HotForex

Employment in focus on both sides the border https://blog.hotforex.com/employment-in-focus-on-both-sides-the-border/

In Canada the central bank’s focus is on employment and the recent figures don’t encourage the Bank of Canada to raise rates even though the inflation figures have lately been positive. The employment change reported last Friday was -10.7K instead of positive expectation of 5.3K. This compares quite badly to the same period a year earlier with employment increasing by 146K. On the southern side of Canada’s border the US employment figures are developing above expectations. Non-Farm Payrolls increased by 321.000 instead of 231.000 jobs expected by analysts and the average hourly earnings came in last Friday at 0.4% instead of 0.2% expectations. At the same time the analysts are expecting the Fed to drop their “low rates for considerable time” language soon. It is expected that the Fed will raise rates in six months’ time should this happen. The Bank of Canada’s governor Poloz speaks this Thursday (11th December). He is known to be dovish and the markets are expecting that after the last Friday’s employment figures he will continue with dovish statements. All this is likely to support USDCAD which is still trending higher.

USDCAD, Weekly

The market has been trending higher since June and the pair has pushed through a pivot high that was accompanied with a very long term 50% Fibonacci level (calculated from March 2009 peak to July 2011 low). USDCAD is now approaching levels of a weekly pivot from July 2009 (61.8% Fibonacci retracement level at 1.1674 coincides with this pivot). In terms of nearest support and resistance levels, the proximity of the low of the pivot at 1.1544 is likely to cause some resistance while the peak from March this year (at 1.1278) is a major support.

USDCAD, Daily

The pair is trending steadily in a channel with a recent breakout from a triangle formation. The width of this formation points to the weekly resistance level of 1.1544 and suggests that we need to pay attention to price action at this resistance area. It could be a good target level for short term trades after the pair pulls back a bit. Stochastics Oscillator is getting to the overbought territory suggesting that the price move is nearing levels that we should not consider as entry levels for long trades. Rather it would make sense to buy retracements back to support levels. Pull backs close to the weekly support of 1.1278 should be monitored closely for momentum reversal signals in smaller time frame charts. The 23.6% and 38.2% Fibonacci retracement levels coincide with two other technical levels. The 23.6% retracement is roughly at level with the two recent peaks when considered on closing basis (focusing on daily closing prices rather than the high values) while the 38.2% Fibonacci level coincides with a pivot in a four hour chart.

USDCAD, 240 min

If the momentum stays strong the market can find support at higher levels (closer to the current price). However, should we get moves to the lower levels such as 1.1278 it the risk of further corrections after our entries would be smaller. We should obviously feel therefore more confident deeper pull backs closer to the major support level at 1.1278.

Conclusion

USDCAD is in an uptrend but approaching a higher time frame historical resistance area that has potential to cause this market to correct closer to the lower end of the up trending channel. We are looking for long opportunities at the levels identified in different timeframes. The fundamentals favour this trade idea with the US economy being stronger than the Canadian. Look for corrections to the support levels and then intraday momentum reversal signals before entering long trades.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this communication contains, or should be considered as containing, an investment advice or an investment recommendation or a solicitation for the purpose of purchase or sale of any financial instrument.

Janne Muta

Chief Market Analyst

HotForex

“There is a tremendous shortage of physical gold in the world”

This week started with a big rally in the price of gold even though the news that Swiss voters rejected the proposal to buy more physical Gold should have sent the price lower. The upsurge in the price of Gold from 1141 to 1221 (a move of 7%) has been credited by analysts with the price of Crude Oil surging higher at the same time. With the price of Crude Oil being an important component in inflation measurements an up move in the price of oil would therefore create a need to hedge against inflation, which is what Gold is widely thought to be.

However, the fact that this move in the price of Gold took place after it was confirmed that the 7% annual demand increase for physical Gold by the Swiss central bank is not going to happen is an important indication that the market participants are now willing to step in and buy Gold futures (paper gold).

This brings the paper market in Gold more in line with reports that there is actually a global shortage of Gold. According to McAlvany Financial Group, a firm specializing in physical precious metals markets, gold buyers in Far East are currently paying premium prices for physical Gold. This means that buyers are not only willing to pay the market price for their physical Gold but actually add some on top. At the same time central banks, such as China are buying physical gold and others are repatriating their gold reserves that have been stored abroad. Global Research, a research center for globalization; published an article this week saying that “Netherlands has moved 122 tons of gold worth $5 billion from New York, and similar demands are now being made in France. Last year, Germany asked to have 680 tons of gold repatriated, which is mostly kept in the United States, but some also in the United Kingdom and France. Berlin receives only 5 tons, with the promise to get the rest back by 2020.”

According to Global Research ““And even those 5 tons Germany got back was not the same they had given to the Fed, those were newly cut bars. So it does mean that the Fed clearly did not have anywhere near the gold necessary to send back to Germany. Because it was most probably either leased to the market or sold – this is what central banks are doing – they are lending gold to the market or selling gold in order to push the price of gold down,” Egon von Greyerz said stressing that there is a tremendous shortage of physical gold in the world.” One day when the people who hold paper gold ask for delivery, there will not be any physical gold to deliver.

Gold, Monthly

Gold is at historical support (provided by a monthly pivot candle high from February 2010. The monthly candle for November was a narrow range candle with open and close only $4 apart. This indicates that supply and demand were in balance in November and now this balance could be tipping over to favour the demand side, at least temporarily. This price action coincided with the monthly Bollinger Bands which also limited the move lower and was then followed by a strong rally in the price of Gold higher after the news from Switzerland (the Swiss rejected the law to increase the country’s Gold reserves) caused the market to gap open slightly lower than the close on Friday. If market rallies strongly after news that on face value is negative for Gold, then we have reason to conclude that the market participants are collectively ready to defend (to buy) the recent lows of 1230 – 1240 and they see Gold representing value even if the additional boost of demand from Switzerland is not going to be there.

We still have this market trending lower in the technical sense as it still has lower highs and lower lows. However, the monthly narrow range candle at Bollinger bands suggests that we might have a turning point at hand and Gold could move higher towards the upper end of the down sloping trend channel. There is bullish divergence in RSI even though Gold has been moving lower for four months since July this year, therefore it might well be the time for a move higher after so many downward months.

Longer term Fibonacci levels are clustering at three different areas. The supporting cluster is between 1045 and 1090, while clusters between 1270 and 1306 and again at higher levels between 1383 and 1406 are likely resistance areas in the longer term picture. I have left these levels off the chart to keep it more readable.

The resistance area (1204 to 1226) above the current price action is created by monthly lows and closing prices from this and last year. This level obviously needs to be cleared before Gold can advance sustainably but the fact that we now have a narrow range candle with Bollinger Bands right below and a very positive price reaction to negative news increases possibilities of this happening. However, should the price stay below this level for a one more week it would negate the bullish indications we now have had and increases possibilities of supporting demand eroding at the 1230 to 1240 support area.

Gold, Weekly

Trend the weekly Gold price is lower both in short to medium term and longer term as well. The medium term weekly trend lower is defined by descending regression channel from the pivot in July this year. Currently the price is close to the lower end of long term downtrend channel and a historical monthly pivot candle as well as both monthly and weekly Bollinger Bands near the current lows. These technical factors limit the immediate downside and have in November translated into a narrow range candle (or a Doji as it is also known) with a rising RSI line (bullish divergence). On the upside the weekly pivot high at 1226 from November has acted as a resistance and sent the price to the current levels. The latest high (1221) that was just 3 dollars shy of the low of this pivot candle. The medium term down sloping regression channel top is also close which could mean that Gold needs to have more sideways fluctuation before more upside can be gained.

Gold, 240 min

Price is fluctuating above a recent 4h pivot (green arrow) and below the pivot high from Monday. The 1191 used to be a level that supported price earlier and it acts as a support again. The price being between two pivots has created a very narrow range which on a daily chart looks like a pennant (flag) formation. If this pennant is resolved to the upside it gives us a target of about 1280, a former support level from July and August this year. If Gold corrects lower, look for buy signals at or near to the 1159.50 support created by the 4h pivot.

Conclusion:

Gold is close to an important support with several technical factors supporting the price. If the current narrow range is resolved to the downside (which looks likely to me based on the current market action), the pivot low between 1141 and 1159.50 is a potential support and should be monitored as an exit level for shorts and entry level for long trades. Look for hammers and bullish wedges in 15 and 60 min timeframes to confirm the momentum reversal. If the DXY, US dollar index moves strongly to the upside the bullishness of the above technical indications is negated and it is more likely that the price of Gold will move below the recent lows.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this communication contains, or should be considered as containing, an investment advice or an investment recommendation or a solicitation for the purpose of purchase or sale of any financial instrument.

Janne Muta

Chief Market Analyst

HotForex

HotForex Free Webinar | How to Use Multi Time Frame Analysis 10/12/14 at 12:30 GMT

Join Janne Muta, HotForex’s Chief Market Analyst, at our next webinar – How to Use Multi Time Frame Analysis – and learn the importance of using multiple time frames in your analysis and trading:

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Disappointing Black Friday sales turns S&P 500 futures lower

Retailers struggled to entice shoppers with their Black Friday offerings. Spending dropped by an estimated 11% over the weekend. Consumer spending fell to $50.9 billion from $57.4 billion in 2013 and made this the second Black Friday in the row that saw the sales figures tumbling. Even though retailers had aggressive discounts and longer opening hours many of the shoppers stayed at home. It was estimated that more than six million shoppers that had been expected to come did not want to or just simply could not afford to join the Black Friday shopping circus. This has raised concerns of how well the recovery in the US economy is doing.

S&P 500, Weekly

The S&P 500 emini future (ES) created a narrow range candle last week. This implies no demand at those levels and increases probabilities of a sizeable correction. Up volume in the NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) has moved to so high levels that in the light of recent history cannot be sustained. In the past this has caused the market to move sideways and/or correct lower. ES has now moved below the last week’s low of 2060.75 which should limit any immediate rally attempts while the Stochastic Oscillator is overbought and about to roll over. A more significant weekly support level can be found at September high of 2014.50 with a Fibonacci level nearby at 2010.44, while weekly resistance levels are at 2060.75 and 2075.25 (the range of this weekly pivot high).

S&P 500, 240 min

Money Flow Index and Stochastics have had bearish divergence while volume has been trending lower over the month of November. This means that there has been less participation in this market and has had obviously bearish implications. Since 21st November the decline in the average volume has been intensifying but it can be at least partly explained by the long weekend due to the thanks giving day in States. However, the bearish indication that this kind of development has was confirmed by the creation of a weekly narrow range candle last week and price now moving below it. Trading started this week with a gap opening lower, which is a further indication of weakness in demand. The last time we’ve had a gap opening lower after a period of rising prices, was on 22nd of September and lead to a 9% correction in the S&P emini and stocks in general.

S&P 500, 60 min

Daily high from 18th November has provided some support this morning but the intraday resistance between 2057.50 and 2059.50 has at the time of writing provided a short term sell signal (a 15 min shooting star in the insert) and confirmed the downward bias for today.

Conclusion

A narrow range candle last week is an implication that there is no demand at those levels and increases probabilities of a correction. At the same time oscillators are rolling over from overbought zone and trading started this week with a gap opening lower, all these are further indications of weakness in demand. The last time we’ve had a gap opening lower after a period of rising prices, was on 22nd of September. This lead to a 9% correction in the S&P emini and it therefore makes sense to therefore look for a correction to at least to the next important weekly support level at 2014.50, the weekly pivot high from September. If the price keeps on making lower highs in the intraday charts and keeps on giving sell signals at resistance levels (similar to the 15 min insert) I would keep on trading them and look to go long only if this pattern is broken or ES moves to the 2014.50 support where I believe we have some potential of finding more lasting support. Always look for momentum reversal signals to confirm the support and resistance levels.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this communication contains, or should be considered as containing, an investment advice or an investment recommendation or a solicitation for the purpose of purchase or sale of any financial instrument.

Janne Muta

Chief Market Analyst

HotForex

HotForex Upcoming Webinars: Understanding Market Basics (Live)

Due to great demand, we have decided to repeat ‘Understanding Market Basics I & II’, the first two webinars in the HotForex FX Trading Webinar Series.

These introductory, live webinars are presented by our Chief Market Analyst, Janne Muta, who will guide you through the basics of FX trading, giving you a strong foundation to build upon as we move on to intermediate and advanced topics in future webinars.

The webinars will take place on the following dates*:

28 November 2014 at 12:30 GMT Understanding Market Basics I

3 December 2014 at 12:30 GMT Understanding Market Basics II

As always, you will have the opportunity to ask Janne questions in the Q&A session at the end of the webinar.

About the Presenter:

Janne Muta is a seasoned industry professional with over 16 years experience in the global markets. He has worked for institutions in both Helsinki and London as an institutional fund manager, global market analyst and FX educator.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact our dedicated Customer Support Team via myHotForex, live chat, or by email [email protected].

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EURUSD ranging before the CPI releases

Business confidence in Germany rose for the first time in seven months. On Monday the German IFO business climate survey surprised to the upside being 104.7 instead of 103.0 as expected. The German GDP figures (0.1%) for the last quarter were left well behind of those released in the US on Tuesday. The preliminary GDP in the US was more positive than analysts expected with the figure being at 3.9%. That is 0.6% better than expected. On Thursday we will have preliminary inflation figures from Germany and then the euro area CPI estimate on Friday. The logic from the fundamental side suggests that should these statistics show that there is no inflation the pressure on the ECB to act sooner will grow. The focus of the central bank is now on inflation and therefore signs that the euro area might be heading towards deflation should cause the market participants to adjust their positions accordingly and sell euro.

EURUSD, Monthly

From technical point of view EURUSD is now at a major support area that has been able to turn traders from bearish to bullish (and price higher) in several occasions in the past. Since 2006 none of the moves below the current level have been sustainable in medium to long term. In 2009 this very level turned price higher in two occasions and in 2010 we had an attempt to take EURUSD below 1.20. This failed even though the euro crisis was at its worst and market participants sought safety from the US Dollar. Many analysts interviewed in Bloomberg TV at the time shared their views on how they expected EUR to move to parity with the US Dollar (one euro would be worth one US Dollar). Now, we have stimulus promises from the ECB president Mario Draghi that have made analysts suggest that EUR will move as low as 1.15. This would mean euro visiting levels it has not seen since November 2003. Will the coming QE mean it is different this time and this move to 1.15 might actually happen? Obviously this is possible, but in the light of current price action it is not likely to happen immediately. This far Mr. Draqhi has been able to talk the market down but in terms of tangible and meaningful action he has not been able to deliver much. In terms of economic growth prospects in the euro area and the United States it makes sense assume that the Dollar will be favoured by the markets in the long run but as we are looking for short term trading opportunities it makes sense to concentrate on the current price action as it develops and technical setups available for us today and over the rest of the week. The downside momentum has clearly slowed down with market being close to forming a small narrow range bar in monthly time frame. The price is at a monthly pivot from 2010 and at the Bollinger bands. If the support holds for the rest of the week and through the euro area CPI releases, we have a monthly narrow range bar indicating that market is at a turning point. In my experience technical levels will prevail unless some unexpected news exceeds the expectations and traders have to quickly revalue the underlying assets and their strategies. This could cause the market move beyond major technical support and resistance levels.

EURUSD, Daily

In the daily chart we can see that EURUSD is forming a bullish wedge. In fact, it can be seen in both weekly and daily charts. Both RSI and Stochastic Oscillator have bullish divergence as price moves below 1.2360 have been rejected twice. This has created a short term double bottom. In addition, the pair has once again moved away from the regression channel, a further indication of momentum slowdown. Resistance levels at daily pivot candle are also weekly resistance levels. As they coincide with a descending trendline and the proximity of Bollinger Bands I am looking for short signals between 1.2512 and the daily Bollinger Bands (1.5 stdv Band currently at 1.2568).

EURUSD, 240 min

In the four hour chart the pair is in a range, so selling the resistance levels and buying at support is the preferred strategy. The price is now approaching the 1.2512 resistance (weekly and daily pivot) with the Bollinger bands stalling the current move a bit. Pay attention to the area between weekly resistance at 1.2512 and a daily high at 1.2568 that also coincides with the descending trend line. I am looking for short signals at or above 1.2512 (a momentum reversal confirming the trade idea). As we are in a range I would look to buy either in the region of 1.2400 or close the support at 1.2360. Again the momentum changes in 15 min and or 60 min resolutions will help us to decide whether to stay short or cover.

Conclusion:

From technical point of view EURUSD is now at a major support area that has been able to turn traders from bearish to bullish (and price higher) in several occasions in the past. The downside momentum has clearly slowed down with market being close to forming a small narrow range bar in monthly time frame. The price is at a monthly pivot from 2010 and at the Bollinger bands. If the support holds for the rest of the week and through the euro area CPI releases, we have a monthly narrow range bar indicating that market is at a turning point. In weekly and daily chart we can see that EURUSD is forming a bullish wedge. In the four hour chart the pair is in a range, so selling the resistance levels and buying at support is the preferred strategy. I am looking for short signals at or above 1.2512 (a momentum reversal confirming the trade idea). As we are in a range I would look to buy either in the region of 1.2400 or close the support at 1.2360. Momentum changes in 15 min and or 60 min resolutions will help us to decide whether to stay short or cover.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this communication contains, or should be considered as containing, an investment advice or an investment recommendation or a solicitation for the purpose of purchase or sale of any financial instrument.

Janne Muta

Chief Market Analyst

HotForex

https://blog.hotforex.com/eurusd-ranging-before-the-cpi-releases/

RBA worried about Chinese Property Market - https://blog.hotforex.com/rba-worried-about-chinese-property-market/

According to the minutes of the monetary policy meeting of the Board of Reserve Bank of Australia from 4th November, the bank decided to leave the interest rate unchanged at 2.5%. This decision was influenced by the worries related to what the bank described as “considerable uncertainty to the outlook for the Chinese property market and the broader implications for the Chinese economy”. This is understandably a major worry to Australia as China is the most important trading partner for the Australians. The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth was expected to stay below the trend during the years 2014 and 2015 with some acceleration expected in 2016. Low interest rates support the economic activity, but the spare capacity in the labour force mean that inflationary pressures stay low. The Australian dollar is still overvalued in light of most estimates and according to the bank “the exchange rate was offering less assistance than would normally be expected in achieving balanced growth in the economy”. Based on the above, the Reserve Bank of Australia, like so many other central banks, would like to see their currency at lower levels. This means that they are not likely to increase interest rates in the foreseeable future. Still, compared to Europe the Australian economy is so much more robust and therefore a better bet from an investment point of view. This and the interest rates differential means that the Australian dollar is likely attract more money than the euro in the long run. However, at the moment we have a short to medium term technical setup that seems to favour the euro.

EURAUD, Weekly

In September the pair found buyers at a historical support from 2011 that coincided with a rising trend line. Since EURAUD has now created a higher low at the beginning of November I am betting that it will eventually move higher. The pair is currently trying to push through a resistance area between 1.4592 and 1.4706. If we will see a move lower from this resistance, I expect the weekly high of 1.4440 (see the daily chart below) to provide support and help to create a new higher low in EURAUD. This in turn would support the view that the pair is indeed going to move higher. Once this resistance area has been penetrated, the next target is a weekly high at 1.5022.

EURAUD, Daily

Daily chart supports the picture gained from the weekly. The Stochastic Oscillator is entering into overbought territory and EURAUD has reached the resistance area and seems to be creating a shooting star. However, it has also created a slightly higher low above the support at 1.4223 suggesting some underlying strength. At the moment the pair is still in a range mode and therefore might provide opportunities at both ends of the range. At the time of writing we have signs of momentum reversal and we should obviously trade accordingly as long as the pair stays in the range.

EURAUD, 240 min

EURAUD has countered resistance and we are seeing momentum reversal happening. The first potential level for short exits and long entries would be either the weekly high at 1.4440 or the 1.4376 intraday support. This level has recently been acting both as a support and as a resistance. Again, look for hammers to confirm your entries and exits at these levels. Obviously the low end of the range at 1.4223 is another key area.

Conclusion:

EURAUD has now created a weekly higher low at the beginning of November and I am betting that it will eventually move higher. The pair is currently trying to push through a resistance between 1.4592 and 1.4706 but has encountered resistance and is forming a daily shooting star. If there is a move lower from this resistance I would expect the weekly high of 1.4440 or the 1.4376 intraday support to give the price a new higher low and help it to move higher. We have had some short signals at current levels (the resistance). Should the price move lower I will be focusing on potential buy signals at the weekly high of 1.4440 or at the intraday level of 1.4376. As my medium term bias is on the long side I would be more careful with the short trades and trade the long side with an expectancy of longer lasting moves.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this communication contains, or should be considered as containing, an investment advice or an investment recommendation or a solicitation for the purpose of purchase or sale of any financial instrument.

Janne Muta

Chief Market Analyst

HotForex

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US shale oil, the new North Sea

The strength of the dollar has been a driver for the lower price in oil but there have also been other factors. Saudi Arabia, the largest oil producer in the world cut recently oil the price of oil it sells to the United States. This was a sign that the oil cartel OPEC is not likely to cut production in order to prop up the market and stop the decline in the price of oil. This far Saudi Arabia has been the one bearing the lion’s share whenever there have been production cuts. The other members of the cartel have enjoyed the higher prices following the price cuts but have not cut their own production. This is not sitting well with the Saudis and this time they might keep the production going in order to discourage new investment in shale oil production in the US. In other words they are protecting their market share.

While demand is lacklustre the supply side has remained strong and is even increasing. The Russian supply has not decreased even though the west has imposed sanctions on them and at the same time US shale oil production is still on the increase. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) an average new well in North Dakota increases production by 100 barrels per day. Some analysts have referred to US shale oil production as the new North Sea. The findings in the oil fields of North Sea in 1986 had a major impact on oil prices. During years of 1984 and 1985 the price of US crude oil had been ranging between $24.66 and $31.50 per barrel, but in 1986 the price of oil plummeted to $9.75 (a drop of 69%). For the rest of the decade the price of oil fluctuated between the $9.75 low and the high of $22.76 per barrel. Oil price was not able to sustain levels above $23 before the year 2000, except for a brief period time between July 1990 and January 1991 as the Gulf war one broke out.

If the analysts are right about the US being the new North Sea, we still see lower prices for crude oil as the difference with the June 2014 high and yesterday’s close is only 28.6%. The world economy is slowing down as the central banks have not been able to manipulate the economies back into growth path with their QE programs and the supply of oil is still increasing. Therefore, further declines in the price of oil should be expected and once the low has been reached we should prepare for a period of lower prices unless a large scale geopolitical conflict significantly disrupts oil production. Further decline in prices will eventually have an impact on the supply side investments and this will in due course cause the price oil to stabilise. What might this “in due course” mean time wise? It is very challenging to estimate this based on the fundamental trends as the price of oil is a sum of numerous outside forces from monetary policy to terrorist attacks. From the technical perspective the price of oil has reached levels that have been psychologically important in the past. Therefore it is interesting to follow the price action as these levels are approached.

Crude Oil, Weekly

Close to weekly support of $72.52, a weekly pivot from May 2010. This level has turned the prices higher in the past which means that the price action needs to be monitored closely here. At some level there we will have a situation where price turn higher before the news and fundamentals get better. Therefore, there will be a disconnect between the price action and the news about the fundamentals. However, at the moment we are still in a downtrend and there are no signs of bottoming or major divergence between the price and the oscillators. It takes in average 3 or 4 months to reverse the trend in crude oil market after a significant decline.

Crude Oil, 240 min

A very clear downtrend with attempts to get above recent supports turned into resistances. The Money Flow Index is overbought and the price is close to Bollinger Bands with a resistance right above the current price action. The first two moves (A and B) after a support was broken have been equal in size. Meaning that price has moved roughly a similar distance before rising back to the former support level (red lines). This time (move C) the price of oil turned higher earlier and has reached the resistance without touching the price projection level. This suggests weakness in downside momentum but we are still seeing reversal of contra trend momentum at 76.43 resistance (60 min shooting star), which is a sell signal for me in this context. Should a move higher happen, we have a potential resistance level close to 61.8% Fibonacci retracements (drawn from point 1 to point 2) that coincides with the descending trend line at around $77.30. I have switched the other Fibonacci levels off to make the chart more readable.

Crude Oil, 60 min.

Conclusion:

The short term bias is down. Even though we have seen some weakness in downside momentum, the price is still in downtrend. Look to participate at resistance levels if the price action confirms the validity of the level (by momentum reversal signals). In the longer term timeframe we are close to levels that have potential to act as major support and turn the price of oil higher. We will not obviously know beforehand when prices turn but for the last 30 years or so it has taken on average 3 to 4 months to create a trend reversal in oil after a major move lower. Therefore, there is no hurry to get to the long side. Rather we should concentrate on trading against the resistances as long as those trades work and buy the positions back at levels where the risk of price rebounding higher is increased. I would look to cover my shorts as the price approaches the levels close to weekly support at $73.25.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this communication contains, or should be considered as containing, an investment advice or an investment recommendation or a solicitation for the purpose of purchase or sale of any financial instrument.

Janne Muta

Chief Market Analyst

HotForex

https://blog.hotforex.com/us-shale-oil-the-new-north-sea/

Hello aventador,

No you don't need to open a trading account. You just need to complete an online webinar registration form.

HotForex Upcoming Webinars – 14 & 21 November 2014

Don’t forget to register for our upcoming FX Webinars! Click here to reserve your place https://www.hotforex.com/en/trading-tools/trading-webinars.html

1. Understanding Market Basics II

When: 14th November at 12:30 GMT

Presented by: Janne Muta. Our Chief Market Analyst, Janne Muta, is a seasoned industry professional with over 16 years experience in the global markets. He has worked for institutions in both Helsinki and London as an institutional fund manager, global market analyst and FX educator.

In this Webinar: Deepen your understanding of chart patterns and technical indicators and also discover how to apply what you have learned.

Discover what chart patterns are and how to use them;

Learn about technical indicators; and,

Understand how to combine technical indicators and price patterns.

2. Advanced FX Trading Strategies (English*)

When: 21st November at 12:00 GMT

Presented by: Blue Sky Forex. In addition to providing exceptional trader education webinars, the Blue Sky Forex trading and education community is also heavily involved in the research & development of advanced trading techniques and technologies.

In this Webinar: HotForex, in cooperation with Blue Sky Forex, is pleased to offer this advanced webinar which looks at Price Action vs. Mean Reversion and how they can be combined successfully.

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Please Note: Places are limited and we cannot guarantee availability. On the day of the Webinar, make sure to dial in or login on time using the instructions in the confirmation email you receive following registration.

In an uptrend but with some underlying weakness

Quite often we can find clues on market psychology by analysing the S&P 500 sectors’ performance in relation to the main index itself. If a safe haven sector such as utilities is gaining ground and the financial sector is lagging well behind, we then have a hint of market participants becoming more risk averse. �This is based on the fact that the long only funds cannot but stay in stocks whatever the market circumstances�. Therefore, if they are worried about market prospects over the coming weeks or months their only option is to move away from higher volatility and growth stocks into less volatile dividend plays such as utility stocks. Without this manoeuvre they would take a risk of taking a hit that is likely to going to be bigger than the potential down move in the index. This of course will cause the utility stocks to move higher while stocks in riskier sectors decline in relation to S&P 500 index.

Over the last month the undisputed market leader has been the industrial sector. Financials that usually lead the market when the move is strong have had a close to average performance with the technology and utilities sectors and only slightly better than the performance of the S&P 500. This is not a strong signal to either direction. If we focus on the last six trading days, the picture is slightly different. Now we have the utility stocks over performing both the S&P 500 and financials and the technology. Utility sector has (in relation to the S&P 500) gained +0.34% while the financial sector is down by -0.28% and technology by -0.71%. Therefore, we have a notion of bearishness in the way the professionals have been allocating their assets over the last few days.

Weekly

The E-mini S&P 500 futures (ES) charts are showing some signs of momentum slow down. Last week’s bar had quite a narrow range compared to the previous week. If this is repeated and we have another sluggish week with a narrow range, the likelihood of the market correcting lower from the newly made highs increases. We will not obviously know this before we have seen what happens over the rest of the week and therefore should not jump to conclusions about the longer term trend.

But what is the longer term trend and how well it is doing? At the moment the trend is still higher, but in the previous US stock market analysis I wrote at the end of October, I suggested that we might have a sideways market ahead as the market made a lower weekly low for the first time since the 2011 topping formation (that lead to a sizeable correction in the fall of 2011). In addition, the more risky small and medium capitalisation stock index, Russell 2000, has been underperforming the major indices since March this year. At the time of writing, Russell 2000, alongside the more volatile German DAX , has not been able to move with the major indices (Dow Jones and S&P 500) into new highs. I should also point out that the number of stocks rising versus the number of stocks falling in the New York Stock Exchange has been getting smaller since October 22nd. These are all signs of underlying weakness in the current up move.

Now that ES has made a new high I have to obviously re-evaluate my analysis and ask the question whether my view of potential sideways move is still relevant. An uptrend is defined as a series of higher highs and higher lows, which means that by this definition the market is still moving higher in a trend. The existence of the aforementioned underlying weaknesses however means that we need to pay attention to how the market behaves (in intraday timeframes) at key levels. This in turn will define the outcome on the weekly level.

240 min.

Judging from a daily ES chart one of these key levels is an area between the September 19th high and November 3rd high (2014.50 – 2019.25). Please note that these point values refer to E-mini S&P futures contract and the point values in other indices tracking S&P 500 index may have a slight variation to it. I have however included the dates so that it is convenient and easy for you to verify the levels from your own charting platform. This key area almost coincides with the rising trend line (currently above the levels). I believe that the level should attract buyers that want to trade against the recent high (previous resistance = current support). In addition to the support from September high and trend line, the 50 period simple moving average (SMA) coincides with the same level. This is an additional reason to believe that a significant number of traders will view this area as important. If price moves to this level, I suggest looking for momentum reversal confirmations such as hammer candles in order to enter into long trades. However, for the price to reach these levels it needs first to move below a Fibonacci extension cluster (black lines) that currently supports the price. As can be seen from the chart, this cluster is actually pretty much spot on at the same level as the rising trend line.

Conclusion:

Weekly momentum appears to be fading but this week’s close defines the picture for the coming weeks. The weekly close obviously has greater indication value of what is happening with the momentum than the midweek price action we are now witnessing. There is underlying weakness which suggests that the price will correct to levels close to the September high, which could provide us with opportunities on the long side. We would need to see a sizeable rally (into new highs) from that level to change the weekly picture in terms of the momentum fade (that I have been writing about) otherwise we will have another narrow range or potentially even downward candle. That would indicate more bearish market conditions and a possibly a correction below the September 19th high. If the price reaches the ES 2014.50 – 2019.25 area, look for hammer candles and other signs of reversal of downside momentum in the 60 min. timeframe. After these signals we should see a fast move higher to confirm the idea. In case the price starts to move sideways and does not have a healthy and fast reaction from the level, it is likely that it has to find lower levels to bounce from.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this communication contains, or should be considered as containing, an investment advice or an investment recommendation or a solicitation for the purpose of purchase or sale of any financial instrument.

Janne Muta

Chief Market Analyst

HotForex

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European dilemma: to QE or not to QE?

The malaise of the economies in the euro zone is not news anymore. The same applies to, European Central Bank president, Mario Draghi’s readiness to revive the European economies by quantitative easing (QE). Mr. Draghi, being an Italian, has a special motivation to boost the economic activity in Europe as his own country is one of the most troubled economies in the euro zone. However, the Germans, who have seen the devastating impact of hyperinflation in the not so distant history, are unwilling to start a QE program. This, added to the fact that European leaders are famous for their slow decision making process, could mean that the QE program is further delayed or implemented smaller than expected. Whether there is another QE program or not, the European economies will remain weak for an extended period of time. Europe needs structural reforms in order to become competitive and these changes tend to take time before they can be implemented and the benefits can be reaped. In addition, another flood of cheap QE money would not solve these problems, but only delay these reforms that eventually have to be implemented.

As the EUR has such a heavy weighting in the DXY index (almost 60%), it is often almost a mirror image of the EURUSD.” to “As the EUR has such a heavy weighting in the DXY index (almost 60%), the DXY is often almost a mirror image of the EURUSD

EURUSD, Weekly

The pair is now between resistance and support. EURUSD has reached a weekly pivot high from July 2012 and reacted higher from it. At the same time we have the September weekly low right above us. That should keep the downward pressure on EURUSD and limit moves higher from the current levels. In light of the above it is reasonable to expect to have EURUSD fluctuating between the support and resistance over the coming week. In the longer term picture, the pair is at a lower end of a multi-year sideways move. Thus far, traders have not been able to push EURUSD below the support zone above $1.20. Part of the reason for EURUSD fluctuating in this huge trading range is the fact that we have two central banks on both sides manipulating their currencies. That is a reason to stay alert and see how the price reacts close to this historical support level.

EURUSD, Daily

EURUSD is forming a big wedge as it fluctuates close to the bottom of the longer term sideways move. When price forms a wedge after a longish down move it is a signal that the downside momentum is getting weaker. However, the pair is still moving lower as per traditional trend analysis (it is making lower highs and lower lows). Since Thursday last week the pair has moved up to a resistance after touching the weekly support at 1.2390. The price action from 31st Oct. to 5th Nov. (at and above of the current levels) is already causing slowing of momentum and is likely to act as a resistance. This area should provide us with opportunities on the short side.

EURUSD, 240 min

There is a confluence area above the current price. The price is not only facing the resistance created by Wednesday’s low from last week but also the descending 50 period moving average and the descending upper end of the trend channel. In addition, the 4h Bollinger Bands are relatively close and the Money Flow Index (MFI) is turning lower while in over bought zone. Therefore, I am expecting the price to turn lower again somewhere between the current levels and the Bollinger Bands. Look for signs of momentum reversal (such as shooting stars) to confirm this view and the timing of the shorts.

US Dollar Index (DXY), 240 min

As the EUR has such a heavy weighting in the DXY index (almost 60%), it is often almost a mirror image of the EURUSD. Therefore, the EURUSD analysis we have made should be confirmed by the price action in the DXY futures. As we can see DXY is reacting higher from a supportive area that coincides (timing wise) with the resistance area in the EURUSD. This supports the idea of selling EURUSD at the levels suggested in my analysis

Conclusion:

The pair is in at an important weekly support level which has already proven to be valid enough to cause price to rally from it. However, at the same time the fundamentals support the view that the EUR should move lower and the USD higher. Therefore the resistance level above the current price should keep any rallies in check. The bias is on the short side as the pair is now close to very potential resistance area. We are looking for short trades between the current levels and the 4h Bollinger Bands if there is confirmation of a momentum reversal in intraday timeframes. Look to take profits when price approaches the weekly support at 1.2390.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this communication contains, or should be considered as containing, an investment advice or an investment recommendation or a solicitation for the purpose of purchase or sale of any financial instrument.

Janne Muta

Chief Market Analyst

HotForex

Euro off its lows against the U.S. Dollar ahead of critical ECB meeting

The Euro managed to trade off its yesterday’s lows during Asian trading session managing a consolidation just above 1.25 against the U.S. Dollar. Investors will be closely looking today’s ECB meeting despite the fact that no fresh stimulus is expected to be announced. The recent rumors that some members of ECB were unhappy with Draghi’s aggressive stimulus push have given an extra interest in today’s policy rate meeting.

On the other hand, Bank of England’s policy rate meeting is expected to be a non-event for the markets as no change in policy is expected. The Pound has been struggling against the U.S. Dollar after the Scottish referendum and has recently being hovering around 1.60. Yesterday GBP/USD attempted a break below the recent tight trading range having touched 1.5875 but it quickly bought up to trade 15 pips short of 1.6 just before European market opening.

USD/JPY continued its uptrend recording a fresh 6-year high earlier this morning at 115.50 before retreating fiercely to trade in the area of 114.30. The price movement has been closely correlated with a Japanese stocks selloff, but it better explained as a profit taking, position closing ahead of the policy rate meetings later today and the market moving U.S. NFPs tomorrow afternoon.

XAU/USD traded to new 4- year lows yesterday managing a break from the recent lows to trade as low 1137.60 $/ounce. The precious metal is now consolidating near that area with the bearish sentiment still in place.

BOE policy rate meeting takes place at 12:00 GMT and will be followed 45 minutes later by ECB announcement. Mario Draghi’s press conference which will be expected with great interest will be held at 13:30 GMT.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this communication contains, or should be considered as containing, an investment advice or an investment recommendation or a solicitation for the purpose of purchase or sale of any financial instrument.

HotForex Blog https://blog.hotforex.com/euro-off-its-lows-against-the-u-s-dollar-ahead-of-critical-ecb-meeting/

How to trade currencies based on DXY analysis? https://blog.hotforex.com/how-to-trade-currencies-based-on-dxy-analysis/

USDJPY has again moved higher since yesterday. The latest move that has taken the pair higher by almost 1%, started from a seemingly minor support level defined by 60 min. Bollinger Bands and a 50 period moving average in the same timeframe. One dilemma traders are often faced with is whether a minor support (or resistance) level can be trusted if there is nothing in higher timeframes to support the idea. The level from which this USDJPY move started from was kind of “in the air”. Apart from this indicator based support, there was no previous daily high or other important support level to give extra confidence to traders looking to go long USDJPY.

Still the pair made another tradable move and some traders were left in the dark on whether the move happened for a reason or whether it was just random fluctuation in the price. However, those reading my analysis yesterday knew what to expect and were prepared to take advantage of this likely move. Am I just boasting to draw more attention to my analysis, or is there real substance behind this claim? The beauty of the blog style analysis is the ease of access to the previous articles. My readers can always refer back to my previous articles to verify the validity of my analysis. It’s all there, openly and honestly. Let’s have a quick review of what I said in my analysis yesterday.

Here are some extracts from yesterday’s DXY analysis: “If the current support in 1h chart does not hold then I would look for long USD trades (i.e. short EUR, AUD or JPY for instance) at the area of 4h gap and previous weekly high.” In addition, I said: “… the price action in DXY future helps in understanding what is likely to happen for instance in USDJPY. In order to increase the probabilities of winning, it is advisable to trade the USD against weak currencies such as AUD, JPY and EUR…”. As can be seen from the chart above (red circle) DXY retraced to the support area and this correction was short lived, just as I suggested elsewhere in my article. This was a great opportunity for those selling the Japanese Yen against the USD.

Here’s what took place in the USDJPY at the same time. The black and white candles are the US Dollar Index future (DXY) and the lower green and red candles are the USDJPY rate. This chart clearly shows how DXY falls in the support area I suggested would attract dollar buyers, and as soon as we have an up candle in the DXY the USDJPY starts to rise as well.

USDJPY, Weekly: USD is still moving higher against the JPY as Bank of Japan seeks to create inflation by increasing their QE commitment. The pair is now approaching a weekly pivot high (114.65) from December 2007. The next similar pivot high from October 2007 is at 117.93. Weekly support at 113.13 (last week’s low).

USDJPY 240 min: Should the weekly pivot high at 114.66 cause a pullback against the trend the support levels to keep in mind (and drawn in your charts) are as follows: 1) the high from day before yesterday (114.20), 2) the four hour pivot area (113.13 – 113.51) which is also the weekly low from the last week and 3) A Fibonacci cluster of 23.6% retracements (112.45 – 112.74). I consider the Fibonacci cluster and the area of 4h pivot (as it happens to coincide with last week’s low) as higher quality support levels than the nearest one at 114.20.

Conclusion: The trend is still strong and can be expected to continue as the BoJ has only just increased its QE program and the Federal Reserve is not looking to start a new one. The way to benefit from an uptrend is not to buy when price hits new highs, but rather wait for a pullback and time the buys at levels where this contra-trend move is likely to be overdone and meet with new demand. Momentum change in lower time frames (1h and 15 min and sometimes even 5 min charts) can confirm the validity of the support levels that I have pointed out. If the historical resistance level at the weekly high from 2007 causes a move lower, I think it will be met with new buying at the of the above mentioned levels. Therefore, use alerts and monitor the momentum changes at these levels.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this communication contains, or should be considered as containing, an investment advice or an investment recommendation or a solicitation for the purpose of purchase or sale of any financial instrument.

Janne Muta

Chief Market Analyst

HotForex

The dollar strength pushes gold lower - HotForex Blog https://blog.hotforex.com/the-dollar-strength-pushes-gold-lower/

The US Federal Reserve ended the asset purchases as expected just two days ago and now Bank of Japan, against all expectations, has increased its stimulus program. This has caused Gold (priced in USD) to fall further. According to Bloomberg, the Bank of Japan is now targeting an 80 trillion yen ($726 billion) expansion in the monetary base. This move together with expected stimulus from the ECB supports the US dollar. Investors have been buying gold over recent years mainly as a hedge against the unprecedented expansion of the Fed’s balance sheet. Now that the Fed has wound down their Quantitative Easing program and is not signaling that it would be ready to initiate a new one, investors seem to be turning away from gold to other, better yielding assets classes.

Gold, Weekly

The Fed’s hawkishness is causing dollar strength against the major currencies and gold is not an exception in this regard. Many people think of gold as a currency and because it is priced in USD, the dollar strength means weakness for gold. Gold is at the time of writing breaking the weekly level that supported the price since June 2013. Last week the price formed a weekly shooting star right below a resistance level and has moved substantially lower turning the technical picture bearish for gold. I was expecting the price to form a trading range below that weekly resistance and then move higher from there. This scenario was based on the collection of fear factors in the world (which would translate into support gold on safe haven basis) and the fact that the last time gold moved up from the same support it was at first range bound for a while under a similar weekly resistance level before eventually moving higher. However, as this scenario didn’t play out, we need to find the current resistance and support levels for gold. The weekly low (1156) from July from 2010 is a very potential candidate for a support. As for a resistance, it is likely that the former support at 1183 will now act as resistance.

Gold and DXY, 4h

Over the course of this year gold has reacted higher each time the US Dollar index (DXY) has reacted lower from a resistance, and vice versa. The Dollar index is a measure of the dollar value of USD against a basket of major currencies. The weights of these currencies in the index are as follows: EUR 57.6%, JPY 13.6%, GBP 11.9%, CAD 9.1%, SEK 4.2% and CHF 3.6%. DXY is now approaching a reaction high while Gold is well below the coinciding reaction low. Therefore it is possible that the timing of gold reaching the support DXY trading at the reaction high could coincide. Should this happen simultaneously there would be an increased likelihood that we could see a reaction higher from the 1156 support. But what might be the trend in the price of gold after that reaction? Now that the Bank of Japan is even more aggressive with their QE than anticipated and the ECB is expected go along the same route it seems likely that the DXY will keep on moving higher. This would mean further weakness for gold.

Gold, 4h

Apart from the penetrated weekly support (at 1183, now resistance) the next resistance levels are at 1195 and 1208. Should the price rally to these levels I would be looking to short the signs of momentum reversals (in lower timeframe charts) with a tight stop and reasonable leverage. The latest low and the weekly support at 1156 could work as targets for these trades. However, please remember that these are just guidelines for you on how to do your own analysis. You should never trade blindly on someone else’s ideas but rather see if the price action at suggested levels supports the idea given to you.

Conclusion

The weekly shooting star candle from last week and the breaking of major support suggests further weakness and rallies to resistances should provide shorting opportunities. The current central bank policies support the USD and therefore increase the likelihood of DXY moving into new highs and gold moving lower. A very sharp reversal with a weekly close above the 1183 level would mean a revaluation of the current analysis would be necessary.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this communication contains, or should be considered as containing, an investment advice or an investment recommendation or a solicitation for the purpose of purchase or sale of any financial instrument.

Janne Muta

Chief Market Analyst

HotForex

Is Fed Being Bullish About US Economy Enough?

The Federal Reserve statement cited “solid job gains and lower unemployment rate” and suggested that there is a positive trend in labour resource utilisation: “a range of labor market indicators suggests that underutilization of labor resources is gradually diminishing”. The Fed continues to lean on its verbal arsenal rather than real action, such as QE. The first case of such verbal action was two weeks ago when Mr Bullard appeared on Bloomberg and suggested that there should be more QE. This appearance coincided with the US stock market being at major technical support; the stock market rallied from the level after his comments.

Now the Fed seemingly hopes to support the equity market by being bullish about growth in the USA. Even though the statement included a promise to keep the borrowing costs low for a “considerable time”, a wording that they have used frequently in the recent past, it is likely that interest rates will rise eventually and the Fed needs all the verbal bullishness it can muster. This in fact is the only option the Fed has if it wants to keep steering off from Quantitative Easing.

In Japan the Bank of Japan governor Kuroda is scheduled to appear before the parliament today and tomorrow will be the Bank of Japan press conference. Markets are not expecting new QE announcements from Japan tomorrow as only three of 32 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News this month predicted that policy makers would expand asset purchases at a meeting on Friday. According to Bloomberg the central bank buys about $64 billion of bonds each month.

For recent and upcoming economic reports see: HotForex Economic Calendar

USDJPY, Weekly

USDJPY has moved higher from a support level and approaches the latest highs and weekly Bollinger Bands, a potential resistance area. USDJPY has been this high the last time in 2008. The weekly candle (hammer) suggests the trend higher will eventually continue and that the current resistance is eventually cleared. This is supported by the current view that the Fed is not likely to start another QE program while the Bank of Japan will continue being aggressive in their efforts to increase inflation via Quantitative Easing. Should there be changes to this underlying setup, the markets would surely re-price the USDJPY. In the near term we are likely witness some range bound price action as the USD bulls are trying to push the pair higher.

USDJPY, 4h

The pair has been rising higher in a well defined trend channel. After yesterday’s FOMC statement it shot up like a rocket and reached the level of daily Bollinger Bands. They coincide with the proximity of the upper end of the channel. At the same time the Stochastic Oscillator is deep in the overbought area. All this is reflected in the 4h candle forming a bearish shooting star (a sign of momentum reversal). Therefore I am expecting USDJPY to move lower from the current levels to the support below. The nearest 4h support level is also the daily high from 27th Oct at 108.40.

USDJPY, 1h

The 60 minute chart reveals a support level approximately at 108.90-108.95 which coincides with a 50 period SMA in the 15 minute chart. This area could theoretically act as a support, but the immediate upside seems to be limited. It isn’t typical for prices to keep on going higher if they’ve been moving in an uptrend and then get shot up to a resistance after a news event. In my experience buying after such a move is too risky and does not usually produce trades with good profit potential.

Conclusion: The pair is at a resistance area, but keeping the likely future central bank actions in mind it makes sense to expect USD to gain further against the JPY. However, the resistance has to be cleared first and this probably means that the price has to consolidate a bit and retrace to support areas before the 4h trend higher can continue. Look for buy opportunities if the support 108.40 is touched. A return move there and we should be looking for signs of momentum reversal to go long. Sell high and buy low as the saying goes. Look to sell against a resistance and buy against a support.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this communication contains, or should be considered as containing, an investment advice or an investment recommendation or a solicitation for the purpose of purchase or sale of any financial instrument.

Janne Muta

Chief Market Analyst

HotForex

BoE concerned about Euro area slow down impacting UK

The Bank of England’s MPC meeting yesterday (Oct. 22nd) voted 7:2 against rate hikes. This was expected by the analysts and the same members, Weale and McCafferty, voted for a 0.25% hike as the last time. The rate stayed the same at 0.5%. Members voting against the rate hike were concerned about weak wage growth and couldn’t justify a rate hike in the current low inflationary environment. The UK Consumer Price Index (CPI) has been trending lower since October 2011 and is currently at 1.2, well below the BoE’s Q3 inflation expectations of 1.8%. This allows the Central Bank to have an ultra loose monetary policy without worrying excessively about price stability. Members of the committee were also concerned about a rate hike exposing UK to economical shocks and the slow down in the euro area being contagious. In light of recent weak data (low CPI and jobless claims for September falling less than expected), it may well be that those voting against rate hikes in the November meeting will have even stronger majority.

Today and tomorrow the focus will be on Friday’s Preliminary Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figure for the UK. This is the first release of the 3 versions of UK GDP. They are released a month apart – Preliminary, Second Estimate, and Final. The Preliminary release is the earliest and tends therefore to have the biggest impact on Pound Sterling.

The UK economy grew by 0.9% in the second quarter. Slightly beating expectations (0.8%) and was in line with Q1′s GDP reading of 0.8%. At that time, the IMF also upgraded its annual GDP forecasts for the U.K., which was then one of the better performers among the major economies. A weaker growth rate pace is projected for Q3, as manufacturing and services activity has slowed during the period. The analysts’ expectation for the Q3 GDP reading is 0.7%. A strong deviation (in either direction) from this figure is likely to translate into a stronger than average move in Pound Sterling pairs.

For recent and upcoming economic reports see: HotForex Economic Calendar

GBPUSD, weekly: has been trending lower, now hovering at 50% Fibonacci retracement level (measured from July 2013 low to July 2014 high). Has bounced from proximity of weekly support at 1.5855. Weekly support: 1.5855 – 1.5875 and weekly resistance 1.6252 coincides with 38.2% Fibonacci level. Stochastic oscillator is oversold but showing some bullish divergence (Stochastics has moved higher while price has moved lower). This suggests to me that the downside is limited as the market is turning and probabilities are on the long side once the intra-day charts signal the timing for longs is correct. Weekly and daily pictures give us the frame work and an understanding of what kind of process the price is going through. Intra-day charts provide us with timing tools.

GBPUSD, daily: This weeks high (1.6185) coincided with a Fibonacci cluster 1.6170 – 1.6197. These clustering levels are measured from the highs in the down move to the latest low. The fact that several Fibonacci levels and a weekly high coincide at same levels emphasizes the importance of, not only Fibonacci cluster analysis but also the level as a resistance. Another cluster above this one is at 1.6250 – 1.6274, a level where the Bollinger Bands are at the moment as well. Supporting Fibonacci cluster (blue lines) is roughly at the same level with the always so important 50% retracement (measured from July 2013 low to July 2014 high). In addition, the pair has just broken out of bullish wedge formation three days ago and has now retraced to the trendline that used to limit its move higher. This too is a sign to look for long opportunities in shorter time frame charts.

GBPUSD, 1h: The most interesting area to consider long trades is the potential support area (1.5940 – 1.5965) provided by the daily Bollinger Bands and the October 16th low. At the time of writing, price is still creating lower lows and highs and seems to be edging lower. This might well be due to the uncertainty caused by the coming GDP update on Friday. If there will be no major negative surprise (the UK GDP figure is close to expectations) the above mentioned support levels could provide day trading opportunities with the 21st October low being the first target. Above that potential target levels would be 1.6180 and 1.6220.

Conclusion: Based on the above analysis GBPUSD is currently at levels that favour long trades. We have a market that is close to a support after long move lower, and it is showing signs of momentum change: bullish wedge and breakout with a divergence in Stochastics. The downside seems to be limited as downside momentum is waning and probabilities are therefore on the long side. We should keep in mind though that intra-day signals should be closely monitored in order to increase chances to get the timing for longs right. In addition, it is unlikely that this market will make major moves before the preliminary GDP publication tomorrow. If there is no intra day momentum reversal signal and the price keeps on moving lower, this setup is negated and traders should act accordingly.

Need for safe haven increases demand for gold

Since the International Monetary Fund (IMF) lowered its estimation for global growth for 2015, the equity markets have seen a sizeable correction. Last week, before the correction in stock indices was reversed, over $3.2 trillion was momentarily wiped out from the value of the global stock market. In addition to this, various worries ranging from the spread of the Ebola virus to the Federal Reserve (Fed) tightening its monetary policy, added to the general feel of the investment world as we’ve known it over the last four to five years, coming, if not to and end, at least close to it. This translated into strength in Gold which is often viewed as a safe haven when global threats arise or when the Fed expands its balance sheet. It is clear from the charts that when things got jittery, money flowed out of the other markets, but not from gold. Instead, gold gained after it touched a long term support level. According to the Financial Times, flows into gold investment funds hit an eight week high in the week to October 15th. At the same time the comments from the St. Louis Fed president Mr. Bullard have left the door open for further expansion of the Fed’s balance sheet. Based on all of the above, it is safe to assume that gold prices will be either sustained above the latest weekly low (support level at 1183) or trend higher over the coming months.

For recent and upcoming economic reports see: HotForex Economic Calendar - http://www.hotforex.com/en/trading-tools/economic-calendar.html

Over the last two and a half weeks gold has been moving higher from an important support level (blue horizontal line). While the most important weekly resistance levels (red horizontal lines) are far away from the current market price, we should pay attention to the Fibonacci cluster levels on the above chart (black horizontal lines). Based on several major highs in the recent sideways move in 2013 and 2014, as well as the latest market low, it is possible to draw several Fibonacci retracement levels. Because there is no single right way of choosing the low/high points for the analysis, different people draw the Fibonacci levels from different price points. Fibonacci cluster analysis provides us the areas important to the majority of analysts by eliminating all the other levels and focusing on those that cluster together. This analysis provides us with the following areas of importance in Gold. Support (area below current price) 1215 – 1220 and Resistance (area above price): 1260 – 1268. The third area of importance for Fibonacci analysts is where the price currently fluctuates. This area coincided with the weekly low from June this year. Price action below this weekly low is likely to be range bound and the range best visible (and tradeable) in the smaller time frames (4h and 1h). I base this view on what happened the last time gold was moving up from the same support level and prices reached the previous weekly pivot low (in January this year). Then, Gold moved sideways for three weeks before breaking above the resistance area created by the mentioned weekly pivot low.

In the above chart we have the same levels in a 4h chart. Price has been moving fairly steadily without strong extensions outside the Bollinger Bands, but some weariness in momentum is visible as the latest directional move hasn’t been strong enough to take gold to the upper end of the channel. This indicates that even though buyers have been able to work their way through the Fibonacci cluster at the weekly low, they are confronted with further supply at these levels.

If price breaks lower from here, potential supporting areas are the 4h Bollinger Bands that coincide with the daily low from Friday 17th and the penetrated resistance (see above chart) which has already proven itself as an area where buyers are willing to step in. It is worth noting that this level (a supporting Fibonacci cluster at 1215 to 1220) is roughly the area of former resistance from September this year and should the price move back there this would be a potential support and worth keeping an eye on.

Price is currently hovering at the lower 1h Bollinger bands while it moves sideways just above one of the Fibonacci cluster levels drawn earlier, but seems to be slipping lower. If gold can’t close above the descending red trend line but keeps on drifting lower, I would look at the 4h (240 min.) Bollinger Bands as potential support or first target for short trades. If momentum analysis (e.g. in 15 and 5 min. charts) confirms that this area of potential support is likely to hold, then long entries could be considered at or around the level.

Conclusion: Keeping in mind that we are in a period in which psychology changed substantially in June (the market turned from bearish to bullish right at current levels). This might mean that immediate upside is limited and that the market needs to dip lower to gather strength for another attempt to break through the above resistance. This is not very clearly visible in price action yet, but as I pointed out earlier the latest move higher in the 4h chart isn’t as strong as those before it. Therefore, it makes sense to prepare for the possibility of gold breaking lower and be ready to take long trades at potential support levels. However, if current minor support at Bollinger Bands and close to the level of rising trend line holds, it would be advisable for traders to act accordingly and follow the direction of the rising trendline in their trading.

HotForex Blog: https://blog.hotforex.com/need-for-safe-haven-increases-demand-for-gold/

EURUSD pushing lower in the European session. CPI data from the United States on focus.

EURUSD dropped yesterday and closed at 1.2715. Reports from different sources emerged that the European Central Bank is planning to expand its asset purchase program by doing corporate debt purchases. Data from the United States indicated that the Existing Home Sales from the United States in the largest economy of the world rose 2.4 percent on a monthly basis in September.

Investors are now looking forward for the Consumer Price Index and the Core Consumer Prices index month over month reports due from the United States later today.

Support for the EURUSD is seen at 1.2624 and resistance is seen at 1.2785.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this communication contains, or should be considered as containing, an investment advice or an investment recommendation or a solicitation for the purpose of purchase or sale of any financial instrument.

HotForex adds EURNOK to its currency pairs list

HotForex is pleased to announce the addition of one new offering to our wide range of currency pairs. As a HotForex client, you will now have the opportunity to trade the EURNOK pair. The pair will be available on all account types with the exception of FIX accounts.

With the addition of EURNOK pair, HotForex now offers traders access to 47 currency pairs.

For a full list of currency pairs offered and their specifications please follow the link:http://www.hotforex.com/en/trading-products/trading-details-forex.html

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact our dedicated customer support team via myHotForex, live chat, or by telephone on +44 2033185978.

Meet the Broker | Partners Tour 2014 | Jakarta

When: 3-6 November, 2014

Where: Hotel Indonesia Kempinski, Jakarta

We are looking forward to meeting current and potential partners of all types during our 4-day stop-over at the landmark Hotel Indonesia in Jakarta. Our senior management team will be available to meet interested Partners in private to discuss their partnership needs in depth. This is your chance to speak directly with HotForex’s key decision makers!

Contact [email protected] to book your meeting.

EURUSD trading near the 1.2600 level in the European session. US ADP Non-Farm Employment Change on focus.

EURUSD dropped yesterday and closed at 1.2630. The CPI Flash Estimate in the Eurozone dropped to a level of 0.3 percent on an annual basis in September. The Unemployment Rate in the currency union remained stable at 11.5 percent. Data from the United States showed that the CB Consumer Confidence dropped to a reading of 86.0 in September. The Chicago PMI also failed to meet the market expectations coming at a reading of 60.5 in September.

Data released today indicated that the Final Manufacturing PMI in the Eurozone dropped to a level of 50.3 in September.

Investors are now looking forward for the ADP Non-Farm Employment Change and the ISM Manufacturing PMI releases due from the United States.

Support for the EURUSD is seen at 1.2586 and resistance is seen at 1.2716.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this communication contains, or should be considered as containing, an investment advice or an investment recommendation or a solicitation for the purpose of purchase or sale of any financial instrument.

Euro on the focus today as Eurozone Inflation and German Unemployment figures are due

After a quite kick start in the week for the FOREX markets, all the focus has been concentrated in the Euro and the related data to be released later today.

EUR/USD attempted a bounce from its recent lows yesterday, trading as high as 1.2717 but it slowly retreated back below 1.27. The Euro is still weighted by increased uncertainty surrounding a proposed referendum in Catalonia, and the weak data stemming from the Eurozone. Yesterday German inflation was steady at 0.8%, with the focus now turned to Eurozone data. If the data to be released later this morning, appear weaker than expected for the Euro, we would expect a break below the 2-years low support level at 1.2659, and to open the way towards the next technical support level May’s 2012 low at 1.2286.

German unemployment data for September will be released at 07:55 GMT, and Eurozone inflation September data at 09:00 GMT. Later this afternoon Canadian GDP figures will be announced for the month of July at 12:30 GMT, and U.S. consumer confidence for September at 14:00 GMT.

All the data of course might give a small impact on the markets if the traders fear of aggressive positioning ahead of the U.S. Non Farm Payrolls that will be released on Friday.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this communication contains, or should be considered as containing, an investment advice or an investment recommendation or a solicitation for the purpose of purchase or sale of any financial instrument.