US Non-Farm and Non-Manufacturing Figures On Tap

Economic News

USD

Yesterday was void of any significant news from the U.S, so the greenback did not experience much movement against the EUR. However the greenback did strengthen noticeably against the CAD on the back of the unexpected Canadian interest rate cut to 4.25%. The main market movement yesterday was still driven by comments by the Fed that the subprime crisis will have a significant drawback on U.S growth. This attitude by the Fed has unsettled the financial markets again and shoved global stocks lower, leading to a risk-averse attitude by investors and a subsequent reversal of carry trades. Therefore the USD saw most of its action yesterday against the high yielding currencies, where it gained noticeable ground on the back of the carry trade reversal. On the other hand the greenback lost ground against the JPY as the increasing concerns about the credit crisis prompted investors to cut back on risky positions.

Looking ahead, today is filled with significant U.S data which may prompt some dollar movement. The most important news out today will be the ADP Nonfarm Employment Change which is expected to release well below its previous figure of 106K at 50K. This figure will be closely watched by investors for an indication of where Friday's all important NFP report will release, even though the accuracy of the ADP remains questionable. If this figure surprises on the upside the dollar could claw back some lost ground against the EUR. However although there is a string of data releases expected today it seems that the market will remain cautious ahead of Friday's NFP report, but is also important to note that the increasing speculation of an aggressive rate cut by the Fed could shove the greenback onto its recently familiar slippery slope.