EUR/USD: the market expects the release of data from the German industrial sector
The EUR/USD pair is showing mixed trends, stabilizing near the 1.0950 level in anticipation of new market incentives. Today, the focus is on November data on German industrial production, where a modest 0.2% increase is expected after a previous 0.4% decline. Statistics on unemployment in the eurozone will also be presented, which is expected to remain at 6.5%.
In the United States, this week will be marked by the publication of a report on consumer inflation, which has a significant impact on the country's future monetary policy. Previously released inflation data from the eurozone showed worse than expected results: the consumer price index increased to 2.9% year-on-year in December, instead of the expected 3.0%, and on a monthly basis - an increase of 0.2% after the previous fall of 0.6%. Core inflation slowed to 3.4%, which is also lower than the expected 3.5%. In addition, the German economy received support from the November dynamics of exports, which grew by 3.7%, exceeding expectations of 0.3%. Despite a significant increase in exports to the EU (5.8%), there are concerns about difficulties with maritime transport through the Suez Canal, which may complicate the situation in the industry. In Germany, the volume of orders increased by only 0.3%, which is significantly lower than the expected 1.0%. Retail sales in the eurozone fell by 0.3% monthly and 1.1% per annum in November, falling short of the projected 1.5%.
- Resistance levels: 1.0964, 1.1000, 1.1050, 1.1100.
- Support levels: 1.0930, 1.0900, 1.0850, 1.0800.
AUD/USD: the Australian dollar strengthened its position in the pair
During the Asian trading session, the AUD/USD pair shows stability, remaining near the 0.6715 level in anticipation of new market catalysts.
The current state of the market is supported by balanced macroeconomic data from Australia. In particular, retail sales increased by 2.0% in November, in line with forecasts and showing a 2.2% improvement compared to last year. The number of construction permits issued increased by 1.6%, reaching 14,529 thousand, although in the private sector there was a decrease of 1.7% to 8,506 thousand. Nevertheless, the construction of residential buildings increased by 6.7% to 5,856 thousand. Housing construction costs decreased by 2.0% to 6.33 billion Australian dollars, and commercial construction costs decreased by 18.0% to 4.91 billion Australian dollars.
The US dollar ended yesterday at 101.900 in the USDX index, as investors refrain from active actions ahead of important inflation statistics to be published on Thursday at 15:30 (GMT+2). The consumer price index is expected to increase from 3.1% to 3.2% year-on-year and by 0.2% month-on-month in December, which may significantly affect the likelihood of launching a program to ease the monetary policy of the US Federal Reserve System.
- Resistance levels: 0.6750, 0.6850.
- Support levels: 0.6670, 0.6560.
Cryptocurrency Market Overview
This week, the ETH/USD pair registered a significant increase, following the general positive trend of the market: the exchange rate reached the level of 2358.00, although later some of the positions won were lost. Nevertheless, the prospects for further strengthening of the upward movement remain high.
The positive price dynamics continues to be based on expectations of approval by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on the launch of a spot bitcoin ETF. A decision on this issue is expected on Wednesday, and experts mostly assume a favorable outcome for the crypto market. An important sign of this was the SEC's recent warning to investors about the risks of buying digital assets, which many see as an attempt by the regulator to minimize its responsibility if the ETF is approved. It is expected that BlackRock Inc. will be the first to launch a new financial instrument, although it is possible that the SEC will approve all submitted applications, their number currently exceeds a dozen.
- Resistance levels: 2375.00, 2500.00, 2625.00, 2570.00.
- Support levels: 2125.00, 2000.00, 1875.00.
Crude Oil Market Overview
Prices for benchmark Brent Crude Oil are experiencing a correction, trading slightly above the $76.00 mark.
This negative trend is caused by changes in the pricing strategy of the state oil company Saudi Aramco, which announced earlier this week a reduction in oil prices for Asian, European and American buyers. In particular, the price of the Arab Light variety for Asia decreased by $ 2 per barrel, reaching a minimum in the last 27 months. A similar decrease was observed for the Extra Light, Arab Medium and Arab Heavy varieties, as well as for supplies to the United States and Northwestern Europe. As a result, the price of Arab Light with February delivery turned out to be only 0.9 dollars higher than Brent Crude Oil, which is the minimum gap over the past two years, and for the Mediterranean countries the difference was only 0.4 dollars.
As for investor interest in oil contracts, there has been a noticeable increase in trading volumes since the beginning of the year: the average number of contracts for WTI Crude Oil on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME Group) has reached 824.3 thousand since January 3, which is significantly higher than at the end of last year, when it was only 511.2 thousand contracts.
- Resistance levels: 77.50, 80.60.
- Support levels: 75.20, 71.50.