EURUSD

The EURUSD attempted to push higher yesterday topped at 1.0615 but closed lower at 1.0576. The bias remains neutral in nearest term. Immediate resistance is seen around 1.0630 and the upper line of the bearish channel (see my H4 chart below) which is a good place to sell with a tight stop loss as a clear break above the bearish channel would expose 1.0700 – 1.0750 area. On the downside, 1.0500 – 1.0450 remains a key support and good place to buy with a tight stop loss. Fundamental focus will be on the US NFP number. Overall I remain neutral.

GBPUSD

The GBPUSD was indecisive yesterday but overall still able to maintain its bearish bias so far. The bias remains bearish in nearest term testing 1.2100 – 1.2000 region, which is a key support area and good place to buy with a tight stop loss below 1.2000 psychological support. Immediate resistance is seen around 1.2200. A clear break above that area could lead price to neutral zone in nearest term testing 1.2250 – 1.2300 region. Fundamental focus will be on the US NFP number. Overall I remain neutral.

USDJPY

The USDJPY continued its bullish momentum yesterday topped at 115.00 and hit 115.25 earlier today. The bias remains bullish in nearest term testing 115.60 key resistance which is a good place to sell with a tight stop loss as a clear break above that area would expose 116.50 or higher. Immediate support is seen around 114.75. A clear break below that area could lead price to neutral zone in nearest term testing 114.25/00 area. Fundamental focus will be on the US NFP number

USDCHF

The USDCHF attempted to push lower yesterday bottomed at 1.0091 but closed a little bit higher at 1.0121 after touched the lower line of my bullish channel as you can see on my H4 chart below. The bias is neutral in nearest term. Immediate support is seen around 1.0090. A clear break below that area would expose 1.0050 – 1.0000 region. Immediate resistance is seen around 1.0150 followed by 1.0200. Fundamental focus will be on the US NFP number. Overall I remain neutral.

Weekly

• Last Candlesticks pattern: Bullish engulfing
• Time of formation: 02 May 2016
• Trend bias: Up

Daily

• Last Candlesticks pattern: Hammer
• Time of formation: 19 Oct 2016
• Trend bias: Up

USD/CAD – 1.3505

The greenback has surged again after brief pullback, suggesting easy fall from 1.3599 top has ended at 1.2969 and mild upside bias remains for the rise from there to extend further giant 1.3550-55, however, reckon said resistance at 1.3599 would hold on first testing due to near term overbought condition. Only a break of this level would retain bullishness and extend early erratic upmove from 1.2461 low to 1.3660-70 and then 1.3700 but still reckon upside would be limited and risk from there is seen for a retreat later.

On the downside, whilst pullback to 1.3430-40 cannot be ruled out, reckon minor support at 1.3372 would limit downside and bring another rise later. Only a drop below the Tenkan-Sen (now at 1.3309) would defer and suggest top is possibly formed, bring test of the Kijun-Sen (now at 1.3258) but a daily close below there is needed to add credence to this view, bring retracement of recent rise to 1.3220-25 but downside should be limited to 1.3165 and bring rebound later.

Recommendation: Stand aside for this week.

On the weekly chart, after forming a long white candlestick last week, the greenback has continued moving higher this week and another white candlestick looks set to be formed this week, adding credence to our view that the fall from 1.3599 has ended at 1.2969 earlier, hence consolidation with mild upside bias is seen for further gain towards said resistance at 1.3599, however, a break of this resistance is needed to retain bullishness and extend the erratic rise from 1.2461 (2016 low) to 1.3700 and later towards 1.3835-40 (61.8% Fibonacci retracement of 1.4690-1.2461) which is likely to cap upside.

On the downside, although pullback to 1.3400-10 cannot be ruled out, reckon downside would be limited to 1.3372 minor support and bring another rise later. A drop below this week's low at 1.3372 would risk test of the Kijun-Sen (now at 1.3284) but a weekly close below there Tenkan-Sen (now at 1.3252) is needed to suggest a temporary top is formed instead, risk weakness to 1.3210, break there would add credence to this view and bring further fall to 1.3150 and possibly towards 1.3083, however, indicated support at 1.3056 support should hold.

USD/CHF - 1.0125

Most recent candlesticks pattern : N/A

Trend                                    : Near term up

Tenkan-Sen level                  : 1.0122

Kijun-Sen level                    : 1.0127

Ichimoku cloud top                 : 1.0147

Ichimoku cloud bottom              : 1.0139

Original strategy :

Buy at 1.0080, Target: 1.0200, Stop: 1.0045

Position : -

Target :  -

Stop : -

New strategy  :

Buy at 1.0100, Target: 1.0200, Stop: 1.0070

Position : -

Target :  -

Stop : -

As the greenback found good support at 1.0092 and has staged a strong rebound, suggesting low is possibly formed there and consolidation with mild upside bias is seen for gain to 1.0145-50, however, break of resistance at 1.0171 is needed to signal recent erratic rise from 0.9861 low has resumed and extend further gain to 1.0200-10 but near term overbought condition should limit upside to 1.0220-25 and price should falter below previous chart resistance at 1.0248.

In view of this, we are looking to buy dollar on dips as 1.0100 should limit downside and bring such rise. Below support at 1.0073 would abort and signal top has been formed instead, risk weakness to 1.0040-45 but reckon support at 1.0009 would remain intact. 

GBP/USD - 1.2159

Most recent candlesticks pattern   : N/A

Trend                                 : Near term down

Tenkan-Sen level                 : 1.2160

Kijun-Sen level                    : 1.2165

Ichimoku cloud top              : 1.2196

Ichimoku cloud bottom        : 1.2170

Original strategy :

Sell at 1.2215, Target: 1.2115, Stop: 1.2250

Position : -

Target :  -

Stop : -

New strategy  :

Sell at 1.2215, Target: 1.2115, Stop: 1.2250

Position : -

Target :  -

Stop : -

As cable has continued to trade defensively, adding credence to our bearish view that recent decline from 1.2706 is still in progress and may extend further weakness to 1.2110-15, then 1.2090, however, loss of near term downward momentum should prevent sharp fall below 1.2070-75 and price should stay above 1.2050, risk from there is seen for a rebound later.

In view of this, would not chase this fall here and would be prudent to sell cable on recovery as 1.2210-15 should limit upside. Above resistance at 1.2253 would defer and suggest a temporary low is possibly formed instead, risk a stronger rebound to 1.2275-80 but price should falter below resistance at 1.2301 and bring another selloff.

• Rates: Bar for payrolls too high after the intense sell-off?
  The sell-off in US Treasuries accelerated this week and the bar for today's payrolls is high (200k consensus, decline in unemployment rate and pick-up in wages). Therefore, we think that there is room for profit taking ahead of the weekend with afterwards consolidation into Wednesday's Fed meeting. We hold our sell-on-upticks approach.
• Currencies: Payrolls to decide on next directional move of the dollar
  The dollar recently showed a mixed picture with EUR/USD drifting sideways, but USD/JPY clearing first resistance on higher core bond yields. Today, markets already expect a strong payrolls report. Will the report contain enough positive news to trigger further broad-based USD gains?

The Sunrise Headlines

• US stock markets ended the pre-payrolls session unchanged yesterday. Overnight, Asian equity markets trade mostly positive with Japan outperforming on the back of a weaker yen (+1.5%).
• Poland's Tusk has been re-elected president of the EC in the face of bitter opposition from his own country's government. His re-election heads off the prospect of a EU leadership crisis as it prepares for the Brexit negotiation
• China's corporate debt levels are excessively high, the head of its central bank said, as policymakers grow increasingly concerned about the risks from a rapid build-up in debt and an overheating housing market.
• South Korea's president was ejected from office by the country's Constitutional Court, following her impeachment and suspension over accusations that she helped a friend win bribes from several South Korean conglomerates.
• Senior Saudi energy officials told top independent US oil firms in a closed-door meeting this week that they should not assume OPEC would extend output curbs to offset rising production from US shale fields, two sources told Reuters.
• EU and IMF negotiators said that they will continue talks next week with Greece in a bid to broker a deal on reforms that Athens must undertake to unlock the next stages of its international bailout programme.
• Today's eco calendar contains UK industrial production data, but all attention turns to the US payrolls report. Consensus expects a strong report (200k) with a decline of the unemployment rate (4.7%) and a pick-up in wages (to 2.8% Y/Y)

Currencies: Payrolls To Decide On Next Directional Move Of The Dollar

Payrolls to decide on next directional USD move

The ECB's press conference directed trading in the major euro and dollar cross rates on Thursday. ECB's Draghi reiterated that ample policy stimulation is needed, but also said that there was no urgency anymore to take further action. TLTRO's won't be prolonged. European yields and the euro rebounded on these headlines. EUR/USD jumped temporary north of 1.06 and closed the day at 1.0577 (from 1.0541 on Wednesday). USD/JPY was also supported by the rise in core (USD/European) yields and an ongoing constructive equity sentiment. The pair finished the session at 114.95. So, the test of the 115 resistance continued.

Overnight, there are plenty of headlines on a Korean Court decision to remove the Korean President from power, but the direct impact on global markets is limited. The global reflation trade continues. Especially core bond yields maintain their uptrend . Asian equities mostly show modest losses. Japan is again the exception as equities profit from a further, broad-based decline of the yen. USD/JPY finally cleared the 114.96/115 resistance and trades currently in the 115.35 area. EUR/JPY also succeeded a nice break higher (122.26). EUR/USD hovers in the 1.06 area. PBOC governor Zhou indicated that the yuan exchange rate could remain relatively stable this year. Zhou also said that the a decline in the high amount of China FX reserves is ‘not bad'.

Today, the focus for global trading is on the US payrolls. With US interest markets at key technical levels, the report might decide on a new upleg in rates (cf fixed income part of this report) and in the dollar. Almost all recently published US data, including Wednesday's ADP report, point to a strong payrolls report. With 200 000, the consensus already assumes quite some good news. Aside from job growth, we also keep a close eye at the wage growth data (AHE expected to rise from 2.5% Y/Y to 2.8% Y/Y). An upward surprise in this measure might be at least as important for markets (and for the Fed) than strong payrolls growth. Even as the consensus is already quite high, we see chances for strong report. If so, the dollar might resume its uptrend. Of late USD/JPY profited most from higher core/US bond yields. 115.62 is the next short-term resistance (range top). Recent gains of the dollar against the euro were less convincing. Even so, in case of strong payrolls, broad-based USD strength will prevail. EUR/USD 1.0494 remains the first important support. A soft payrolls report might trigger some further USD consolidation. However, with the Fed already stepping up its normalisation process, any USD correction still should be modest and shouldn't question the MT USD uptrend yet. The 1.0679 correction top might come under test. We still assume EUR/USD 1.0829/74 will be difficult to regain. A sell EUR/USD on upticks remains favoured.

EUR/USD: USD fails to extend gains against the euro. Will the payrolls be storng enough for a new USD up-leg

EUR/GBP

EUR/GBP clearing the 0.87 big figure

On Thursday, sterling trading was driven by global factors and technical considerations. Especially the intraday swings of EUR/USD were important. A first new test of the 0.87 area was rejected, but a broad-based euro rebound during the ECB's press conference caused EUR/GBP to fill offers just north of 0.87. However, a sustained break didn't occur. EUR/GBP closed the session at 0.8695 (from 0.86663). Cable showed no clear trend as the dollar remain also rather well bid. The pair closed the session at 1.2165 (from 1.2168).

Today, the UK production data, construction output, the trade balance and the monthly NIESR GDP estimate will be published. January production is expected to fall back on the monthly basis after strong growth in December. The trade deficit is expected to stabilise at a high level. Of late, sterling became a bit more sensitive to signs of a deceleration of the ‘post-Brexit boom'. A big deviation from consensus in the trade balance probably has most potential to move sterling. Even so, we don't expect today's data to change the broader picture. There will also be plenty of headlines on the Brexit strategy of both the EU and the UK from the EU summit in Brussels. Last but not least, the global market reaction to the payrolls will also affect sterling. In the past, a decline of EUR/USD often also triggered losses in EUR/GBP. We have the impression that this effect is becoming less pronounced short-term.

Sterling sentiment softened of late. The euro was in better shape at the end of last week, helping EUR/GBP to break the 0.8592 resistance, which improved the short-term EUR/GBP picture. We don't expect a sustained EUR/USD rebound , but a combination of temporary euro consolidation and ongoing sterling softness might trigger some further ST EUR/GBP gains. The break north of 0.8645 reinforced the ST positive momentum. The 0.8854 correction top is the next key resistance.

EUR/GBP uptrend continues. 0.8854 Jan top is next key resistance

Download entire Sunrise Market Commentary

EUR/USD - 1.0595

Most recent candlesticks pattern   : N/A

Trend                      : Sideways

Tenkan-Sen level              : 1.0588

Kijun-Sen level                  : 1.0570

Ichimoku cloud top             : 1.0566

Ichimoku cloud bottom      : 1.0544

Original strategy  :

Buy at 1.0560, Target: 1.0660, Stop: 1.0525

Position : -

Target :  -

Stop : -

New strategy  :

Buy at 1.0560, Target: 1.0660, Stop: 1.0525

Position : -

Target :  -

Stop : -

Yesterday’s strong rebound after finding support at 1.0525\ suggests the retreat from 1.0640 has ended at 1.0525 and consolidation with mild upside bias is seen for further gain towards said resistance at 1.0640, however, break there is needed to retain bullishness and signal another leg of the erratic rise from 1.0493 low is underway for retracement of early decline to 1.0660-65 (50% Fibonacci retracement of 1.0829-1.0493) and possibly towards resistance at 1.0680 but price should falter well below 1.0700-05 (61.8% Fibonacci retracement).

In view of this, we are looking to buy euro on dips as 1.0560 should limit downside and bring another rise later. Below said support at 1.0525 would abort and risk test of 1.0493-96 but only break there would shift risk back to the downside and signal recent decline from 1.0829 has resumed for further selloff to 1.0470 and then towards previous support at 1.0454.

USD/JPY - 115.38

Most recent candlesticks pattern   : N/A

Trend                      : Near term up

Tenkan-Sen level              : 115.27

Kijun-Sen level                  : 114.93

Ichimoku cloud top             : 114.31

Ichimoku cloud bottom      : 114.19

Original strategy  :

Buy at 114.20, Target: 115.20, Stop: 113.85

Position :  -

Target :  -

Stop : -

New strategy  :

Buy at 114.90, Target: 115.90, Stop: 114.55

Position :  -

Target :  -

Stop : -

As the greenback has surged again today and broke above indicated previous resistance at 115.38, adding credence to our bullishness for recent upmove to extend further gain to another previous resistance at 115.62, however, near term overbought condition should prevent sharp move beyond 115.90-00, risk from there has increased for a retreat to take place later.

In view of this, would not chase this rise here and we are looking to buy dollar on pullback as 114.90-00 should limit downside and bring another rise. Below previous resistance at 114.75-76 would defer and risk test of 114.50-55 but break of support at 114.26 is needed to signal top is formed instead.

Market movers today

The US February jobs report (14:30 CET) will be scrutinised intensively following the recent speculation about the prospect of a Fed hike on Wednesday next week. At the moment, it seems that it would take a significant downside surprise to keep the Fed from hiking. We estimate a non-farm payroll of 190,000, although Wednesday's strong ADP report suggests that risks to this estimate are on the upside. Furthermore, we expect to see some reversal in average hourly earnings after weakness in wages in financial activities dragged them down in January. We estimate average hourly earnings increased by 0.3% m/m and 2.8% y/y in February and that the unemployment level remained at 4.8%.

In the UK, industrial production and construction output in January are due at 10:30 CET. Also, the NIESR GDP estimate for February (16:00 CET) may attract attention, as it has been a fairly reliable estimator of actual GDP growth.

In Scandi markets, inflation data is due today in Denmark and Norway.

Selected market news

Hawkish twist from ECB, despite status quo on policy measures. In line with our macro economists' expectations, the ECB kept all policy measures unchanged and stayed the course on forward guidance. Nonetheless, on the latter, President Mario Draghi said that the Governing Council had considered removing ‘lower levels' from the guidance for the policy rate to ‘remain at present or at lower levels for a considerable period of time'. The staff forecasts on headline inflation were revised higher this and next year, while the ECB lifted its core inflation forecast for 2018 and 2019. Our macro economists see these forecasts as too optimistic, expecting the ECB to lower its core inflation forecasts at a later point in time, and therefore also look for the ECB to extend its QE purchases beyond December. See ECB Review: Hawkish twist but full QE implementation is needed , 9 March 2017.

Stronger EUR and higher German government yields. The market took notice of the slightly hawkish tone from Draghi. EUR/USD strengthened above 1.06 during the meeting, while the 10Y German government bond yield rose 5bp. There were also spill-over effects to Treasuries, which continued to sell off during the US session. The 10Y yield rose some 5bp, rising above the December high and reaching a new three-year peak. US equities were marginally higher, with the S&P500 index closing 0.1% up. This morning, Asian equities are also trading in green territory.

Oil slide continued yesterday. Commodity markets have generally taken a hit this week in preparation for a more hawkish Federal Reserve at the meeting next week. The oil market has been particularly hard hit due to stretched long positioning and possibly some complacency to downside risks following OPEC's re-emergence and a period of low volatility. That caused the price of Brent to drop temporarily below USD52/barrel yesterday – the lowest since before OPEC decided to cut oil output in November last year.

Court unanimous in upholding South Korea President Park impeachment

Asia Mid-Session Market Update: Court unanimous in upholding South Korea President Park impeachment; PBOC officials justify use of reserves to prop up CNY

US Session Highlights

(US) FEB IMPORT PRICE INDEX M/M: 0.2% V 0.1%E; Y/Y: 4.6% V 4.4%E

(US) INITIAL JOBLESS CLAIMS: 243K V 238KE; CONTINUING CLAIMS: 2.06M V 2.06ME

ECB leaves rates and QE targets unchanged, as expected

(EU) ECB’s Draghi: Reiterated view that interest rates to stay low or lower for extended period; Signs that the cyclical recovery may be gaining momentum; risks surrounding euro zone growth outlook have become less pronounced but remain tilted to the downside

ECB raises 2017/2018 GDP and inflation forecasts (inflation stays below 2% target)

US markets on close: Dow flat, S&P500 +0.1%, Nasdaq flat

Best Sector in S&P500: Healthcare

Worst Sector in S&P500: Real Estate

Biggest gainers: SIG +8.7%, MRO +8.1%, FTR +4.4%, NRG +4.0%, EW +3.9%

Biggest losers: SPLS -5.3%, PPG -3.7%, AAL -3.5%, RIG -3.1%, SPG -3.1%

At the close: VIX 12.3 (+0.4pts); Treasuries: 2-yr 1.38% (+1bps), 10-yr 2.60% (+5bps), 30-yr 3.18% (+4bps)

US movers afterhours

PAY Reports Q1 $0.21 v $0.21e, R$457M v $449Me; +0.8% afterhours

ALR Loses in effort to immediately regain Arriva's Medicare billing rights - press; -3.2% afterhours

LOCO Reports Q4 $0.12 v $0.13e, R$92.5M v $90.8Me- Guides initial FY17 $0.65-0.69 v $0.69e, SSS 0-2%; -4.4% afterhours

ULTA Reports Q4 $2.24 v $2.13e, R$1.58B v $1.54Be; Adds $425M to buyback plan (2.5% of market cap); Guides Q1 $1.75-1.80 v $1.80e; R$1.24-1.27B v $1.28Be; -5.0% afterhours

SGRY Reports Q4 $0.35 v $0.20e, R$306.0M v $298Me; Guides initial FY17 EBITDA +10-15% y/y, Rev +9-11% y/y, implies $1.25-1.27B v $1.29Be; -9.8% afterhours

ZUMZ Reports Q4 $0.74 v $0.66e, R$263.6M v $262Me- Guides Q1 -$0.21 to -$0.17 v -$0.03e, R$178-182M v $185Me, SSS 0% to +2%; -14.3% afterhours

FNSR Reports Q3 $0.59 v $0.61e, R$380.6M v $389Me; Guides Q4 $0.50-0.56 v $0.57e, R$360-380M v $389Me; -16.5% afterhours

Politics

(US) Washington State joining Hawaii in requesting that US federal judge bans the latest Executive Order restricting travel from the Middle East - US press

(US) Jon Huntsman accepts Pres Trump's offer to become ambassador to Russia - NY Times

Asia Key economic data:

(JP) JAPAN Q1 BUSINESS SURVEY INDEX (BSI) LARGE ALL INDUSTRY Q/Q: 1.3 V 3.0 PRIOR; BSI LARGE MANUFACTURING Q/Q: 1.1 V 7.5 PRIOR

(AU) AUSTRALIA JAN HOME LOANS M/M: 0.5% V -1.0%E; 3rd straight increase

(NZ) NEW ZEALAND FEB CARD SPENDING M/M: -0.6% (first decline in 6 motnsh; biggest decline in 22 months) V -0.4%E; TOTAL M/M: -1.0% V 2.5% PRIOR

Asia Session Notable Observations, Speakers and Press

Asian equity indices are markedly higher as more positive sentiment has resurfaced in Asia; Nikkei225 is the best performer, as higher US yields continue to support the greenback at the expense of the Yen; Risk-on flows have also put a bid in US equity futures going into tomorrow's NFP report, as traders bet the risk of a strong print following blow-out ADP numbers earlier this week. USD/JPY was up over 40pips above 115.30, a fresh 6-week high. In other FX majors, AUD/USD and NZD/USD are also higher by some 25pips from the lows, reversing some of the USD-strength driven weakness.

Among key speakers, PBoC Gov Zhou and Dep Gov Yi Gang covered a range of topics at a local conference. Zhou forecast more stability in CNY this year, calling the recent volatility as normal, while also advocating for more open bond market to foreign investment. Zhou also said FX reserves had grown too fast over the past 15 years, and the recent use of funds in normalizing Yuan is acceptable. Dep Gov Yi added China will not devalue Yuan to stimulate exports after this week's surprise trade deficit.

South Korea has taken a big step in normalizing its political situation at a time when extra vigilance is needed to deal with North Korea provocations. South Korea Court Justices unanimously uphold Pres Park's impeachment, and a new election is expected to be held in the next 60 days. Finance officials are closely monitoring for any protracted impact on the markets, while analysts with NAB note the political transition is constructive as candidates for the post are all in favor of reforming the chaebol system.

China

(CN) PBoC Gov Zhou Xiaochuan: Fed factor contributing to volatility in FX; CNY expeted to be stable this year - press

(CN) Goldman Sachs raises China 2017 GDP forecast to 6.6% from 6.5% prior guided

Japan

(JP) According to one survey, analysts are unanimous in expectation for BOJ to leave all policy settings unchanged next week - press

Korea

(KR) South Korea Court Justices unanimously upholds Pres Park impeachment; South Korea to hold a special presidential election within 60 days

(KR) South Korea Finance Ministry: Closely watching financial markets

(KR) NAB: Impeachment ruling for Korea's Pres Park is a positive for Korean stocks - press

Asian Equity Indices/Futures (00:30ET)

Nikkei +1.4%, Hang Seng +0.2%, Shanghai Composite flat, ASX200 +0.6%, Kospi +0.3%

Equity Futures: S&P500 +0.2%; Nasdaq +0.3% Dax +0.1%; FTSE100 +0.1%

FX ranges/Commodities/Fixed Income (00:30ET)

EUR 1.0570-1.0600; JPY 114.90-115.35; AUD 0.7500-0.7525; NZD 0.6890-0.6915

Apr Gold -0.5% at $1,197/oz; Apr Crude Oil +0.6% at $49.61/brl; May Copper flat at $2.58/lb

SLV iShares Silver Trust ETF daily holdings fall to 10,268 tonnes from 10,303 tonnes prior; 11-month low

GLD: SPDR Gold Trust ETF daily holdings fall 2.7 tonnes to 834.1 tonnes; lowest since Feb 9th; 3rd straight decline; Apr Gold extending decline below $1,200; 5-week lows

(CN) PBOC SETS YUAN MID POINT AT 6.9123 V 6.9125 PRIOR; first stronger setting in 4 sessions

(CN) PBoC skips open market operations for 2nd straight session; Drains net CNY110B this week vs CNY280B

(JP) BOJ announces amounts to buy in upcoming QE operation; lowers 1-3-yr JGB purchases to ¥300B from ¥320B

(AU) Australia MoF (AOFM) sells A$600M in 5.75% 2021 Bonds; avg yield: %; bid-to-cover: 5.26x

Asia equities/Notables/movers by sector

Consumer discretionary: TWE.AU Treasury Wine +3.2% (Seeks to maintain earnings margin in Asia); DLX.AU Dulux Group +2.3% (Ellerston initiates holding); RFG.AU Retail Food Group +2.5% (UBs initiates holding)

Consumer staples:090430.KR Amorepacific Corp +0.4% (South Korea court ruling)

Financials: 665.HK Haitong International Securities Group -0.9% (FY16 result); 4.HK Wharf +8.8% (FY16 result, to scrap i-CABLE); 8795.JP T&D Holdings +4.2%, 8750.JP Dai-Ichi Mutual Life Insurance +3.0% (Nomura raises rating)

Industrials: 368.HK Sinotrans Shipping -7.5% (FY16 result); CSR.AU CSR +5.1% (JPMorgan raises rating); 9202.JP ANA Holdings Inc +3.5% (Tier 1 firm raises rating)

Technology: 2038.HK FIH Mobile -1.9% (FY16 result); 6502.JP Toshiba Corporation +1.2% (asset sale consideration); 1097.HK i-Cable Communications -35.5% (Wharf scraps interest); 732.HK Truly International Holdings -13.9% (profit warning)

Materials: JSP.IN Jindal Steel +4.7% (India court rejects pleas on coal block bid); ILU.AU Iluka -1.8% (Gearing likely to remain elevated among increased capex outlook)

Healthcare: NRT.AU Novogen Limited -8.6% (CFO resigns)

For the 24 hours to 23:00 GMT, the AUD declined 0.31% against the USD and closed at 0.7500.

LME Copper prices declined 2.2% or $127.0/MT to $5655.0/MT. Aluminium prices declined 1.8% or $34.0/MT to $1847.0/MT.

In the Asian session, at GMT0400, the pair is trading at 0.7517, with the AUD trading 0.23% higher against the USD from yesterday’s close.

Early morning data showed that Australia’s seasonally adjusted home loan approvals unexpectedly rose 0.5% MoM in January, confounding market consensus for a fall of 1.0% and following a revised rise of 0.2% in the previous month.

The pair is expected to find support at 0.7494, and a fall through could take it to the next support level of 0.7471. The pair is expected to find its first resistance at 0.7534, and a rise through could take it to the next resistance level of 0.7551.

Next week, investors will await the release of Australia’s unemployment rate, consumer inflation expectations, NAB business confidence and Westpac consumer confidence indices.

The currency pair is trading between its 20 Hr and 50 Hr moving averages.