Yen came with trump cards

The economic calendar of the last full week of September can hardly be called saturated, so investors will be focused on events of a geopolitical nature. The trade war, the conflict in the Middle East and Brexit are forcing investors to pay attention to safe haven assets, all the more so since the yen, which has become pretty cheaper in the first half of the month, is starting to look like a tidbit.

Over the past 3 weeks, USD/JPY quotes have grown by 4% amid closing short positions. De-escalation of the US-China trade conflict, lower Fed rates, revival of the European QE, a decrease in the probability of disorderly Brexit and strong macro statistics across the United States convinced investors that not everything was as bad as is commonly believed. Is it time to reduce the share of safe haven assets in portfolios? As a result, the yield on US treasury bonds began to grow, and the yen, franc and gold were in a black body. As subsequent events showed, not for long.

The attacks on Saudi Arabia, the statement by Donald Trump that he did not need a temporary deal with China on the eve of the presidential election, as well as the refusal of the Chinese delegation to visit American farmers, were seen as a signal of worsening global risk appetite and relations between Washington and Beijing. Riyadh claims that the terrorist attack was certainly funded by Tehran, and Donald Trump sends troops to the Allied camps in the Middle East and imposes sanctions against the Iranian central bank. How not to buy bonds and other safe havens in such conditions?

A deterioration in global risk appetite and a return to interest in the yen are making life difficult for the Bank of Japan. We watched the USD/JPY correction, realizing that devaluation would help accelerate inflation. Consumer prices in Japan slowed to 0.5% y/y in August, which is the worst trend since 2017.

The dynamics of Japanese inflation

Slowing inflation theoretically unties the hands of the central bank in easing monetary policy, but everything looks different in real life. Haruhiko Kuroda is confronted by the Fed's inability to weaken the US dollar even by lowering federal funds rates and EUR/USD growth in response to the revival of the ECB's quantitative easing program. It is obvious that a further drop in the overnight rate (-0.1%) in the red zone will only aggravate the problems of Japanese banks. In the current situation it is better to sit and see how events will develop. Perhaps negotiations between Washington and Beijing will result in a breakthrough and increase in global risk appetite ... On the contrary, the resumption of the rally in the oil market poses a threat to countries importing black gold and strengthens the demand for safe-haven assets.

Technically, the bulls' inability to hold USD/JPY quotes above the upper limit of the downward trading channel is the first sign of their weakness. After reaching an intermediate target of 78.6% according to the Shark pattern, a logical pullback followed, which risks continuing in the direction of 106.9 and 106.25. The main task of the bears is to keep the pair below 107.5.

Analysis are provided byInstaForex.

Gold does not like the president

The worst dynamics of business activity in the manufacturing sector in Germany over the past 10 years, the fastest decline in the consumer sentiment index in the US since the beginning of the year and rumors about the impeachment of Donald Trump - what could be better for safe haven assets?. The frank and the yen grew steadily, Treasury yields collapsed, and bulls on gold resumed attacks aimed at updating the 6-year high. The precious metal is preparing to close in the green zone for the fifth month in a row, and we must admit that it has reason for this.

When the leading economies of the world in the form of China, Germany and the US slow down, and central banks try to save the situation by easing monetary policy, the bulls on XAU/USD feel like a fish in water. Monetary expansion weakens major world currencies, and even the growth of the USD index does not scare fans of gold: it is not the dollar that is strong, its competitors are weak. Moreover, the Fed is cutting rates and, according to TD Securities forecasts, in order to eliminate the crisis in the money market, it will revive a program of quantitative easing in the amount of $515 billion in October. At the same time, political risks increased in the United States due to rumors about the impeachment of Donald Trump, which will contribute to the loss of steam by the US economy and global GDP. Is it any wonder that the treasury bond yields dropped sharply? The dynamics of gold and yield on US Treasury bonds

The fact that the bullish XAU/USD trend is stronger than ever is evidenced by an increase in stocks of specialized exchange-traded funds to a 6-year high and an increase in Swiss precious metal exports to Britain to 112.5 tons, which is the highest value for the last 7 years . As a rule, when gold flows from the West (US, Britain) to the East (China, India), sellers dominate the market; when it changes its direction - buyers. Switzerland serves as a transit point and a kind of indicator of the activity of investors and jewelers. As for ETF reserves, they reached the level of 2494.3 tons and are ready to mark the best quarterly growth from April-June 2016.

Yes, the impeachment of the current head of the White House seems unlikely, but it undermines the political authority of Donald Trump and unties the hands of China. It is possible that China will continue to pull the cat by the tail, sincerely hoping that the main enemy could resign himself long before the presidential election of 2020. The October talks in Washington and Beijing may not be as productive as financial markets expect, which will lead to the development of a correction on US stock indices and will allow the bulls to develop an attack on XAU/USD.

Technically, the inability of the bears for gold to keep quotes below the trend line of the Burst stage of the "Bump and Run Reversal" pattern indicates their weakness. The precious metal quickly returned to the game and if the September high is updated, the AB=CD pattern will be activated. Its target of 161.8% corresponds to the mark of $1600 per ounce

Analysis are provided byInstaForex.

Forecast for EUR/USD on September 30, 2019

EUR/USD

On Friday, after the euro's attempt to overcome support at 1.0926, the price chose to return a little higher in order to try to do it with fresh energy in the new week. This morning a little strength was given by economic data on the Asia-Pacific; retail sales for August show growth of 2.0% y/y against the forecast of 0.7% y/y, business activity in the manufacturing sector of China (Manufacturing PMI) for September increased from 49.5 to 49.8. In the afternoon, employment indicators in the euro area will come out, forecasts are neutral, so investors are interested in how much the data deviate from expectations.

On a four-hour chart, the price is near the signal level of 1.0926, consolidating below it will launch the main decline scenario. We are waiting for the price in the target range of 1.0806/44, formed by the line of the price channel and the Fibonacci level of 161.8%. Strong economic indicators in the euro area and weak in the US (if the Chicago PMI is weaker than the forecast of 50.0) may pull up the euro to the MACD line, to around 1.1000.

*The market analysis posted here is meant to increase your awareness, but not to give instructions to make a trade.

Technical analysis of ETH/USD for 02/10/2019

Crypto Industry News:
Testnet network Ethereum under the name Istanbul (which operates under the Ropsten testnet) was launched on September 30. Considering the existing problems related to the dates of the planned hard forks, this can be considered a great success. The whole was able to run even two days before the earlier announced date, which fell on October 2.

Unfortunately, after the activation of Ropsten an unplanned fork occurred. So now two chains are working.

The issue of the community centered around the Vitalik Buterin platform was explained by the community manager at the Ethereum Hudson Jameson Foundation. In his tweet from yesterday, he described what happened. Today, some miners are still mining the old version of Ropsten. Another copy of its new, updated version. The programmer, however, calms down. The problem is to be solved. Information should not worry investors: they are testnets, so that such errors come out during their duration.

Jameson also explains what exactly happened. The genesis of the problem is the nature of blockchains based on the proof-of-work algorithm, including Ethereum. The miners in them must independently update the software to be able to dig as part of a new chain. This time some of them did not and the result was an unplanned division.

Technical Market Overview:
The ETH/USD pair has made a new local high at the level of $185.05, but so far couldn't make it to the 50% of Fibonacci retracement located at the level of $187.37. The supply zone located between the levels of $172.82 - $176.66 has been clearly broken, the momentum is now increasing significantly, so there is a chance for the bulls to hit the level of 50% of even the 61% shortly if the trendline dynamic support around the level of $172.82 will provide the bounce. In the case of a trendline violation, the nearest technical support is located at the level of $163.98.

Weekly Pivot Points:
WR3 - $256.80
WR2 - $233.68
WR1 - $197.61
Weekly Pivot - $174.45
WS1 - $137.03
WS2 - $112.52
WS3 - $77.73

Trading Recommendations:
The best strategy in the current market conditions is to trade with the larger timeframe trend, which is still up. All the shorter timeframe moves are still being treated as a counter-trend correction inside of the uptrend. When the wave 2 corrective cycles are completed, the market might will ready for another impulsive wave up of a higher degree and uptrend continuation

Analysis are provided byInstaForex.

Elliott wave analysis of GBP/JPY for October 4 - 2019

GBP/JPY is now hovering just above the ideal corrective target at 130.78. We continue to look for a final dip closer to this target as long as minor resistance at 132.55 and more importantly as long as resistance at 133.36 is able to cap the upside. However, a break above resistance at 133.36 will indicate that red wave ii has completed and red wave iii towards 139.15 is developing.

R3: 133.36
R2: 132.85
R1: 132.55
Pivot: 132.00
S1: 131.47
S2: 131.25
S3: 130.78

Trading recommendation:
We will buy GBP at 131.25 or upon a break above 132.55

Analysis are provided byInstaForex.

Fractal analysis of Bitcoin on October 8

Forecast for October 8:
Analytical review of cryptocurrency on a scale of H1:

For the Bitcoin instrument, the key levels on the H1 scale are: 9026.00, 8811.75, 8666.36, 8379.42, 8287.60, 8039.21, 7893.53 and 7698.41. Attention! This instrument is characterized by medium-term trend trading. Here, as expected, the price formed a local structure for the top of October 7. In addition, this instrument has a good correlation with the euro / yen.

The range for entering the market for the purchase is 7948.00 - 8380.00. We expect the development of the upward cycle after the price passes the noise range 8287.60 - 8379.42. In this case, the first goal is 8666.36. Meanwhile, price consolidation is in the range of 8666.36 - 8811.75, as well as a possible rollback to correction. The potential value for the top, where it makes sense to close the position - 9026.00. The range 8039.21 - 7893.53 is a key support for the ascending structure. Its passage at the price will lead to the cancellation of this structure. In this case, the first goal is 7698.41. However, to trade in a downward direction, it makes sense when the local initial conditions for a downward cycle are formed.

The main trend is the initial conditions for the top of October 7.

Trading recommendations:
Buy: 7948.00 - 8380.00 Stop Loss: 7891.00 Take profit: 8666.36
To continue :
Stop Loss: 8287.60 Take profit: 9026.00

Analysis are provided byInstaForex.

Gold breaks into battle

Gold quickly returned above the psychologically important level of $1,500 per ounce due to weak statistics on US business activity. The United States feel the pain of trade wars and may well pull the rest of the world into the abyss, as has happened in the past more than once. At the same time, neither the US labor market report nor Jerome Powell's statement about the launch of the asset-purchase program made an impression on the precious metal. Obviously, investors are waiting for something. It is easy to guess that this is news from the negotiating table of Washington and Beijing.

Despite the fact that the Federal Reserve chairman made it clear that the upcoming program for the purchase of short-term securities is not QE, its start can be considered a positive factor for the bulls on XAU/USD. Increasing the activity of a large buyer is a good argument in favor of rising prices and falling profitability. Non-interest-bearing gold is not able to compete with bonds if rates on them rise. If they, on the contrary, decline, the precious metal begins to enjoy increased popularity. This is confirmed by the high demand for products of ETF funds. Their stocks have been increasing for 17 consecutive days, which is the longest winning streak since 2009. The total size of the indicator is only 35 tons below the record high that took place in 2012.

Gold ETF Stock Dynamics

The strong growth in stocks of specialized exchange-traded funds and the stability of gold against a strong dollar allow Citigroup to adhere to its bullish forecast for XAU/USD. The company believes that the precious metal will grow to $1,700 per ounce within 6-12 months. But on the side of its fans plays and increased activity of central banks! Thus, the People's Bank of China has been building up gold reserves for the 10th consecutive month. During this period, it acquired 99.8 tons. As a result, stocks rose to 62.64 million ounces. According to the World Gold Council, 14 regulators from various countries continue to diversify their reserves in favor of precious metals in order to reduce their dependence on the US dollar. In 2018, central banks from around the world bought $27 billion worth of gold, a record high.

The dynamics of gold reserves in China

While central banks and ETF fans are buying gold, speculators prefer to exit. In the week of October 1, their net longs fell to their lowest level since late July. It's not necessary to be frightened by it. Financial managers quite logically take profits on the eve of an important event - trade negotiations between the US and China. Most likely, their impact on financial markets will be much greater than the publication of the minutes of the September meetings of the Fed and the ECB.

Technically, the "Splash and Shelf" pattern takes place on the daily gold chart. Breakthrough of the lower boundary of the consolidation range of $1490-1520 will launch another correctional wave in the direction of $1440-1445 per ounce. In contrast, a successful assault on the resistance at $1520 will strengthen the risks of restoring the "bullish" trend and continuing the rally in the direction of the target at 161.8% on the AB=CD pattern.

Analysis are provided byInstaForex.

EUR/USD and GBP/USD. Preview of the new week. The EU summit, Brexit, inflation in the European Union

It is safe to say that we can call the new week, the"Week of Great Britain." Most of the macroeconomic reports planned for the week will concern the GBP/USD pair. Most of the reports regarding the GBP/USD pair will come from the UK. In addition to economic data, it will be decided whether a new Brexit date will be postponed, whether Boris Johnson and the European government will be able to agree on a "deal" and whether the British Parliament will block a new deal if, by some miracle, Brussels and London succeed to reach consensus on all contentious issues in five days? Thus, the EUR/USD pair may feel relatively calm, just as it did the previous week, but the British pound is likely to break volatility records and very often change its direction if the news comes mixed. But consider all the data in more detail.

As we said, most statistics come from the UK. On Tuesday, this will be data on unemployment and changes in average wages for August, on Wednesday - the consumer price index for September, on Thursday - retail sales and the European Union summit on Brexit starts. In addition, the United States will receive information on retail sales for September (Wednesday). However, despite the importance of future reports, we believe that the main attention of traders will be focused on Brexit, on the EU summit and on any information from Boris Johnson, Donald Tusk, Jean-Claude Juncker, Michel Barnier, Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron. It is these leaders who most often speak out about the promotion of the Brexit negotiation process and have the greatest influence on it. Regarding the chances of fulfilling one or another Brexit option, we recommend that traders not try to guess the future. Brexit has repeatedly shown to all market participants that trying to predict how everything will end is an ungrateful affair. The growth of the pound was often associated with rumors and unfounded market expectations, which each time gave way to a stronger fall in the British currency. That is why the movement of the pound/dollar pair this week may well be illogical and consistent with the nature of the incoming news, and all macroeconomic reports can be completely ignored. Thus, the main principle will be the "principle of caution" when trading GBP/USD in the new week.

As for the EUR/USD pair, here from macroeconomic events we can note the report on the change in industrial production in August on Monday, the inflation report for September on Wednesday. The greatest interest, of course, will be caused by the consumer price index, which in recent months has fallen to absolute lows. A value below 1.0% will no longer be considered just low, but critical. And then it can be expected from the ECB and a new reduction in key rates, the quantitative stimulus program in the first months of its operation is unlikely to be changed, but in the future it can be expanded. And for the euro, these are all potential bearish factors. We still believe that in the confrontation with the dollar, a single European trump card is very small. And at the moment, we consider the main factor behind the growth of the euro a banal technical need to be adjusted from time to time. There is no positive news from the EU. Recently, everything is not good in the United States too, but America's economy is still stronger, macroeconomic indicators are higher, monetary policy is tougher. It is these factors that continue to play for the dollar.

Analysis are provided byInstaForex.

EUR/USD - through thorns to the stars!

Greetings, dear traders. It is time to remember about EUR/USD, which has successfully fulfilled our previous plans. Following GBP/USD, the European currency is now demonstrating a strong bullish direction. It's easy to guess that all these movements are connected with the next portion of news regarding Brexit. If you omit all the fundamental details and focus on how to make money from it, the answer is simple. To take a neat positions in the purchases with a pullback. At the same time, wherever you try to buy, the extreme point of the scenario cancellation is today's minimum at the quote of 1.0991. Therefore, you can limit losses to this level. It is recommended to holding purchases (at least partially) at the level of 1.1064, since this is an important level for sellers over the past few days.

I wish you success in trading and big profits!

Analysis are provided byInstaForex.

GBP/USD. Turns of the British currency: Johnson repeats the path of Theresa May

Passion for Brexit reaches its zenith. In the afternoon, the pound paired with the dollar soared to the borders of the 30th figure (that is, to 5-month highs), responding to a statement by European Commission President Juncker that the deal between London and Brussels is "ready." But literally an hour later, the pair collapsed 200 points down after the first comments by representatives of the British Parliament. The opposition did not skimp on epithets: in particular, Jeremy Corbyn called the draft deal "corrupt", adding that Johnson's dealings were "even worse than Theresa May". However, despite such harsh comments, the market still expects the British prime minister to submit the draft deal to the House of Commons on Saturday.

For the sixth consecutive day, the pound is subject to strong volatility, showing unprecedented price fluctuations, both in the direction of growth and a downward course. The last time such powerful price spurts were observed in October 2018, when the parties were one step away from signing the deal. The pair jumped from the 34th to the 42nd figure in a few weeks. But then the events did not unfold so rapidly, although in general, the situations are of a similar nature.

At that time, Michel Barnier, the chief negotiator from the European Union, was the main newsmaker. Exactly a year ago, he said that the deal could already be concluded during the EU summit, which, like this year, was held on October 17-18. Brussels and London then were able to find a common denominator in many key issues, moreover, within the framework of Theresa May's Chequers plan, which the future Prime Minister Boris Johnson so eagerly criticized. May proposed to solve the Irish question in a different way: she agreed to establish checkpoints on the border and introduce "certain administrative procedures". EU representatives refused to consider other options, and interpreted the proposed conditions as a compromise. As you know, the deputies of the House of Commons categorically rejected the proposed conditions, failing the vote three times.

The Irish question is still a central issue today. On the one hand, Johnson made more significant concessions from the European Union: the customs border will pass through the Irish Sea, and the same customs rules will apply in Northern Ireland as in the rest of the UK. But on the other hand, such concessions did not satisfy the Northern Irish Unionists. After a two-day political bidding, the DUP issued an official statement declining the deal. In their opinion, the proposed agreement "does not meet the long-term interests of Northern Ireland", and in the short term, residents of this region may face a significant increase in prices.

As mentioned above, Labour also criticized Johnson's deal. And not just because of the Irish border. According to Jeremy Corbyn, the economic part of the agreement threatens the food security of Great Britain, and can also lead to "violation of the rights of workers and environmental standards." Also, according to the Labour leader, the deal will be a blow to the British health care system. Representatives of the Scottish National Party (which has 35 members of the British Parliament) have joined Johnson's critics, adding that they will not vote for the deal.

Thus, at the moment it is not clear how the prime minister plans to "push through" the deal through the millstones of Parliament. Without the support of the Youth Democratic Party, the Labour Party and the Scottish nationalists, he will have to rely on the consolidation of Conservative deputies (20 of whom he expelled from the party for indiscipline) and representatives of other political forces.

At the same time, according to information from the British press, Johnson in Parliament may express his readiness to violate the law, obliging him to ask Brussels to postpone Brexit. This information may be the usual "bluff" on the part of the current prime minister, but, given the odiousness of his personality, such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

In general, according to most experts, if Johnson fails to agree on a deal in Parliament, he will initiate early parliamentary elections to bring the draft deal back to the new House of Commons.

Thus, Johnson will have a difficult battle in the walls of Parliament. Judging by the dynamics of the pound, traders do not lose hope of agreeing on a deal this Saturday: otherwise, the GBP/USD pair will return first to the middle of the 24th figure, and then (less impulsive) to the levels of annual lows, that is, to the bottom of the 20th figure. If a "miracle" happens and the prime minister finds votes in Parliament, the pound paired with the dollar will fly up to 1.35-1.37, up to the 40th figure, after the deal between London and Brussels is officially agreed. And although these price values look abnormally high, it is worth recalling that on the eve of the 2016 referendum, the GBP/USD pair was trading in the area of 1.43-1.46, and after the announcement of the results, the plebiscite plunged to 1.25-1.27 in a few weeks, followed by a decline to the bottom of 20- x figures. "The return trip to an upward direction" may not be so impulsive, but at the same time, the resolution of many years of intrigue will allow the pair to grow by at least 500-600 points. As the saying goes, The Show Must Go On ...

Analysis are provided byInstaForex.

Pound rushes to the clouds

Despite the almost bare economic calendar, all the attention of investors on forex is focused on the British pound. According to Mark Carney, Great Britain marked the beginning of global uncertainty in 2016, which slowed business activity and GDP in most countries of the world. It can put an end to this by voting for a draft dissolution agreement with the EU. Boris Johnson also called for support of the document, arguing that any delay would harm the interests of the United Kingdom, its EU partners and relations between them. However, the British Parliament may have a different opinion.

The sterling has not responded to macro statistics for a long time and is calling for political news. In this regard, an increase in unemployment from 3.8% to 3.9% and disappointing inflation statistics (fact +1.7%, forecast + 1.8% YOY) remained almost unnoticed by investors. All their attention has shifted to Brexit. The prime minister of Great Britain managed to find a common language with the EU. Now he needs 320 votes in Parliament to enter, and not get into the story. In fact, the head of the Cabinet of Ministers needs to lure 61 opponents to his side, which does not seem unrealistic.

According to Goldman Sachs, the chance of a disorderly Brexit dropped to 5%. This circumstance makes the correction potential of GBP/USD limited. MUFG expects the pound to find haven in the range of $1.3-1.35 if lawmakers approve the deal. UBS Global Wealth Management also talks about the $1.35 level. TD-Bank believes that the pair is able to rewrite the May high near 1.3185, however, the contract rejected by the Parliament will trigger a wave of correction to 1.264-1.266. Robobank sees an even deeper low at around 1.22.

Pound Forecasts

The fact that the bulls continue to dominate the market was shown by the sterling reaction to the decision of MPs to vote for the proposal to postpone the approval of the deal. As a result, Boris Johnson, in order to obey the law, was forced to write a letter to the EU asking that they prolong the transition period. The prime minister did not sign this document and sent another to Donald Tusk, in which he expressed confidence that Britain would leave the EU on October 31. The opposition party believes that the head of the Cabinet of Ministers behaves childishly and threatens him with court in the event of a disorderly Brexit.

In my opinion, everything goes to the point that the deal will be approved by the British Parliament on the falling flag. The bulls on GBP/USD believe this, pushing the pair to the psychologically important mark of 1.3. The fact that they managed to gain a foothold above 1.29 indicates the seriousness of the intentions of sterling buyers.

Technically, after a clear combination of patterns "Shark" and 5-0, the upward trend of the analyzed pair is directed to the target of 261.8% on the AB = CD model. It is located near 1.309. A necessary condition for maintaining control over the pound by the bulls and continuing the rally is to consolidate GBP/USD quotes above the Pivot level of 1.29.

Analysis are provided byInstaForex.