The U.S. dollar inched higher against its main rivals Friday, snapping three sessions of losses, as fears of a Greek default drove the dollar higher.
The Labor Department said Friday that core consumer prices rose 0.2% in March on the back of higher gas prices, matching expectations of economists polled by MarketWatch. Core prices increased by the same amount in February.
Aside from Friday's gauge of consumer-price inflation, U.S. economic data released since Monday has been weak, weighing on the dollar and suggesting that the Fed will wait longer before raising interest rates.
Greece's Kathimerini newspaper reported Friday that central banks of Southeastern European countries have told subsidiaries of Greek lenders operating in their countries to exit all exposure to Greek sovereign debt, which the market interpreted as a sign that a Greek default is imminent.
Sebastien Galy, director of FX strategy at Société Générale, said that Greek default fears were driving investors into the dollar.
Elsewhere, the Canadian dollar rallied against its U.S. counterpart after retail sales for February and the March consumer-price index came in above economists' expectations.
EUR/USD: $1.0400 (E581M), $1.0450 (E478M), $1.0600 (E612M), $1.0800 (E575M)
EUR/GBP: Gbp0.7214 (E300M)
USD/CAD: C$1.2300 ($480M)
NZD/USD: $0.7580 (NZ$2.4B)
USD/JPY: Y120.00 ($1.8B), Y121.20 ($500M), Y121.40 ($401M)
EUR/USD
Offers 1.0800 1.0820 1.0840 1.0865 1.0880 1.0900
Bids 1.0760 1.0740 1.0725 1.0700 1.0650-55 1.0620 1.0600
GBP/USD
Offers 1.4980-85 1.5000 1.5025-35 1.5050 1.5080 1.5100
Bids 1.4950 1.4930 1.4900 1.4885 1.4840 1.4800 1.4780 1.4750-55
EUR/JPY
Offers 128.30 128.60 129.00 129.50
Bids 127.80 127.50 127.00 126.85 126.50
USD/JPY
Offers 119.15-25 119.55-60 119.75-80 120.00 120.20 120.50
Bids 118.70 118.50-55 118.25-30 118.00 117.85
EUR/GBP
Offers 0.7220-25 0.7250-55 0.7270 0.7285 0.7300 0.7320-25 0.7350
Bids 0.7175-80 0.7155-60 0.7135 0.7115 0.7100
AUD/USD
Offers 0.7825-30 0.7860 0.7880 0.7900
Bids 0.7800 0.7780-85 0.7750 0.7735 0.7700-05
EUR/USD: $1.0400 (E581M), $1.0450 (E478M), $1.0600 (E612M), $1.0800 (E575M)
EUR/GBP: Gbp0.7214 (E300M)
USD/CAD: C$1.2300 ($480M)
NZD/USD: $0.7580 (NZ$2.4B)
USD/JPY: Y120.00 ($1.8B), Y121.20 ($500M), Y121.40 ($401M)
EUR / USD
Resistance levels (open interest**, contracts)
$1.0885 (1038)
$1.0858 (601)
$1.0832 (69)
Price at time of writing this review: $1.0771
Support levels (open interest**, contracts):
$1.0728 (1293)
$1.0688 (1926)
$1.0635 (2321)
Comments:
- Overall open interest on the CALL options with the expiration date May, 8 is 56031 contracts, with the maximum number of contracts with strike price $1,1200 (6121);
- Overall open interest on the PUT options with the expiration date May, 8 is 71309 contracts, with the maximum number of contracts with strike price $1,0000 (9095);
- The ratio of PUT/CALL was 1.27 versus 1.31 from the previous trading day according to data from April, 16
GBP/USD
Resistance levels (open interest**, contracts)
$1.5208 (724)
$1.5111 (1659)
$1.5016 (2354)
Price at time of writing this review: $1.4942
Support levels (open interest**, contracts):
$1.4884 (1543)
$1.4788 (2344)
$1.4691 (2520)
Comments:
- Overall open interest on the CALL options with the expiration date May, 8 is 22962 contracts, with the maximum number of contracts with strike price $1,5000 (2354);
- Overall open interest on the PUT options with the expiration date May, 8 is 32796 contracts, with the maximum number of contracts with strike price $1,4400 (3719);
- The ratio of PUT/CALL was 1.43 versus 1.29 from the previous trading day according to data from April, 16
* - The Chicago Mercantile Exchange bulletin (CME) is used for the calculation.
** - Open interest takes into account the total number of option contracts that are open at the moment.
(Time/ Region/ Event/ Period/ Previous/ Forecast/ Actual)
08:00 Japan Consumer Confidence March 40.7 41.4 41.7
The Dollar Spot Index, a gauge of the currency against 10 major counterparts, was little changed amid a weekly retreat of 1.5 percent, the most since the five days to March 20. Investors are poring over U.S. economic reports as they try to determine the Federal Reserve's likely path on interest rates. Officials from the U.S. central bank continued to provide conflicting signals Thursday, spurring fluctuations in Treasuries.
Fed Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer sent Treasuries tumbling last session after reminding investors that the central bank wants to boost key borrowing costs. Fed Bank of Atlanta President Dennis Lockhart then halted the selloff, saying he wanted to see both falling unemployment and quickening inflation prior to the first rate increase.
The currencies of Australia and New Zealand pared their advances this week as commodity prices dropped. Iron ore, the nation's biggest export earner, fell below $50 on Thursday.
EUR / USD: during the Asian session the pair traded in the range of $1.0750-85
GBP / USD: during the Asian session the pair traded in the range of $1.4920-45
USD / JPY: during the Asian session the pair traded in the range Y118.85-15
The next hurdle for the euro will come from eurozone CPI due later today at 0900 GMT.
(pare/closed(GMT +3)/change, %)
EUR/JPY $1,0763 +0,79%
GBP/USD $1,4933 +0,68%
USD/CHF Chf0,9559 -0,96%
USD/JPY Y119,00 -0,09%
EUR/JPY Y128,08 +0,69%
GBP/JPY Y177,69 +0,59%
AUD/USD $0,7793 +1,54%
NZD/USD $0,7662 +1,00%
USD/CAD C$1,2190 -0,85%