The
dollar is under short-term pressure following weak U.S. economic data, a
reassuring speech by Jerome Powell on the Fed's upcoming tapering, and a
clear resumption of investors' risk appetite.
Recent
U.S. data disappointed, raising fears of a sharper than expected
slowdown in the world's largest economy. Markit's flash PMIs released
last week remained strong, but below expectations. Both manufacturing
and service sector activity slowed more sharply than the consensus
forecast. The August composite PMI finally came in at 55.4, while the
consensus forecast was for a much higher number at 58.3.
Jerome
Powell also contributed to the dollar's decline. The Fed Chairman
confirmed the start of tapering by the end of the year but reassured
that the timing of tapering will not influence the timing of policy
rates and that financing conditions will remain attractive.
Finally,
the dollar is also experiencing a resurgence in risk appetite among
short-term investors. Cyclical currencies such as the euro and the
Australian dollar have outperformed safe-haven currencies such as the
dollar and the yen for several sessions.
The
greenback could rally on renewed risk aversion, economic releases
suggesting stronger than expected growth, or hawkish comments from some
Fed members. The next releases to watch will be Markit's final PMI
indices released on Friday, the ISM indices released on Thursday and
Friday, and the monthly non-farm payroll released on Friday.
Since
the Fed's monetary policy stance will depend largely on the recovery of
the labor market, Friday's NFP report will be the most important
macroeconomic release of the week, if not the month of September.
I
terms of technical analysis, the short-term momentum of the DXY is
bearish. The dollar is back to test first major short-term support at
92.50 points on Tuesday. The market's reaction to this support will be
key to the near-term outlook. A pullback below this level would be a
bearish short-term signal that would pave the way for a return to key
support at 91.70.
(Chart Source: Tradingview 31.08.2021)
I
the medium to long term, the DXY outlook remains bullish above the low
at 91.70 points. A pullback below this level would invalidate the
bullish reversal signal for the DXY given in mid-August following the
top exit from the symmetrical triangle.
Disclaimer:
This material has been created for information purposes only. All view
expressed in this document are my own and do not necessarily represent
the opinions of any entity.