Gold

Hawkish comments from a number of Fed members as well as better-than-expected macro data from the United States is providing support for the US dollar today. Fed members speaking today have been reluctant to speak about any immediate rate cuts and instead hinted that rates may rise further if no sufficient progress on inflation is made. On top of that, retail sales and industrial production data for April, which was released today in the evening, turned out to be better-than-expected with retail sales ex-autos and gas jumping 0.6% MoM higher (exp. 0.2% MoM) and industrial production increasing 0.5% MoM (exp. 0.0% MoM). As a result, USD is the best performing G10 currency today. This in turn is putting pressure on precious metals, which are also benefitting from an increase in uncertainty amid lack of agreement on US debt ceiling.

Taking a look at GOLD at D1 interval, we can see that the price of this precious metal is dropping more than 1% today and has broken below the psychological $2,000 per ounce mark. A near-term support zone to watch can be found in the $1,980 area, where the 50-session moving average (green line) and 38.2% retracement of the upward move launched at the turn of February and March 2023 can be found. A break below this hurdle would pave the way for a test of the 50% retracement in the $1,940 area. However, a key support zone to watch can be found around 1% lower in the $1,922 area, where the lower limit of the Overbalance structure can be found.

Jap225

Economic Outlook

Japanese NIKKEI 225 is on the rise trading near an all-time high following positive GDP data and supportive comments from country leaders. The Japanese economy grew at a faster-than-expected rate of 1.6% in Q1, surpassing the projected 0.7% growth. This strong economic performance has boosted market optimism.

The recent earnings season has been a positive catalyst for Japanese equities, supported by Warren Buffett's endorsement and improvements in corporate governance. The projected operating profit growth in the fiscal year ending March 2024 is about 6% for Tokyo Price Index (Topix) companies. Additionally, Goldman Sachs sees a potential in the Japan market, attributing the gains to corporate reforms and easy monetary policy.

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) may consider revising its Yield Curve Control (YCC) policy in the upcoming June meeting, supported by the robust GDP outcome. However, the BoJ is likely to remain patient in taking any policy actions and may wait until next year to make rate hikes, as they review recent developments in inflation and other macroeconomic data. Current interest rate is maintained at -0.1% level and has remained unchanged since 2016. The argument for the YCC policy to remain unchanged is the government's approval of an electricity bill rise, which likely will support inflation to stay above 2% for a longer period.

JAP225 (Nikkei 225) index is trading at 30,100 points, which is near its all-time high of 30,500. The price is also approaching the upper line of an uptrend channel (marked with blue line) that started in early March. The next significant resistance level should be expected at 30,500, indicating a potential target for further price gains. On the other hand, the support levels are identified at 29,300 and 28,300, which can act as price floors in case of a downward movement.

The MACD indicator, a momentum oscillator, indicates a strong bullish momentum without any signs of divergence at the moment. This suggests that the upward trend may continue, supporting the bullish outlook for the Nikkei 225 index. Traders and investors will be closely monitoring the resistance and support levels for potential trading opportunities.

Wheat

Turkish media reports that Russian and Ukrainian negotiators with help from Turkey and the United Nations are closing in on an extension to Black Sea grain deal. This has triggered a drop on the WHEAT market with grain price erasing all of today's gains. Nevertheless, the news has not been confirmed yet and Russian media reported over the weekend that any extensions are likely to be just for 60 days (similarly to previous extensions).

Oil

US Energy Information Administration (EIA) released a weekly report on change in US oil and oil-derivative inventories at 3:30 pm BST today. API data released yesterday in the evening suggested a quite significant build of 3.69 million barrels during the previous week as well as a drop in gasoline and distillate inventories.

Official data released by EIA today showed an even bigger build in US crude oil inventories and a deeper draw in gasoline inventories. Distillate inventories were barely changed compared to a week ago.

Report can be seen as bearish for prices and the market saw it exactly as that. Oil moved lower following the release of EIA report and is now attempting to break below 50% retracement of the downward move launched on May 10, 2023.

AUDJPY

Australian jobs market data for April was released during the Asian trading session today and turned out to be a big disappointment. Employment declined by 4.3k in the previous month while the median estimate among economists was for a 24.5k jobs gain. This has led to a jump in unemployment rate from 3.5 to 3.7% (exp. 3.5%). Moreover, the composition of the employment drop is worrying as it was driven by full-time jobs, which fell 27.1k, while part-time jobs increased by 22.8k.

Report was clearly AUD-negative as it showed weakening of the labor market and could be an important factor for the Reserve Bank of Australia when deciding on rates. Major financial institutions are split in their expectations - some, like for example Goldman Sachs, expect one more 25 bp rate hike from RBA in this cycle while others, like for example Commonwealth Bank of Australia, say that RBA is done with hiking already. Money markets are currently pricing in RBA staying on hold at its next meeting on June 6, 2023.

Australian jobs data released trigger a pullback on AUD market. Taking a look at AUDJPY chart at D1 interval, we can see that the pair managed to climb above 200-session moving average (purple line) and attempted to move above the resistance zone ranging below 91.50 mark. However, today's pullback puts this breakout under question. If we see a daily close below the 200-session moving average, the pair may be set for a correction. However, one should remember that the overall trend is upward with the pair trading in a bullish price channel.

EURUSD

Philadelphia FED Manufacturing Index for May:
Actual: -10.4 Expected: -19.8, Previously: -31.3

Weekly Jobless Claims Data
Actual: 242k, Expected: 255k, Previously: 264k

US Dollar appreciates right after the publication of jobless claims data and the release of the FED Philly Index. EURUSD downward trend indicates growing strenghts of the US currency.

Economic Calendar

European indices set for flat opening
ECB and Fed speakers dominate calendar
FOMC minutes later into the week

Futures markets point to a more or less flat opening of the European cash session today. German DE30 is trading near all-time highs reached on Friday while S&P 500 futures (US500) hover near 4,200 pts area. Energy commodities, base metals and precious metals are pulling back. NZD and EUR are the best performing G10 currencies while AUD and CAD lag the most.

Economic calendar for today is very light when it comes to macro data. There won't be any data releases apart from Polish data pack for April. However, a number of speeches from Fed and ECB members is scheduled so EUR and USD may see some volatility. Things get more interesting later into the week with RBNZ decision and flash PMIs for May on Tuesday, FOMC minutes on Wednesday, CBRT rate decision on Thursday and US PCE data on Friday.

META.US

The European Union, on behalf of the Irish Data Protection Commission, has imposed a record €1.2bn ($1.3bn) fine on Meta Platforms (META.US), managed by Mark Zuckerberg, for data privacy breaches. The European body also set a categorical ban on sending user data. Within the next five months, the company is to suspend all future transfers of personal data to the US and US security services and six months to stop unlawful processing, including storage, of EU users' personal data.

The decision itself, however, does not directly cover the Instagram and WhatsApp platforms. The move by the control authorities in this case was itself foreseeable, however, in view of the fact that Meta, the US and the European Union have already had disputes in the past on the data line. The current decision and, in particular, the implemented preparatory period for the cessation of data transfer to the US, gives space for the US and the Union to modify their policies regarding the sharing of user data. Discussions on this matter are already underway and are expected to be implemented operationally in the coming months.

Meta Platforms is expected to appeal the fine.

Following the fine, Meta's shares are losing more than 1.2% before the open.

US500

Breaking fake news was released today regarding an alleged explosion at the Pentagon. The news quickly turned out to be false, and the tweet was deleted shortly after it was published. This information would likely have gone unnoticed unless the significant market reaction. Immediately following the news, the US500 index dropped 30 points to 4,180, and the Dollar Index declined from its peak of 103.290 points to 103.169 points.

Bitcoin

> US debt deal was reached during a weekend
> Beijing “Web3 Innovation and Development White Paper” introduction

Bitcoin experienced a price increase over the week, reaching above $28,000, attributed to various factors. One significant development was the announcement of a debt ceiling deal by the White House, which boosted market sentiment and led to a 4.9% increase in Bitcoin and a 4.9% increase in Ether. Additionally, a Chinese governmental agency released a white paper outlining suggestions for China's Web3 policy, signaling progress in a country that has been reevaluating its approach to cryptocurrencies.

The release of the white paper in Beijing coincided with new digital asset regulations in Hong Kong, sparking further interest in China's stance toward the crypto industry. The document, titled "Web3 Innovation and Development White Paper," recognizes Web3 technology as an essential aspect of future Internet industry development. Beijing's municipal government aims to establish the city as a prominent global innovation hub for the digital economy, allocating a minimum of 100 million yuan annually until 2025 for this purpose. As a reminder, retail investors in Hong Kong are allowed to trade cryptocurrencies starting from the 1st of June.

Crude Oil

Brent crude is losing 4% today, which can be linked to several factors. The US media is talking about uncertainty regarding the debt ceiling agreement, as several Republicans have made it clear that they will not support the bill. In addition, there are increasing question marks over China and further demand growth.

Nonetheless, the key factor that is likely to support price declines at this point is the disagreement within the enlarged OPEC+ cartel. Recently, Saudi Arabia's oil minister warned contract sellers about the possibility of OPEC+ action, which could suggest another potential production cut. On the other hand, Russia's energy minister says Russia is happy with the current course of events and prices. However, there have been signs that Russia may also be producing and exporting more than the internal arrangements in the cartel. This threatens a potential 'break-up' of the entire agreement, which could lead to a return of supply of as much as 2 million barrels per day, although of course one has to bear in mind the limited capacity for such a rapid increase in production. Nevertheless, recently, Iraq or the UAE were said to have hinted that they would like to produce more.

Strong declines in Brent crude were triggered by uncertainty about the sustainability of the OPEC+ agreement and uncertainty about demand from China or globally if the US were to eventually go bankrupt. The nearest support is around USD 68 per barrel, where the 23.6 retracement is located.

US30

US indices launched this week's trading on the back foot and moved lower on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, tides turned yesterday as it became more and more likely that Fed will keep rates unchanged at June meeting (13-14 June, 2023). Comments from Fed Harker and Jefferson signaling that FOMC is in position to skip a rate hike at the June meeting led to a slump in rate hike bets on money markets. Currently, markets price in just a 25% chance of 25 basis point rate hike at June meeting while those odds were as high as 70% following release of JOLTS data on Wednesday. NFP report for May, which is scheduled to be released at 1:30 pm BST today, will be watched closely but it seems that Fed members have already made up their minds when it comes to the June decision and therefore jobs data may not have too much of an impact.

Taking a look at Dow Jones futures (US30) at D1 interval, we can see that the index made another test of the 32,900 pts support zone and has once again failed to break below. The aforementioned support zone is marked with previous price reactions, 200-session moving average (purple line), upward trendline and the 50% retracement of the downward move launched at the beginning of 2022. Positive demand-side reaction to this hurdle suggests that the index may be set for a bigger recovery move. The first resistance zone to watch should current gains extend can be found in the 33,700 pts area, marked with 61.8% retracement.