For starter, a few words about the events of the past week, the first working day of which gave unpleasant surprises, which for some were quite pleasant.
- Not having recovered after the New Year celebration, in the morning of January 2, the pair EUR/USD made a sharp dash to the south, losing almost 200 points in a day. Then, however, everything returned to normal, and the pair quickly returned to Pivot Point 1.1400, around which it has been revolving since October 2018. On Friday, January 5, using positive data from the US labor market, the dollar tried to regain the lost ground, but the attempt failed, and the pair ended the week at 1.1394.
- An even sharper jump from 2018 to 2019 was expecting the GBP/USD, which lost on January 2, due to increased demand for the dollar, more than 400 points. Then, just as in the case of the European currency, the excitement subsided, and the pair returned to the main support/resistance line of the last two months in the 1.2720 area;
- The forecast for the pair USD/JPY suggested the strengthening of the yen as a safe haven currency. But the fact that within only one hour on January 2 it would be able to win back 400 points from the dollar, that is, almost everything it had lost during the whole 2018, was almost impossible to foresee. The cause of the incident was a "festive" lack of liquidity in Japan, which was then eliminated. But the dollar could not fully recover, and the pair ended the trading week at 108.50;
- Cryptocurrencies. Against the background of the major currency pairs Bitcoin demonstrated a remarkable stability last week, keeping on to lateral movement in a narrow corridor of $3,775-4,100 and returned where it has repeatedly been in the last six weeks by Friday evening, to the level of $3,955. Following the example of the reference cryptocurrency, the Olympic calmness was shown by Litecoin (LTC/USD). But Ethereum and Ripple behaved somewhat more actively. Thus, the ETH/USD pair has grown by 12%, rising above the $160 mark, and the XRP/USD pair, on the contrary, lost 7%, although it could not break through the support of $0.3560.
As for the forecast for the coming week, summarizing the opinions of a number of analysts, as well as forecasts made on the basis of a variety of methods of technical and graphical analysis, we can say the following:
- EUR/USD. Both trend indicators and oscillators on H4 and D1 have taken a neutral position. The opinions of the experts are divided as follows: 20% have voted for the growth of the pair, 40% are for the sideways trend and 40% are for the strengthening of the dollar and the fall of the pair.
It should be noted that in the transition from the weekly to monthly forecast, the number of supporters of strengthening the US currency rises to 65%. Graphical analysis on D1 also indicates a possible decrease of the pair to December lows in the 1.1215 zone. The nearest strong support area is 1.1305.
As for the “bullish” scenario, according to its supporters, the dollar will continue to be pressured by political uncertainty in the United States. The nearest strong resistance zone is 1.1485-1.1500, in case of its breakthrough, the next target for the bulls will be consolidation in the zone 1.1550-1.1625.
Among the economic events that could affect the formation of dollar pairs, one should pay attention to the US FOMC protocol, which will be published on Wednesday evening, January 9, the ECB meeting on Thursday, January 10, as well as data on inflation in the United States, which will be released at the very end of the week, on Friday, January 11; - GBP/USD. Here, of particular interest are the speech of the head of the Bank of England, Mark Kearney on January 9, as well as data on UK GDP, published on January 11. However, in both cases, one should not expect any special surprises, and the uncertainty associated with the British exit from the EU will continue to be decisive for the British pound exchange rate. That is why 65% of experts predict a further fall of the pound. According to them, with the support of graphical analysis on D1, the pair will first test support 1.2615 once again and, if successful, will move to the zone 1.2475-1.2525. It is unlikely to achieve the low of the first week of January in the 1.2400 zone in the upcoming week.
20% of analysts are in favor of the GBP/USD sideways trend, and only 15% have sided with the bulls, suggesting movement of the pair in the corridor 1.2715-1.2835. The next resistance is 1.2925.
At the time of writing the forecast, about 90% of indicators sided with the bulls. However, most likely, this is only a consequence of the upward movement of the pair on January 3-5. Moreover, 10% of the oscillators have already signaled that it is overbought, which indicates a possible reversal of the pair to the south.
- USD/JPY. About half of the indicators are red and half are green. As for the opinions of analysts, 70% of them predict a decline of the pair to the level of 107.00, and then another 100 points lower. So far, only 30% of experts have voted for the growth of the pair, but in the medium term, the number of supporters of strengthening the dollar doubles. The main goal for the bulls is to return to the zone 112.25-113.80. The nearest resistance levels are 109.45, 110.25 and 111.15;
- Cryptocurrencies. The behavior of BTC/USD does not give reasons for optimism or pessimism. Therefore, the experts' opinions are divided almost equally: 30% are for the growth of Bitcoin, 30% are for its fall and 40% are for the continuation of the sideways trend. At the same time, the total capitalization of the crypto market is at the level of the end of December last year, around $130 billion, which also does not allow for making any predictions. Although some experts, based on the cyclical nature of the growth and the fall of quotations, argue that the first quarter of 2019 will be on the side of buyers, and expect the pair to rise to $4,800-5,200. The alternative scenario: the end of the correction and the fall of BTC/USD to the strong zone, recorded as early as July-August 2018: $2,500-2,700. Moreover, such a fall may take from one to two months. The nearest support is in the $2,940-3.050 zone.
Roman Butko, NordFX
Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.
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