EUR/USD

Weekly Analysis: Last week the bullish movement continued, on the back of US Dollar weakness which was mostly generated by the dovish stance of the Fed and their decision to maintain rates unchanged. Previous to their latest meeting the Fed had planned 4 rate hikes during 2016 and now they lowered the expectation to just 2.

Technical Outlook 

Price is bouncing at 1.1320 resistance but it’s very possible to see a move into 1.1375. If the pair reaches this mark, a double top is likely to form; this is a bearish pattern which combined with the overbought position of the Stochastic and Relative Strength Index will generate downward pressure and a potential move into 1.1210 or even lower. Although the latest impulse is bullish, overall price is ranging and this favors a bounce into lower territory but a bullish breakout would invalidate such scenario.

Fundamental Outlook

Monday is a slow day but action picks up Tuesday with the release of the German IFO Business Climate, a survey derived from the opinions of about 7,000 businesses regarding economic and business conditions for the next 6 months. The same day the German ZEW Economic Sentiment survey comes out; this is another survey but is based on the opinions of about 275 German investors and analysts. Higher numbers than expected for both surveys usually strengthen the Euro.

Wednesday is another lackluster day, followed Thursday by the U.S. Durable Goods orders, an indicator that measures changes in orders placed for goods with a life duration of at least 3 years. Friday most European banks will be closed in observance of Good Friday and the United States release the Final version of the Gross Domestic Product. Although this is the least important version, better numbers can still have a positive impact on the US Dollar. 

GBP/USD

The pair bounced strongly at support last week and continued higher although the Band of England maintained the rate unchanged. Most of the bullish movement was generated by the Fed meeting and greenback weakness.

Technical Outlook

The current climb is likely to continue into the zone surrounding 1.4565 but once it gets there we expect a bounce lower. This potential move lower is likely to find support at the 50 period Exponential Moving Average or at 1.4350 but keep in mind the downtrend is severely weakened now so we may see the start of an uptrend or a period of ranging movement. The Stochastic is overbought, favoring a move south but the Relative Strength Index doesn’t show an extreme condition so the picture painted by the oscillators is blurry.

Fundamental Outlook

The week ahead is slow, with the main event being the British Consumer Price Index scheduled for release Tuesday. This is the main gauge of inflation and usually a higher number is beneficial for the Pound, especially since the current value is considered too low. Thursday the Pound will be affected by the British Retail Sales release and Friday UK banks are closed, celebrating Good Friday. As always, the U.S. events released throughout the week will directly affect the pair’s behavior.

Written by: Bogdan Giulvezan