The euro today inched higher against the dollar as rising eurozone coronavirus cases continued to weigh on the single currency amid mixed inflation reports. The EUR/USD currency pair was trading sideways earlier today before surging higher boosted by positive comments from European Central Bank policymakers.
The Chinese yuan is extending its losing streak against a basket of major currency rivals on Tuesday. The yuan, which recently suffered its worst one-day drop in seven months, slumped on slightly lower-than-expected trade data. With more economic data being released this week, the yuan could come under a lot of pressure and reverse its significant 2020 rally.
The US dollar is kick off the trading week relatively flat, hovering at its lowest level in three weeks. With not much economic data to work with, investors are weighing fiscal stimulus in Washington and the 2020 presidential election in a couple of weeks. Will traders adopt a wait-and-see approach to the greenback for the remainder of October?
The Mexican peso is strengthening against some of its peers to close out the trading week, buoyed by slowing inflation and improving macroeconomic data. The peso has been one of the top-performing Latin American currencies in recent months, despite the coronavirus pandemic failing to subside and the public health crisis affecting the region’s second-largest economy.
The Turkish lira’s recovery since hitting all-time lows against the US dollar and the euro has stalled. The currency is once again testing 7.8 per dollar amid ballooning inflation and rising geopolitical tensions in the region. Global financial markets have been apprehensive about Ankara’s potential involvement in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan supporting Baku in the renewed battle.
The US dollar is kicking off October lower as the number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits fell to a six-month low and consumers continued to show some signs of life in August. Still, the greenback is poised for a noteworthy weekly gain against many of its major currency rivals, buoyed by uncertainty in the broader financial markets.
The Mexican peso is struggling to find support against several major currency rivals after the central bank cut interest rates for the 11th consecutive month. The Mexican economy has been slumping as the country fails to contain the coronavirus pandemic, with the number of new infections rising thousands per day. Despite the peso making gains this past summer, it has been one of the worst-performing Latin American currencies this year.
The Swiss National Bank made a monetary policy announcement today but markets paid little attention to it. Currently, the Swiss franc is the weakest currency on the Forex market, even losing its earlier gains versus the Australian and New Zealand dollars, which themselves were very weak. It looks like traders continue to prefer the US dollar as a refuge, ignoring other safe currencies, like the franc and the Japanese yen.
The Turkish lira plunged to a new record low against the US dollar to finish the trading week, adding to its year-to-date plunge to 28%. The lira joined the broader emerging market currency selloff as the Federal Reserve’s downbeat assessment of the world’s largest economy sent investors into safer assets. Could the lira next test 8.0 against the buck?
The Japanese yen is extending its winning streak against many of its most traded currency counterparts on Thursday. The yen found support in the central bank leaving interest rates in subzero territory and keeping its bond-buying program. In addition to the ultra-loose efforts of the Bank of Japan (BoJ), the institution plans to coordinate with new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on a wide range of policies.
