Forex news and trading headlines 25 Jan 2016

News:

  • Trump to confirm plans later today for building the US-Mexico wall
  • UK lawmakers press May for a White Paper on Brexit terms
  • Pound pauses for breath after earlier surge
  • GBPUSD pops 1.2550 as GBPJPY buyers dominate
  • China's commercial banks' NPL ratio 1.74% at end-2016
  • We will probably have to live with low interest rates until further notice - Bundesbank's Dombret
  • Germany is not seeing the Trump effect yet
  • Greece and its creditors may find agreement on second bailout review at February Eurogroup meeting
  • German economic ministry confirms GDP forecast at 1.4% for 2017
  • Japan's fiscal discipline targets now more difficult to achieve due to lower tax revenues
  • Fitch see rising risks to India's housing sector
  • Global 2016 crude steel output yy +0.8% at 1,629mln tonnes
  • Option expiries for the 10 am NY cut today 25 Jan
  • Nikkei 225 closes up +1.43% at 19,057.50

Data:

  • January 2017 UK CBI industrial trends orders 5 vs 2 exp
  • Germany Jan IFO business climate 109.8 vs 111.3 exp
  • December 2016 Italian trade balance flash 5.68bn vs 3.97bn prior
  • Italy Nov industrial orders mm +1.5% vs +1.0% exp
  • Spain December PPI mm +1.5% vs +0.2% prev
  • France Jan mftg confidence 106 as expected
  • Switzerland CS Jan survey expectations 18.5 vs 12.9 prev
  • Switzerland UBS December consumption indicator 1.5 vs 1.45 prev

A game of two halves as early USD demand saw GBPUSD dip below 1.2500 and EURUSD test 1.0700-10 with USDJPY nudging up to test 113.80.

It wasn't long though before the inherent USDJPY demand lent itself to GBPJPY buying to 143.18 and that sent GBPUSD finally up through 1.2550 to test 1.2600 with EURGBP down to 0.8530

EURUSD got a lift up from the EURJPY demand to post 1.0770 while AUDUSD dragged itself off the floor after cpi/gold double-whammy selling to 0.7515. CADJPY demand and USD supply helped push USDCAD down to 1.3088 from 1.3140.

Equities had a good session opening higher and making further gains while oil and commodities remained generally softer.

So we continue to trade in very fickle times with Weidmann, Jordan and Carney all still to come with possible news bombs before the day is out.