Forex Market Watch 29 January 2024 – 1 February 2024

Forex Market Watch 29 January 2024 – 1 February 2024

Mainstream currencies on a red background with a bar graph, representing the AI trading market and the forex news.

Article by: ETO Markets

As Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell ruled out a rate drop at the upcoming March meeting, the US dollar gained momentum. Considering that the Fed decided to keep interest rates at their current levels, this result was mostly expected. Chairman Powell underscored the continued high level of inflation and the strong pace of economic expansion, suggesting that rate decreases are not as likely as they once were. The direction of the Federal Reserve's easing cycle and market mood are expected to be significantly impacted by the upcoming jobs and inflation reports.

The manufacturing sector in China appeared to be growing steadily in January, as indicated by the fact that the Caixin Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index stayed at 50.8. The market anticipated a reading of 50.6. The US dollar's increase was tempered by the further boost to risk sentiment in Asia, which encouraged gold purchasers to take back control. Furthermore, the non-yielding gold price is gaining ground because to the ongoing weakening in US Treasury bond yields across the curve.

Now, all eyes are on Friday's US Nonfarm Payrolls data, which should confirm the Fed's decision to postpone lowering interest rates until May. For new trading momentum in the gold price ahead of time, traders will be examining the US Jobless Claims, Unit Labor Cost, and the ISM Manufacturing PMI data. The market's expectations for the dovish Fed tilt may be reassessed in light of the impending data.

German CPI inflation eased earlier than anticipated on Wednesday, following an early decline in German retail sales. Retail sales in Germany fell 1.6% MoM in December, which was worse than expected. However, the country's January unemployment rate decreased to 5.8% from 5.9% in December. These developments contributed to investor optimism in the middle of the week on the European Central Bank's potential to accelerate rate cuts.

The EUR/USD pair has a negative bias. On the daily chart, the pair is swaying around a flat 200-SMA, but the 20-SMA is still bearish above the present level and offers dynamic resistance near ... 

The 4-hour chart indicates that the EUR/USD pair is neutral in the short run. Even though the longer moving averages are heading much below the present level, the pair is now developing around a flat 20-SMA. While this was going on, technical indicators started to swing higher but are now having difficulty breaking through their midlines, which is restricting the bullish potential.

The USD/JPY pair is being undermined by a number of factors, including Retail Sales and Industrial Production, which were released this Wednesday. Aside from this, the USD/JPY pair benefits from the beginning of some US Dollar purchasing, which is encouraged by the decreasing likelihood of a more aggressive Fed policy easing in 2024. The Bank of Japan's hawkish stance, ongoing concerns about a further escalation of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, and China's economic difficulties, however, counteract the supporting factor and provide some support for the safe-haven JPY.

For the last two weeks or so, the USD/JPY pair has been moving in a well-known range around the 100-DMA. This suggests that traders may be undecided about the course of the following leg of a directional move, and prudence is advised. Meanwhile, the … level may be able to halt the current decline, and any further decline is probably going to find strong support close to the swing low from last week, which is located in the … area. 

Conversely, any further advance is more likely to run into strong resistance at … and stay capped near ... The next significant obstacle is estimated to be in the … range, close to the monthly top.

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Disclaimer

ETO Markets Limited is registered in Seychelles with Company Number 850672-1 and authorised by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), Licence Number SD062; ETO Markets LLC is registered in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines with Company Number 3286LLC2023.


The information provided on this website is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. Please note that investing in CFDs and Margin FX Contracts carries significant risks and is not suitable for all investors. You don’t own, or have, any interest in the underlying assets. Any information or general financial product advice given is generic in nature and does not take into account your financial situation, needs or personal objectives. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Investing in leveraged products carries significant risks. We recommend that you seek independent advice and ensure that you fully understand the risks involved before trading. It is important that you read and consider our disclosure documents
(Privacy Policy & Risk Disclosure) before you acquire any product.

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Disclaimer

ETO Markets Limited is registered in Seychelles with Company Number 850672-1 and authorised by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), Licence Number SD062; ETO Markets LLC is registered in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines with Company Number 3286LLC2023.


The information provided on this website is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. Please note that investing in CFDs and Margin FX Contracts carries significant risks and is not suitable for all investors. You don’t own, or have, any interest in the underlying assets. Any information or general financial product advice given is generic in nature and does not take into account your financial situation, needs or personal objectives. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Investing in leveraged products carries significant risks. We recommend that you seek independent advice and ensure that you fully understand the risks involved before trading. It is important that you read and consider our disclosure documents
(Privacy Policy & Risk Disclosure) before you acquire any product.

2024 ETO Markets | All rights reserved

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Disclaimer

ETO Markets Limited is registered in Seychelles with Company Number 850672-1 and authorised by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), Licence Number SD062; ETO Markets LLC is registered in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines with Company Number 3286LLC2023.


The information provided on this website is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. Please note that investing in CFDs and Margin FX Contracts carries significant risks and is not suitable for all investors. You don’t own, or have, any interest in the underlying assets. Any information or general financial product advice given is generic in nature and does not take into account your financial situation, needs or personal objectives. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Investing in leveraged products carries significant risks. We recommend that you seek independent advice and ensure that you fully understand the risks involved before trading. It is important that you read and consider our disclosure documents
(Privacy Policy & Risk Disclosure) before you acquire any product.

2024 ETO Markets | All rights reserved

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