The Weekly Wrap – Economic Data, the FED, and Trump Sank the Dollar

The Stats

It was a busy week on the economic calendar, in the week ending 31^st July.

A total of 56 stats were monitored, following the 41 stats from the week prior.

Of the 56 stats, 31 came in ahead forecasts, with 24 economic indicators coming up short of forecasts. Just 1 stat was in line with forecasts in the week.

Looking at the numbers, 19 of the stats reflected an upward trend from previous figures. Of the remaining 37, 35 stats reflected a deterioration from previous.

For the Greenback, it was a 6^th consecutive week in the red. In the week ending 31^st July, the Dollar Spot Index fell by 1.15% to 93.349. In the week prior, the Dollar had fallen by 1.57%.

The continued slide through the month of July left the Dollar Spot Index down by 4.15% for the month.

Dire economic data, the continued spread of COVID-19, and a dovish FED delivered the loss. Adding to the Dollar angst in the week was Trump’s Presidential Election delay tweet on Thursday…

According to a Reuters report, U.S Dollar net shorts surged to the highest in 9-years, delivering the largest monthly loss Since Sept-2010.

Looking at the latest coronavirus numbers

At the time of writing, the total number of coronavirus cases stood at 17,731,750 for Friday, rising from last Friday’s 15,930,779 total cases. Week-on-week (Saturday thru Friday), the total number of cases was up by 1,801,071 on a global basis. This was higher than the previous week’s increase of 1,741,556 in new cases.

In the U.S, the total rose by 454,463 to 4,702,774. In the week prior, the total number of new cases had risen by 478,299.

Across Germany, Italy, and Spain combined, the total number of new cases increased by 22,753 to bring total infections to 793,804. In the previous week, the total number of new cases had risen by 17,404. Spain alone reported 16,101 new cases in the week.

Out of the U.S

It was a busy week on the economic data front.

Key stats included July consumer confidence, the weekly jobless claims, and 2^nd quarter GDP figures.

The stats were skewed to the negative. Consumer confidence deteriorated in July, as a result of the 2^nd wave of the pandemic. Initial jobless claims increased for a 2^nd consecutive week, with the U.S economy contracting by 32.9% in the 2^nd quarter.

At the end of the week, July consumer sentiment figures were also revised down.

There were some positives, however. Durable and core durable goods continued to rise in June.

Chicago’s PMI returned to expansion in July, with personal spending rising for a 2^nd consecutive month in June. These were good enough to give the Dollar much-needed support at the end of the week.

In the equity markets, the NASDAQ and S&P500 rose by 3.69% and by 1.73% respectively. The Dow bucked the trend, however, falling by 0.16%.

Out of the UK

It was a particularly quiet week on the economic calendar, with no material stats to provide the Pound with direction.

A lack of economic data contributed to the upside in the Pound that benefitted from Dollar weakness. News of the government reintroducing lockdown measures in the North weighed at the end of the week, however.

In the week, the Pound rallied by 2.27% to $1.3085 in the week, following on from a 1.80% gain from the previous week. The FTSE100 ended the week down by 3.69%, following on from a 2.65% loss from the previous week.

Out of the Eurozone

It was a busy week on the economic data front.

In a quiet 1^st half of the week, Germany’s IFO Business Climate Index figures for July provided support on Monday.

The focus then shifted to 2^nd quarter GDP numbers. France, Germany, and the Eurozone reported particularly dire 2^nd quarter numbers.

The German economy contracted by 10.1%, the French economy by 13.8%, and the Eurozone economy by 12.1%.

It wasn’t enough to send the EUR into the red, however, as the U.S delivered darker numbers.

For the week, the EUR rose by 1.05% to $1.1778, following a 2.00% rally from the previous week. A 0.58% pullback on Friday limited the upside for the week.

For the European major indexes, it was another bearish week. The DAX30 slid by 4.09%, with the CAC40 and EuroStoxx600 falling by 3.49% and by 2.98% respectively.

For the Loonie

It was a quiet week on the economic calendar.

Economic data included May GDP and June RMPI numbers at the end of the week.

The stats were positive, with the Canadian economy expanding by 4.5% in May, following April’s 11.7% contraction. In June, the RMPI rose by a further 7.5%, following a 16.4% jump in May.

While the other majors lost ground against the Greenback on Friday, the stats delivered support at the end of the week.

The Loonie rose by 0.02% to end the week at C$1.3412 against the Greenback. In the week prior, the Loonie had rallied by 1.22% to C$1.3415.

Elsewhere

It was a mixed week for the Aussie Dollar and the Kiwi Dollar.

In the week ending 31^st July, the Aussie Dollar rose by 0.53% to $0.7143, while the Kiwi Dollar fell by 0.18% to $0.6629. A 1.04% slide on Friday, left the Kiwi in the red for the week.

For the Aussie Dollar

It was a relatively quiet week for the Aussie Dollar.

Inflation and private sector credit figures delivered mixed results in the week.

In the 2^nd quarter, consumer prices slid by 1.9%, with prices down by 0.30% year-on-year.

Final delivery numbers were not much better, with the Producer Price Index falling by 1.20% in the 2^nd quarter. Year-on-year, the index fell by 0.40%.

The numbers were better than forecasts, which propped up the Aussie Dollar.

Private sector credit disappointed, however, falling by 0.3% in June.

While the Aussie Dollar found support against the Greenback, the latest COVID-19 outbreak pinned back the Aussie.

For the Kiwi Dollar

It was another relatively quiet week on the economic data front.

While stats included building consent and business confidence figures, the focus was on the business confidence figures.

A marginal improvement in business confidence did little to support the Kiwi, however.

In July, the ANZ Business Confidence Index rose from -34.4 to -31.8.

According to the latest ANZ Report,

• A net 9% of firms expect weaker economic activity in their own business, rising from -26% in June.
• The retail sector drove the recovery, while the agriculture sector was the most negative.
• 31% of firms say they intend to lay off staff, and 24% say they have less staff than a year ago.

For the Japanese Yen

It was a relatively quiet week on the economic calendar.

Retail sales continued to fall in June. Following a 12.5% slump in May, retail sales fell by 1.20%.

Industrial production delivered hope, however, rising by 2.7% in June, according to prelim figures. In May, production had tumbled by 8.9%.

A weakening U.S Dollar stemming from particularly dire economic data and a dovish FED supported the Yen.

The Japanese Yen rose by 0.29% to end the week at ¥105.83 against the Greenback. A 1.05% slide on Friday, cut the gains from earlier in the week. In the week prior, the Yen had risen by 0.82%.

Out of China

It was a quiet week on the economic data front.

July’s NBS private sector PMI figures delivered mixed results on Friday.

While the Non-Manufacturing PMI slipped from 54.4 to 54.2, the Manufacturing PMI rose from 50.9 to 51.1.

With Beijing and Washington silent, following the previous week’s diplomatic spat, the Yuan recovered to sub-CNY7 levels.

In the week ending 24^th July, the Chinese Yuan rose by 0.62% to CNY6.9752 against the Dollar. In the week prior, the Yuan had fallen by 0.37%.

The CSI300 rallied by 4.20%, while the Hang Seng falling 0.45%, as a 2^nd wave of the pandemic hit HK.