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The lack of fresh economic news kept the Forex markets in check most of the
day but the U.S. Dollar did post a gain against most majors. The gains and
losses were split between relatively lower yielding European currencies and
the higher yielding Pacific Rim currencies.
The EUR USD started the day slightly better led by the performance in European
equity markets but turned negative throughout the U.S. session. Fed Chairman
Bernanke's upbeat comments on Friday seemed to have worn off with traders instead
choosing to focus on the more subdued comments by European Central Bank President
Trichet. Thoughts that the U.S. economy was recovering faster than the Euro
Zone may have also weighed on the Euro.
Traders continued to press the GBP USD lower in a move that began August 6th
when the Bank of England announced an increase in the funding for its asset-buyback
program. This announcement is being perceived as bearish because it is basically
a license to print money. Furthermore, the prospect of a huge budget deficit
is also being seen as a major negative.
The Dollar gained back some ground versus the Swiss Franc. Last week the USD
CHF was under pressure after the Swiss National Bank decided to sell its interest
in UBS after the banking giant reached an agreement with the U.S. Internal
Revenue Service. This news sent a signal that the Swiss banking system had
stabilized.
The USD JPY posted a gain for the day on the strength in U.S. equity markets
and the thought of a U.S. economic recovery. The quick rise in the stock market
the past few days renewed interest in the carry trade. Bernanke's comment that
the U.S. may be on the road to recovery put additional pressure on the Yen
as the Japanese economy is expected to continue to flounder.
The USD CAD fell as Canadian Dollar bulls turned optimistic about the economy
after a much better than expected Canadian retail sales report. The recent
gains in the Canadian Dollar have just about all of its earlier losses for
the month.
The Dollar lost ground to the higher yielding Australian and New Zealand Dollars.
The AUD USD and NZD USD gained as demand for higher yields remained high with
the recent surge in equity markets. Gains were limited as these two markets
approached their highs for the year. There was also selling pressure into the
close as both the Aussie and Kiwi weakened along with equity markets.
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