels
17:00	EUR	Germany’s Merkel Speaks in Berlin

SUPPORT AND RESISTANCE LEVELS

EMERGING MARKETS & SCANDIES CURRENCIES 18:00 GMT

Currency	USD/MXN	USD/TRY	USD/ZAR	USD/HKD	USD/SGD		Currency	USD/SEK	USD/DKK	USD/NOK
Resist 2	16.5000	2.0000	9.2080	7.8165	1.3650		Resist 2	7.5800	5.6625	6.1150
Resist 1	14.3200	1.9000	8.5800	7.8075	1.3250		Resist 1	6.5175	5.3100	5.7075
Spot	13.1813	1.8298	7.9516	7.7618	1.2719		Spot	6.7826	5.7501	5.9324
Support 1	12.6000	1.6500	6.5575	7.7490	1.2000		Support 1	6.0800	5.1050	5.3040
Support 2	11.5200	1.5725	6.4295	7.7450	1.1800		Support 2	5.8085	4.9115	4.9410

INTRA-DAY PROBABILITY BANDS 18:00 GMT

\Currency	EUR/USD	GBP/USD	USD/JPY	USD/CHF	USD/CAD	AUD/USD	NZD/USD	EUR/JPY	GBP/JPY
Resist. 3	1.3096	1.5727	77.65	0.9464	1.0227	1.0620	0.8168	100.92	121.26
Resist. 2	1.3055	1.5689	77.49	0.9434	1.0203	1.0586	0.8142	100.59	120.94
Resist. 1	1.3014	1.5652	77.33	0.9405	1.0179	1.0552	0.8116	100.27	120.61
Spot	1.2931	1.5576	77.01	0.9345	1.0132	1.0484	0.8063	99.62	119.97
Support 1	1.2848	1.5500	76.69	0.9285	1.0085	1.0416	0.8010	98.97	119.32
Support 2	1.2807	1.5463	76.53	0.9256	1.0061	1.0382	0.7984	98.65	119.00
Support 3	1.2766	1.5425	76.37	0.9226	1.0037	1.0348	0.7958	98.32	118.67

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Technical Analysis for Currency Markets by Me and Ze Capital Management

Looking to Buy Euro Dips

The market has finally managed to find some bids and although the broader underlying trend remains intensely bearish, the risks from here are for additional corrective gains back towards the 50 and 100-Day SMAs in the 1.3100-1.3400 area before the next lower top carves out. Some falling trend-line resistance has already been broken on the daily chart and the 10-Day SMA looks to be on the verge of crossing back above the 20-Day SMA to provide added confirmation for short-term bullish structural shift. Setbacks should now be well supported ahead of 1.2800

GBP/USD Classical Technical Report

GBP/USD:The market has mostly been locked in some sideways chop over the past few weeks with any rallies very well capped ahead of 1.5800 and setbacks supported on dips below 1.5300. Until either side is convincingly broken, we would expect to see additional range trade. Therefore the preferred strategy is to look to buy range dips and sell by range highs. Only a weekly close above 1.5800 or below 1.5250 would give reason for outlook shift.

 

USD/JPY Classical Technical Report

 USD/JPY:Despite the latest pullbacks, we continue to hold onto our constructive outlook while the market holds above 76.55 on a daily close basis. We believe that any setbacks from here should be limited in favor of a fresh upside extension back towards 79.55 over the coming weeks. Look for a break above 78.30 to confirm and accelerate, while only a daily close below 76.55 negates and gives reason for pause.