US: Weekly Initial Jobless Claims decline to 243K vs. 253K expected

Initial Jobless Claims fell by 2,000 in the week ending August 20.

US Dollar Index trades flat on the day above 108.50.

There were 243,000 initial jobless claims in the week ending August 20, the weekly data published by the US Department of Labor (DOL) showed on Thursday. This print followed the previous week's print of 245,000 (revised from 252,000) and came in better than the market expectation of 253,000.

Further details of the publication revealed that the advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1% and the 4-week moving average was 247,000, an increase of 1,500 from the previous week's unrevised average.

"The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending August 13 was 1,415,000, a decrease of 19,000 from the previous week's revised level," the DOL further announced.

Market reaction

The US Dollar Index edged higher after this data and was last seen trading virtually unchanged on the day at 108.56.

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Gold Price Forecast: XAU/USD capped by sellers aligned around $1,750

Gold price has been on the back foot, despite the generally negative market mood, currently trading at around $1,745.80 a troy ounce. The metal bottomed at the beginning of the week at $1,727.70, as the dollar outperformed other safe-haven assets throughout the first half of the week. Nevertheless, the greenback got hit by poor US data released on Tuesday, pulling down from its recent highs and correcting extreme overbought conditions against most major rivals. The bright metal peaked at $1,754.07 but so far cannot retain the $1,750 mark, with sellers quickly appearing in attempts to surpass the level. XAU/USD is seen at a critical juncture as bull-bear tug-of-war could set in, FXStreet’s Dhwani Mehta reports.

Meanwhile, financial markets are relatively quiet at the moment as investors await the US Durable Goods Orders report, expected to post a modest 0.6% advance in July. Such a tepid report will likely exacerbate concerns about a recession and weigh on high-yielding assets. The dollar will likely resume its bullish momentum after the latest pullback and is seen strengthening against its brighten rival. 

XAU/USD bears return after rejection above $1,750

“The 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) is turning south once again while below the midline, suggesting that the downside pressure could build up in the sessions ahead.”

“Adding credence to the bearish bias, the 50-Daily Moving Average (DMA) is fast approaching the 21 DMA from above.”

“A sustained break below the Fibonacci Retracement (Fibo) level of the recovery from yearly lows of $1,681 to the August 10 high of $1,808 at $1,729 will open up the downside towards the $1,700 mark.”

“Bulls need a daily closing above the $1,750 psychological level, above which the 38.2% Fibo resistance at $1,760 will be probed. Further up, the meeting point of the 21 and 50 DMAs at $1,769 will be a tough nut to crack for XAU bulls.”

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EUR/USD Price Analysis: A deeper pullback could see 0.9859 retested

EUR/USD clocks new cycle lows in the sub-0.9900 zone.

Further losses could test the December 2002 low near 0.9860.

EUR/USD accelerates the daily losses and briefly breaks below the 0.9900 level, or new cycle lows.

Further weakness remains in the pipeline for the time being. Against that, the breakdown of the 2022 low at 0.9899 (August 23) should leave the door open to a probable deeper retracement to the December 2002 low at 0.9859.

In the longer run, the pair’s bearish view is expected to prevail as long as it trades below the 200-day SMA at 1.0845.

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US: Chicago Fed National Activity Index improves to 0.27 in July from -0.25

Chicago Fed National Activity Index moved into positive territory in July.

US Dollar Index clings to daily gains above 108.00 after the data.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's National Activity Index (CFNAI) improved to 0.27 in July from -0.25 (revised from -0.19) in June.

"The CFNAI Diffusion Index, which is also a three-month moving average, edged up to –0.05 in July from –0.08 in June," the publication further read. "Fifty-five of the 85 individual indicators made positive contributions to the CFNAI in July, while 30 made negative contributions. Fifty-five indicators improved from June to July, while 30 indicators deteriorated. Of the indicators that improved, 17 made negative contributions."

Market reaction

This report failed to trigger a noticeable market reaction and the US Dollar Index was last seen rising 0.26% on a daily basis at 108.40.

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Gold Price Forecast: XAU/USD struggles near one-week low amid sustained USD buying

Gold witnesses selling for the second straight day on Tuesday amid modest USD strength.

Hawkish Fed expectations and elevated US bond yields continue to underpin the greenback.

Recession fears could limit losses for the safe-haven XAU/USD ahead of the FOMC minutes.

Gold attracts fresh selling near the $1,783 region on Tuesday and turns lower for the second successive day. The XAU/USD drops back closer to a one-week low touched the previous day, around the $1,774 area during the first half of the European session and now seems vulnerable to a further slide.

Following a brief consolidation through the early part of trading on Tuesday, the US dollar gains some positive traction for the third straight day and exerts some pressure on the dollar-denominated gold. Despite last week's softer US CPI report, Fed officials stressed that it is too soon to declare a victory on inflation and have maintained a hawkish tone. This, in turn, suggests that the Fed would stick to its policy tightening path and continues to underpin the greenback.

In fact, the markets are currently pricing in a greater chance of at least a 50 bps rate hike at the next FOMC policy meeting in September. This remains supportive of elevated US Treasury bond yields, which turns out to be another factor driving flows away from the non-yielding yellow metal. The downside, however, seems cushioned, at least for the time being, as investors might now prefer to move on the sidelines ahead of the FOMC meeting minutes, scheduled for release on Wednesday.

Investors would look for clues about the possibility of a larger 75 bps rate hike move in September. This could play a key role in influencing the near-term USD price dynamics and help determine the next leg of a directional move for gold. In the meantime, growing worries about a global economic downturn could lend some support to the safe-haven precious metal. Traders now look forward to the housing market data and Industrial Production figures from the US for some impetus on Tuesday.

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Brent Oil to trade at only $90 by year-end – Commerzbank

Following last week’s massive setback, the latest recovery of oil prices is likely to falter. In the view of strategists at Commerzbank, oil prices should continue to decline until the end of the year.

Market will be amply supplied in the coming months

“The oil market should be more than amply supplied for the time being.”

“We now envisage a Brent price of only $90 by year-end.”

“The EU oil embargo that will come into force at the end of the year will probably prevent any further price slide.”

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GBP/USD surges past 1.2200 mark amid softer US inflation data-inspired USD slump

GBP/USD adds to its intraday gains and rallies to a one-and-half-week high amid a brutal USD selloff.

A weaker US CPI report pushed back expectations for a larger Fed rate hike and weighed on the USD.

A strong rally in the US equity futures exerts additional downward pressure on the safe-haven buck.

The GBP/USD pair catches aggressive bids and surges past the 1.2200 mark, hitting a one-and-half-week high during the early North American session.

The intraday US dollar selling picks up pace following the release of weaker US consumer inflation figures, which, in turn, provides a goodish lift to the GBP/USD pair. The Bureau of Labour Statistics reported that the headline US CPI remained flat in July against the 0.2% rise anticipated. Adding to this, the yearly rate decelerated to 8.5% during the reported month, again missing estimates pointing to a fall to 8.7% from the 9.1% in June.

Furthermore, core inflation, which excludes food and energy prices, came in at 0.3% MoM and held steady at a 5.9% YoY rate vs 0.5% and 6.1% anticipated, respectively. The softer data now seems to have pushed back market expectations for a larger Fed rate hike move at the September policy meeting and prompts aggressive selling around the USD. Apart from this, a strong rally in the US equity markets exerts additional pressure on the safe-haven buck.

The strong intraday move up allowed the GBP/USD pair to break through the 1.2130-1.2140 resistance zone, triggering an aggressive short-covering move. Hence, it remains to be seen if the momentum is backed by genuine buying or turns out to be a stop run amid the Bank of England's gloomy economic outlook.

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