2010-03-09: Greece Debt Concerns Ease, EUR Currently Bullish
Some of the latest price movements in the EUR have reflected a growing sense of optimism in the Euro-Zone, given the mild easing of debt concerns in Greece. Switzerland also appears to be having a positive effect on the region with a recent report which showed retail sales climbing much higher than forecast last month. Investor confidence in the region also appears to have risen slightly better than was anticipated. Whether Europe can sustain this bullish momentum is yet to be seen, but so far the regional currencies appear to be holding their gains.

USD
Following last Friday’s less-than-inspiring Non-Farm Payrolls data, the US Dollar has entered what appears to be a diverse array of price movements. Against the EUR and CHF, the greenback has entered a range-trading pattern with distinct highs and lows. The EUR/USD is currently trading at 1.3615, down from yesterday’s 1.3680. Against the Yen, the Dollar has started coming back down from last week’s jump. After reaching upwards of 90.60, the pair now trades just above the 90.00 price level.

The USD has taken a downturn lately, following Friday’s modest rise. The easing of debt concerns in Greece has a number of forex market participants buying back into the Euro. Whether Europe can sustain this bullish momentum is yet to be seen, but so far the regional currencies appear to be holding their gains.

Since today’s economic calendar will be void of any news from the United States, the chances of any major market corrections today are slim. However, if we were to correlate the potential movement of Crude Oil with the price of the EUR/USD, there is a chance that we could see some Dollar strengthening as the technical indicators are showing a potential downward move in Crude Oil later today.

EUR
The EUR appears to have leveled off against the majority of its currency rivals. Moderate downturns were experienced against the CAD and AUD, however, with price dips of 60 and 40 pips, respectively. Versus its primary counterpart, the US Dollar, the EUR was trading bearish overall on the day near the price level of 1.3615, down from 1.3700 seen earlier in the trading day. The EUR/USD pair, moreover, appears to be range trading between 1.3450 and 1.3730.

Some of the latest price movements in the EUR have reflected a growing sense of optimism in the Euro-Zone, given the mild easing of debt concerns in Greece. Switzerland also appears to be having a positive effect on the region with a recent report which showed retail sales climbing much higher than forecast last month. Investor confidence in the region also appears to have risen slightly better than was anticipated.

Overall, if the 16-nation Euro-Zone economy continues to provide data which supports the notion of improving economic sentiment, there is a strong chance the EUR will see increasingly strong signals of reversing last month’s losses. However, since we are expecting a light news day, the chances of this happening today are slim. Additionally, this entire week appears to be light on European market news and as such could mean that the EUR will not be in the driver’s seat of its price movements until next week

JPY
After experiencing a sharp decline against all of its major counterparts on Friday, the JPY now appears to be regaining strength in today’s early trading hours. So far the Yen has climbed 185 pips against the British Pound and is currently trading at the 135.15 price mark. Against the USD the JPY currently sits just above the 90.00 price level but appears to be facing a significant support line at that price.

With a number of machinery and industrial figures being published by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) today, there is a chance that the JPY will witness a higher-than-usual level of volatility in trading later in the afternoon. Significant price barriers are being touched on almost every JPY pair. If a breach occurs, the JPY could jump to completely pare the losses made last Friday. But if the JPY cannot gain the necessary momentum, there could be a downturn on the way.

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