The euro fell against the resurgent US dollar ignoring in-line euro area releases, as US Treasury yields remained stable during the first half of today’s session. The EUR/USD currency pair spiked higher during Jerome Powell‘s speech but later fell despite the Fed chair reiterating the bank’s accommodative stance.
The Swiss franc was among the weakest among major currencies on the Forex market today, along with the US dollar and the Japanese yen — other currencies considered to be safe. That suggests that risk appetite has been driving markets on Friday.
The US dollar rose against some of its major currency peers in the middle of the trading week as financial markets failed to react positively to strong retail sales data. The greenback has strengthened during the holiday-shortened trading week amid investors continuing to seek safe-haven assets during the broader economic uncertainty.
The Russian ruble weakened against its US peer on Tuesday as higher producer prices and weaker industrial production weighed on the currency. The ruble has recorded modest gains against the greenback, driven by rising energy prices and broader optimism in the nation’s economic recovery.
The euro fell against the majority of most-traded currencies today, though managed to keep its previous gains versus the US dollar and extend the rally against the Japanese yen. Market analysts named two most likely reasons for the euro’s weakness: a slow vaccine rollout and a bigger-than-expected contraction of industrial production.
The Japanese yen was very weak today, demonstrating significant losses against all other most-traded currencies. Analysts explained the weakness by the market sentiment that was favorable to riskier currencies. Japan’s better-than-expected macroeconomic reports added to the traders’ optimism.
The Turkish Lira flatlined against its US peer to finish the trading week as disappointing economic data put the brakes on the currency’s rally. But the lira is still poised for a weekly boost against the greenback, with foreign exchange markets remaining bullish on one of last year’s worst-performing currencies. With the central bank putting forward a more consistent and orthodox monetary policy, investors are optimistic about the lira’s future.
Today, the Sterling pound fell against the dollar despite the release of upbeat UK macro data as investor sentiment towards the pound remained bearish. The dollar’s recovery also fueled the GBP/USD currency pair’s decline as investors remained cautious about the UK-EU Northern Ireland border standoff.
The euro was firm today, rising against most of its major peers, but failed to gain on safe currencies, such as the Japanese yen and the Swiss franc. The euro’s strength was surprising as the market sentiment has been worsening, and the shared 19-nation currency is not known for being a safe option for investors.
Today, the euro fell against the dollar due to the elevated demand for the safe-haven greenback as investors remained hopeful about the potential $1.9 trillion US stimulus package. The EUR/USD currency pair later reversed course and headed higher as market sentiment shifted in favour of riskier assets causing the dollar to tank against its peers.
