The Dollar was lower against other major currencies with the US Dollar Index (USDX) declining by 0.06%. Lower than expected new home sales numbers and Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) could have pressured the greenback.
The Russian Ruble (RUB) gained over 1% against the Dollar and USD/RUB was thus at a one-month low. This was supported by the upgrade in sovereign rating by the agency S&P above the so-called ‘Junk’ rating after three years.
Gold traded higher supported by a weaker Dollar and falling US Treasury yields. Oil continued its sharp ascend to a 3-weeks high with markets confident about the continuation of the OPEC production cut deal as key player Saudi Arabia stressed their commitment to the deal.
Bitcoin and most other significant cryptocurrencies were trading higher on Monday with Bitcoin again climbing above the $10,000 level after a slump over the weekend. The rise was explained by some with increased interest for cryptocurrencies in the Japanese market as well as the acquisition of the Poloniex platform by currency exchange company Circle.
On Tuesday Japan publishes its Core CPI data late in the Asian trading session. The (ECB) will publish M3 monetary supply as well as private sector lending data. EU wide Economic Sentiment, Industrial Confidence and Consumer Confidence statistics are also due for publication. In Germany CPI data will be released. In the US the influential Durable Goods New Orders statistics are due for release. Furthermore Consumer Confidence (Conference Board) and S&P/Case-Shiller House Price Index 10-City figures will also be released on Tuesday. In Wednesday’s Asian trading session Japan will publish its Industrial Production (IP) data.
The Euro traded stronger against the Dollar on Monday as data from the US was below expectations. New home sales were at 593 thousand (expected 640 / previous 625) and the Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) was at only 0.12 (expected 0.20 / previous 0.27).
On Tuesday the European Central Bank (ECB) will publish M3 monetary supply as well as private sector lending data. EU wide Economic Sentiment, Industrial Confidence and Consumer Confidence statistics are also due for publication. In Germany Consumer Price Index (CPI) data will be released. In the US the influential Durable Goods New Orders statistics are due for release. Furthermore Consumer Confidence (Conference Board) and S&P/Case-Shiller House Price Index 10-City figures will also be released on Tuesday.
Pivot:1.2335Support:1.2281.2261.2235Resistance:1.23351.23551.237Scenario 1:short positions below 1.2335 with targets at 1.2280 & 1.2260 in extension.Scenario 2:above 1.2335 look for further upside with 1.2355 & 1.2370 as targets.Comment:the RSI is mixed to bearish.
Gold
Gold traded higher on Monday, setting a new weekly high. Falling US Treasury yields as well as a weaker Dollar were factors to be considered for the move of the precious metal. Since US Treasury Notes are also seen as safe haven assets, just as gold, falling yields on bonds make non-interest bearing gold comparably more attractive than in times of higher yields.
Furthermore U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission data released on Friday indicated that net long positions in COMEX gold futures by hedge funds and money managers were higher than in the previous report.
The first appearance of the recently appointed Fed Chairman Jerome Powell before the US Congress on Tuesday and Thursday could give clues about the future of the US central bank policy.
Pivot:1341Support:134113431348.5Resistance:134113431348.5Scenario 1:short positions below 1341.00 with targets at 1325.50 & 1321.00 in extension.Scenario 2:above 1341.00 look for further upside with 1343.00 & 1348.50 as targets.Comment:the RSI is mixed to bearish.
WTI Oil
Oil continued its uptrend closing noticeably higher for the third consecutive trading day. Some market analysts attribute this 3-week high after comments from Saudi Arabia over the weekend that it would continue curbing production according to the OPEC deal. The cold wave across Europe could also be a factor as refineries are reportedly delaying maintenance outages.
On Tuesday the American Petroleum Institute (API) will release oil stockpile figures, followed by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Wednesday.
Pivot:63.1Support:63.162.662.3Resistance:64.3564.8565.35Scenario 1:long positions above 63.10 with targets at 64.35 & 64.85 in extension.Scenario 2:below 63.10 look for further downside with 62.60 & 62.30 as targets.Comment:the RSI is mixed to bullish.
US 500
US equity indices continued their recovery closing for the third day in a row higher. This rise is seen to be supported by falling concerns about inflation and falling bond yields. Technology (US Technology ETF +1.51%) and financial (US Financials ETF +1.44%) stocks were some of the best performing sectors on Monday. Utilities (US Utilities ETF -0.40%) stocks however were trading lower.
Mobile chip designer Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) closed 5.06% higher following their announcement that the offer made by Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) (-0.47%) for the takeover needs to be increased from the perspective of Qualcomm.
The Priceline Group, which is a major player in the online tourism industry is due to release its financial results on Tuesday.
Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index and Redbook Store Sales data is also scheduled for release on Tuesday.
Pivot: 2751.75 Support: 2751.75 2729.5 2712.5 Resistance: 2782.5 2797 2820 Scenario 1: long positions above 2751.75 with targets at 2782.50 & 2797.00 in extension. Scenario 2: below 2751.75 look for further downside with 2729.50 & 2712.50 as targets. Comment: the RSI is bullish and calls for further upside.