The annual Jackson Hole Symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, will headline an active release schedule on Thursday. In addition to monetary policy, traders will be actively monitoring a bevy of economic releases ranging from Eurozone PMI to US new home sales.
Action begins at 06:45 GMT with a pair of French reports on individual investment and business climate. Thirty minutes later, Switzerland will report on industrial production for the second quarter.
IHS Markit will release a bevy of Eurozone PMI reports beginning at 07:15 GMT covering France, Germany and the 19-member currency bloc. The Eurozone Composite purchasing managers’ index is forecast to rise to 54.5 in August compared with 54.3 the previous month.
Shifting gears to North America, the US Department of Labor will report on initial jobless claims at 12:30 GMT. The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits likely rose by 3,000 to a seasonally adjusted 215,000 in the week ended 18 August.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) will report on the housing price index at 13:00 GMT. Home prices likely rose 0.3% in June.
Markit will release the latest PMI gauges for the US economy at 13:45 GMT. The August Composite index is forecast to strengthen to 56.3 in August compared with 55.7 the month before.
The Commerce Department will report on new home sales at 14:00 GMT. The monthly report is expected to show 2.2% growth for July after a sharp decline the previous month.
Central bankers, policy experts and academics will descend on Jackson Hole, Wyoming Thursday for the first of a three-day summit focused on monetary policy. The annual event, which is hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, could provide important clues about the future of monetary policy for key economies around the world.
EUR/USD
Europe’s common currency broke above 1.1600 US on Wednesday for the first time in almost two weeks, as the dollar continued to backtrack against its peers. At the time of writing, the EUR/USD has pared gains to trade at 1.1561, where it was down 0.3% from the previous session. For the time being, 1.1600 represents the next major resistance.
GBP/USD
Like the euro, cable’s upward momentum stalled early Thursday as profit-taking swept the currency markets in the wake of the dollar’s reversal. GBP/USD is down 0.2% to trade at 1.2882. According to Scotiabank, a Canadian financial institution, gains in the pound are likely capped for now.
USD/JPY
The USD/JPY continued higher on Thursday after breaking out of what appeared to be a double-top formation near 110.44. The pair is up 0.2% at 110.78, with the bulls eyeing a re-test of the 111.00 handle. With few exceptions, the USD/JPY has been virtually rangebound for the past three months. This is likely to continue in the near term.
