Forex news for North American trading on June 18, 2021:
Markets:
- Gold down $9 to $1764
- US 10-year yields down 6.4 bps to 1.436%
- S&P 500 down 55 points to 4166
- WTI crude up 62-cents to $71.66
- JPY leads, NZD lags
Bullard set the tone with some hawkish comments just as New York trade was ramping up. The led to a fresh bid in the US dollar and a further flattener in bonds. The tone soured throughout the day and ended with an ugly equity market finish at the lows of the day and the worst weekly decline since February.
The extremes in FX came into the London close as the dollar was bid up strongly. USD/CAD hit a seven-week high at 1.2481 in a sharp 80 pip move before giving about half of that back.
Cable was soft as the delta variant continues to circulate and high new case numbers the past two days. Hospitalizations are rising as well, which is double trouble. Cable touched below 1.38 but held the May lows, which are just underneath — at least for now.
USD/JPY tried to run to the upside early but was pulled back in part due to falling yields. US 30s fell 7.8 bps and tested 2.00% which is the lowest since February. The pair rallied 30 pips to 110.48 before giving it all back and finished NY trade where it started.
Have a great weekend. Next week is shaping up to be a volatile one.