January 2, 2017

First, a review of last week’s forecast:

  • We know that "thin" market and low liquidity in the pre New Year's week can work wonders. For the first half of the week the EUR/USD pair, as expected, remained in a slow sideways trend. Then on Wednesday, it slumped 100 points. On Thursday it played back what it lost. Then, the beginning of the Asian session on Friday presented the traders a "New Year" surprise - in just one hour, for no apparent reason, the pair made a sharp leap upwards and hit 1.0655, after which it returned to the levels of support of the second half of November;
  • The forecast for GBP/USD predicted the pair's movement in the side channel in the range of 1.2215-1.2325. 1.2375 was identified as the week's high. In general, this forecast proved to be correct - for the whole week the pair oscillated in the range 1.2200-1.2305, and on Friday, breaking through the upper boundary of the corridor, it reached the height of 1.2385; 
  • For USD/JPY, graphical analysis on D1 anticipated the movement of the pair in the channel 116.50-119.00, whilst H4 suggested the channel 115.50-117.50. It turned out that the first was right in determining the local minimum - 116.30, and the latter was right regarding the maximum - 117.80;
  • USD/CHF. Here, 75% of experts, supported by indicators H4 and D1 and technical analysis on the daily time frame, voted for the pair to grow to the 1.0300-1.0400 area. By the middle of the week, it actually did rise to the height of 1.0320. The remaining 25% of experts expected a decline of the pair to the December low at 1.0000, and on Friday, mirror copying the behaviour of EUR/USD, the pair rushed down, reaching the bottom at the level of 1.0059.

 

Forecast for the upcoming week:

Summing up the opinions of a number of analysts from leading banks and broker companies as well as forecasts based on different methods of technical and graphical analysis, the following can be suggested:

  • The consensus of analysts in the first week of the New Year can be called unique - 100% voted for the fall of the EUR/USD and its return to the zone 1.0350-1.04800, Pivot Point at 1.0430. Graphical analysis and oscillators on the D1 agree with such a forecast, indicating that the pair is overbought. As for the graphical analysis on H4, it does not rule out that prior to falling, the pair may attempt to re-test the 1.0655 high of December 30;  
  • In the case of GBP/USD, most experts (75%) also expect the movement of the pair southwards - to the October lows in the 1.2080 zone. Indicators and graphical analysis on D1 agree with this version as well. But as for a shorter time frame, H4, the picture is diametrically opposite - in the short term technical analysis points to a possible growth of the pair to the resistance 1.2380 and further - to a height of 1.2500;  
  • USD/JPY. The vast majority of indicators (70%) have taken a neutral position. Readings of graphical analysis on H4 can be called neutral as well, they point to a sideways trend in the range of 116.00-118.65 with a predominance of bullish sentiment. 80% of analysts are also on the bulls' side. An alternative view is represented by graphical analysis on D1. According to its readings, the pair must first go down to the 114.75 support and only then rush to the height of 118.65. In case of breaking down, the next support level is at 113.10;
  • Most likely, next week the USD/CHF pair will continue to mirror the movement of EUR/USD. That is why 100% of experts predict it to rise to the 1.0220-1.0320 area. As for technical analysis, as it often happens, the indicators on H4 and D1 have occupied opposite positions. Whilst analysis on D1 supports the analysts, on H4, oscillators, trend indicators as well as graphical analysis indicate the pair's drive toward the 1.0000 mark. 

 

Roman Butko, NordFX


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