First, a review of last week’s forecast:
- As the opinions of analysts were split 50/ 50, we had decided not to give a clear forecast for EUR/USD for the second week in a row. In terms of what happened, despite the bulls having an advantage at the beginning of the week, the bears eventually won. The House of Representatives of the US Congress was on their side this time, allowing the Senate to approve Trump's tax reform by a simple majority. But that's not all: on Thursday, 26 October, the dollar experienced a surge of support from the ECB, which decided to extend the QE quantitative easing program and continue buying bonds until the end of September 2018. All this hit the European currency so strongly, that it lost about 250 points against the dollar in two days.
It would be difficult to suspect that graphical analysis had been aware of the plans of the US Congress and the ECB. It was, nevertheless, graphical analysis that managed to predict the maximum level of the Euro fall,1.1575, with 100% accuracy. As a result, the pair completed the three-month "head-shoulders" figure and froze around the mark of 1.1605; - GBP/USD. Here the supporters of the bears had a slight advantage: 55% versus 45%. They also won with just a small advantage. During the entire week, the pair was either falling or rising; in the end, it completed the five-day period 70 points lower than it had started;
- The forecast for USD/JPY also turned out to be correct. Despite having difficulty overcoming resistance from its adversary, it nevertheless managed to reach the required point: the upper boundary of the mid-term side channel 108.00-114.50. To be precise, the pair took the height of 114.45, after which a predictable rebound followed, which saw it return to the Pivot Point of the week at the level of 113.70 by the end of Friday;
- One of the scenarios for USD/CHF voiced last week had the pair to rise to a landmark level of 1.0000. And, even though it was supported by just a minority of experts, it turned out to be the correct one. As predicted, the pair was strongly influenced by the behavior of the EUR/USD. Mirroring which, it rose by 200 points.
As for the forecast for the coming week, summarizing the opinions of analysts from a number of banks and brokerages, 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. Experts are once again split equally, being in this position for three weeks now. As for the trend indicators, 90% of them look southward. The picture is quite different among oscillators, almost half of them giving signals that this pair is oversold. Graphical analysis on D1 joins them, according to its readings, the pair expects to return to the October highs in the zone 1.1835-1.1880, and then the rise to September peaks at the level of 1.2000-1.2100. It should be noted that in the medium term, about 70% of analysts vote for the return of the pair to the range 1.1800-1.2100.
As for the upcoming week, among the events that can significantly determine trends is the release of the latest data on the labor market in the United States on Friday, 3 November. The data includes the very important NFP indicator - the number of new jobs created outside the agricultural sector. Last month it had a negative value of minus 33K. Should the NFP increase to 270-300K as expected, the dollar will be strongly boosted. It should be noted that large market participants often make plays on such news in advance, already a few days before their official announcement.
Of course, one should also add to this that, by the end of next week, the next Fed head may be revealed. In the meantime, it is evident that Janet Yellen and Kevin Warsh have been eliminated from the competition;
- The forecast for GBP/USD is still mostly negative. This is the view most (60%) of analysts, graphical analysis and 90% of indicators on H4 and D1 adhere to. However, when switching to a larger timeframe (W1), the picture changes, giving cause to speak about a lateral trend with support on the area of 1.3000-1.3020. The next support is 100 points lower. Resistance is at the levels of 1.3225 and 1.3285. The ultimate goal in case of growth is 1.3335.
Thursday, 2 November will be important for the British pound, as a large amount of news from the Bank of England is expected. According to forecasts, the number of votes for raising the interest rate may triple; the rate itself may probably be raised from 0.25% to 0.50%; - To switch to sports terminology, the odds of the growth of USD/JPY are estimated as 2 to 1. More than 65% of experts believe that, with a base at the support at 113.25, it will once again try to test the upper boundary of the medium-term side channel 108.00-114.50. Graphical analysis on H4 agrees with this.
As for the alternative point of view, its supporters believe that the potential for growth of the pair has already dried up and it will take a breather, dropping for a while into the zone 112.25-113.25; - And, finally, the USD/CHF. Here, 75% of analysts, with full support of technical analysis, say that the pair will certainly try to gain a foothold above the level of 1.0000. The ultimate target is 1.0100. However, if the dollar starts to lose its positioning against the euro, it will with overwhelming probability also weaken with respect to the Swiss franc, as a result of which the pair may fall into the zone of 0.9750-0.9800.
Roman Butko, NordFX
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