US recap: UK, US CPI no friend to GBP or the dollar
Aug 14 (Reuters) -The USD index slipped 0.02% to 102.57 near the NorAm session close, retracing almost all of its post-CPI losses, which sent the index down to 102.26 amid mixed, but mostly inline data. That CPI data did little to reverse dovish Fed expectations after Tuesday's PPI numbers which suggested inflation is indeed moving toward the Fed's 2% target.
LSEG's IRPR continues to price a near 40% chance of a 50bp Fed cut in September, though given the pace of inflation rate declines recently, a mere 25bp cut to kick off the Fed's lower policy path is likely in order.
With little data to sway rates traders, ex-claims, the market is focused on the upcoming Jackson Hole Symposium as the next significant event that may alter current Fed and global rate expectations.
EUR/USD rallied to a new 2024 high at 1.1048 rising to levels not seen since the beginning of the year, as markets digested the CPI data, with Fed-ECB rate convergence prompting EUR buying, though the pair is set to end NorAm off session highs +0.16% at 1.1013. Above today's session high, resistance can be found at 1.1084, the Dec 29 2023 high, and 1.1140, the Dec 28 2023 high.
USD/JPY rose 0.23% to 7.19 in NorAm afternoon, after trading in a 147.57-146.07 range on Wednesday. The pair ultimately shrugged off haven flows after PM Fumio Kishida's decision to step down in September, ending a three-year term marred by political scandals.
For USD/JPY traders the focus remains on relative rate expectations, and today's sideways data did little to move the dial on more aggressive Fed rate cuts in the near-term which stabilized the pair. Resistance remains firm just above 148, with support found at the August-8 pullback low at 145.43.
GBP/USD fell 0.29% to 1.2824 in NorAm afternoon trading, holding near the middle of Wednesday's 1.2867-1.2812 range. The low was put in after UK CPI came in a touch below forecast, while UK CPI services had a more pronounced drop. The fall in UK CPI boosted odds for a September cut which weighed on the pound. The pound rallied after U.S. CPI pushed long UST yields lower, which weighed on the dollar broadly.
U.S. equities reversed early weakness, with the major indexes trading mixed in NorAm afternoon; the Nasdaq is off ~0.1%, while the S&P 500 edges up, and the Dow gains ~0.5%.
Despite the lower rate expectations, gold slid 0.88% to $2,443 from trend highs near $2,480 earlier in the session. Silver dipped 1.93% to $27.21.
Bitcoin fell 2% to $59.4k, off early highs near $62k, shrugging off rising ETF flows. Ether fell 1.3% to $2,660.
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Editing by Terence Gabriel
Paul Spirgelis a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are his own.
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