Daily Market Analysis By FXOpen

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S&P500: The end of a significant rally?


Opinions vary across the financial markets this morning as the S&P 500 index, a prestigious benchmark tracking the performance of 500 major US companies, takes centre stage in recent market discussions. Just days ago, on the first trading day of December, the S&P 500 soared to its highest point in over a year, capping off at 4,594.63 points.

This upward momentum persisted until yesterday morning when the US market concluded its session, witnessing a sudden tapering of the rally. While not indicative of a crash, the decline in the S&P 500's value has piqued the interest of financial analysts. The significance lies in whether this marks a temporary blip in the midst of a more extended upward trajectory or signals the conclusion of a sustained period of growth since its all-time high in 2022.

What adds intrigue to this scenario is the S&P 500's five-week upward trend, raising questions about the potential impact on the longer-term direction of the index. A critical point of comparison emerges when assessing these traditional 'bricks and mortar' stocks against the dynamic tech stocks listed on NASDAQ. The blue-chip Dow has recorded a modest 9% gain for the year, in stark contrast to the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite's impressive 35% climb in 2023.

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Disclaimer: This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.

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USD/JPY, USD/CAD, and EUR/USD Analysis: The US Dollar Corrected in Anticipation of PMI Data Release


In the first trading hours of the current five-day period, the American currency made a number of attempts to regain the positions lost last week and begin an upward correction. Thus, the USD/JPY pair found support just above 146.00 and tested resistance at 147.50, USD/CAD buyers defended support at 1.3500, and the EUR/USD pair dropped to the important level of 1.0800 yesterday. Whether there will be a continuation of yesterday's movements can be understood after the release of the incoming fundamentals of the current five-day period.

USD/JPY


Growing expectations among market participants regarding a reduction in the Fed's base interest rate next year is pushing the USD/JPY pair to new lows. If data on inflation and the labour market in the US disappoint officials, the timing of changes in monetary policy could change dramatically, which in turn could return the USD/JPY pair above 150.00.

Today at 17:45 GMT+3, we are waiting for the publication of data on the business activity index (PMI) in the US services sector for November. A little later, at 18:00 GMT+3, indicators on the number of open vacancies on the US labour market for October and the Purchasing Managers' Index for the non-manufacturing sector from ISM will be released. Tomorrow we are waiting for a preliminary report on employment in the US from ADR.

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Disclaimer: This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.

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Gold Price Retreats From Highs and Crude Oil Price Dives


Gold price is correcting gains below the $2,050 support. Crude oil prices declined steadily below the $75.90 support and moved into a bearish zone.

Important Takeaways for Gold and Oil Prices Analysis Today

• Gold price rallied to new highs above $2,120 before it corrected lower against the US Dollar.
  
• A key bearish trend line is forming with resistance near $2,025 on the hourly chart of gold at FXOpen.
  
• Crude oil prices extended downsides below the $75 support zone.
  
• A major bearish trend line is forming with resistance near $73.35 on the hourly chart of XTI/USD at FXOpen.
  

Gold Price Technical Analysis


On the hourly chart of Gold at FXOpen, the price rallied heavily above the $2,000 resistance. The price even traded to a new high at $2,135 before there was a downside correction.

There was a move below the $2,072 support level. The bears even pushed the price below the $2,050 support and the 50-hour simple moving average. It tested the $2,010 zone. A low is formed near $2,009.78 and the price is now attempting a fresh increase.

It is now facing resistance near a key bearish trend line at $2,025. The next major resistance is near the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the downward move from the $2,135 swing high to the $2,009 low at $2,040.

The main resistance could be $2,050, above which the price could test the $2,072 resistance. The next major resistance is $2,135. An upside break above the $2,135 resistance could send Gold price toward $2,220. Any more gains may perhaps set the pace for an increase toward the $2,350 level.

Initial support on the downside is near the $2,010 level. The first major support is near the $2,000 level. If there is a downside break below the $2,000 support, the price might decline further. In the stated case, the price might drop toward the $1,965 support.

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Disclaimer: This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.

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WTI Oil Price Drops to Lowest Level Since July


As the chart shows, the price of a barrel of US crude oil dropped below 72.10 per barrel yesterday for the first time since July 2023.

Fundamentally, this happened against the backdrop of:

→ Statistics showing that US oil exports are increasing. Volume is approaching a record 6 million barrels per day, with flows to Europe and Asia showing steady growth.
→ Previously announced measures to reduce oil production by OPEC+. However, either the price has already taken these statements into account in advance, or market participants are not confident that the reduction in OPEC+ supplies will be fully implemented — one way or another, so far the OPEC+ countries have not achieved the desired increase in oil prices. Perhaps, in order to discuss the oil market, Russian President Putin is flying to the UAE and Saudi Arabia today. And Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said OPEC+ is ready to deepen oil production cuts in the first quarter of 2024 to eliminate "speculation and volatility" if existing production reduction measures are not enough.



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Disclaimer: This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.

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Will rate hikes end when 2023 ends?


Finally, after a seemingly endless period of interest rate increases by the US Federal Reserve over the past few years, there is some degree of inkling that the rate rises may come to an end at the end of this year.

This morning, some mainstream media speculation has surfaced, considering that Federal Reserve officials are finally looking at making no further interest rate increases in 2024.

Currently, this is pure speculation based on some recent sentiment from the central bankers, and there has been some mention of a potential cessation in increasing interest rates in the last quarter of this year, which did not come to fruition. Instead, the current monetary policy continued, despite inflation now being very much under control and nowhere near the double-digit figures of two years ago, which caused the Federal Reserve (and other central banks in Western markets) to increase interest rates.

Therefore, the currency markets have responded accordingly. Rather than a sudden rise in the value of the US dollar, the British pound has been forging ahead.

In the period between November 9 and December 1, the British pound surged against the US dollar, going from 1.2290 to 1.27. Such gains are relatively rare among major currencies, and quite often, just a 1-cent difference is considered a notable movement.

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Disclaimer: This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.

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EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY Analysis: Dollar Stable Despite Weak Employment Data


Yesterday, statistics from the United States on the dynamics of open vacancies from JOLTS were published. In October, their number decreased by 617.0k to 8.733 million, which turned out to be the lowest result since the beginning of 2021, while analysts expected a reduction from 9.35 million to 9.30 million. Further cooling of the American labour market, along with the weakening of inflation risks, serves as a factor in favour of the expected completion of the cycle of tightening monetary policy by the US Federal Reserve. Some experts suggest that interest rate reductions will begin as early as March 2024.

November data on business activity in the services sector provided support to the American currency: the index from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) rose from 51.8 points to 52.7 points, which turned out to be better than forecasts of 52.0 points. The US dollar index remains at 103.400.

On Friday, final labour market statistics for November will be published: analysts suggest that the number of new jobs created outside the agricultural sector will increase from 150.0k to 185.0k, unemployment will remain at 3.9%, and the average hourly wages will increase from 0.2% to 0.3% in monthly terms.
EUR/USD

According to the EUR/USD technical analysis, the pair shows mixed dynamics, consolidating near the 1.0800 mark and new local lows from November 14, updated the day before. Immediate resistance can be seen at 1.0836, a break higher could trigger a move towards 1.0878. On the downside, immediate support is seen at 1.0800, a break below could take the pair towards 1.0731.

European statistics on business activity turned out to be positive: the indicator in the non-manufacturing sector increased from 47.8 points to 48.7 points, exceeding expectations at 48.2 points, and the composite index - from 46.5 points to 47.6 points with a forecast of 47.1 points. The German services business activity index rose from 48.2 points to 49.6 points, and the composite index from 45.9 points to 47.8 points. Indicators remained stagnant, confirming that the eurozone economy is approaching recession, despite some recovery in consumption during the Christmas holidays.

The focus of investors today will be on October statistics from the eurozone on the dynamics of retail sales: in monthly terms, the indicator is expected to grow by 0.2% after a decrease of 0.3% a month earlier, and in annual terms - a decrease of 1.1% after -2,9%.

The downward channel is maintained. Now, the price is in the middle of the channel and may continue to decline.



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Disclaimer: This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.

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EUR/USD, GBP/USD, and USD/JPY Analysis: Dollar on the Rise amid Good US Employment Data


The US Federal Reserve will publish its interest rate decision on Wednesday, December 13th. The American regulator is not expected to take steps towards tightening or easing monetary policy, given the strong November labour market report published last Friday. Thus, the number of new jobs created by the American economy outside the agricultural sector increased by 199.0k after an increase of 150.0k in the previous month, while analysts expected 180.0k. At the same time, the unemployment rate decreased from 3.9 % to 3.7%, and the growth rate of average hourly wages accelerated from 0.2% to 0.4%.
The dollar was further supported by an increase in the consumer confidence index from the University of Michigan in December from 61.3 points to 69.4 points, which turned out to be significantly higher than expected 62.0 points.
EUR/USD

According to the EUR/USD technical analysis, the pair shows mixed dynamics, remaining close to 1.0760. Immediate resistance can be seen at 1.0789, a break higher could trigger a move towards 1.0842. On the downside, immediate support is seen at 1.0770, a break below could take the pair towards 1.0714.

Activity in the market remains quite low, as investors are in no hurry to open new trading positions ahead of the meetings of the world's leading central banks this week. So, on Thursday, meetings of the ECB, the Swiss National Bank, and the Bank of England will be held. Investors expect all regulators to maintain current monetary policy without changes, and special attention will be paid to the comments of their representatives, as well as the general tone of their statements.



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Disclaimer: This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.

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Solana Is the Fourth Largest Cryptocurrency by Capitalisation. But for How Long?


2023 turned out to be a good year for cryptocurrencies, especially given the depressing mood that reigned at the end of 2022.

From the beginning of 2023:

• Bitcoin increased in price by more than 150% – including due to rumours related to the approval of applications for a Bitcoin ETF;
  
• Ethereum rose by approximately 85%.
  

But what has been particularly impressive is the progress made by the Solana project. This is a decentralised blockchain platform, which is characterised by high speed and scalability — they are achieved through the use of a unique architecture based on the Proof-of-History (PoH) protocol. In 2023, Solana became the first blockchain platform to reach 50,000 transactions per second. And a number of large investment funds, such as Grayscale and CoinShares, have added SOL to their portfolios.

SOL is a token that is used to pay for transactions and services on the Solana platform. It can also be used for staking to help support the network. The SOL/USD rate in 2023 has increased by more than 1000%!

At the same time, SOL now ranks 4th in terms of capitalisation of cryptocurrencies — after BTC, ETH, and the USDT stablecoin. December was the month when the price of the SOL token exceeded the psychological level of USD 100 for the first time since April 2022 (the historical high reached in the fall of 2021 exceeds the USD 250 level for SOL).

But will the price be able to stay above USD 100?



Disclaimer: This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.

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2023 In Review: A Look Back At The Highlights Of The Year


The year 2023 commenced after two years of economic uncertainty and heavy inflation across Europe and North America, home to leading financial markets, with major currencies such as the euro and the US dollar, and financial hubs including London, New York, Chicago, Frankfurt, and Toronto.

These continents, where major stock exchanges operate and the S&P 500, NASDAQ, and FTSE 100 indices represent the top stocks of the top listed companies in Britain and the US, witnessed a dynamic interplay of economic recovery, inflation challenges, and policy adjustments.

The European and North American economies had spent 2023 recovering from a sustained period of inflation and cost of living issues (Britain and mainland Europe), and in the US, yet more bank collapses and a close call with state insolvency as the US Government had to raise the debt ceiling to stop it defaulting on its existing commitments, highlighting the country's huge national debt.

Inflation did decline during 2023, but central bank policy on both sides of the Atlantic favoured continued increases in interest rates, despite the US inflation going down from 11% in mid-2022 to around 3.1% now, and the British inflation rate is 3.9% now whereas it was also in double figures during 2022. Now, we move on to looking at specific markets.

Disclaimer: This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.

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Market Analysis: Dollar Corrects in Thin Market


The American currency is strengthening slightly after Christmas. Thus, the pound/US dollar currency pair retreated from the recent high just above 1.2700 and the US dollar/yen pair found support at 142.00. The euro/US dollar pair is trying to retest Friday's high at 1.1040. Both the Australian and Canadian currencies continue to rise against the dollar.

USD/JPY

A block of data from Japan published this morning contributed to a slight strengthening of the USD/JPY pair, as the incoming fundamentals turned out to be quite weak. Thus, the core consumer price index (CPI) from the Bank of Japan decreased to 2.7% against the forecast of 3.00%. The price index for corporate services also fell: 2.3% versus 2.4%. Also in the red zone was the ratio of vacancies to applicants: 1.28 to 1.30. Today at 21:00 GMT+3, it is worth paying attention to the publication of data on the auction for the placement of 2-year US Treasury notes.

On the daily and weekly USD/JPY chart, the pair is below the alligator lines, the priority is to sell on the breakdown of the lower fractal at 140.90. We can consider cancelling the downward scenario if the price confidently consolidates above 145.00.





Disclaimer: This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.

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Brent Oil Price Reaches New December High


Financial markets are experiencing a traditional decline in trading activity associated with the holiday period. Notable events:

    the S&P-500 and NASDAQ-100 stock indices updated their maximum for the year after the holiday Monday, thereby confirming the idea that the decline on Wednesday, September 20, was in the nature of a correction. Santa and his rally do not disappoint.
    The dollar index drops to six-month lows due to expectations of an interest rate cut in March 2024.
    The price of oil reached a new high in December.

The rise in oil prices is caused by geopolitical tensions:

    WSJ: Iran-backed militias fire at US bases in the Middle East.
    Bloomberg: Continued Houthi attacks on shipping and US strikes on targets in Iraq raise the risk of the war expanding in the Middle East.
    Reuters: The war in Gaza will last several months. Concerns about the spread of the conflict are growing.
    Barron's: Dispute between Venezuela and Guyana could threaten oil production and higher prices.

If military action disrupts the production and supply of oil, this could sharply increase its price.

The XBR/USD chart shows that:

    the price is still in a downtrend (as shown by the red channel);
    moving within the ascending channel (shown in blue) in December, the price has reached the upper limit of the red channel, and is now in a vulnerable position.



Disclaimer: This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.

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FTSE 100 Continues Pre-holiday Rally: Is 8000 in Sight?


Almost a year ago, the FTSE 100, which is a prestigious index comprising the most prestigious blue-chip stocks of companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, hit 8,000 points for the first time in history.

The euphoria that accompanied this historic breakthrough in mid-February 2023 echoed a similar response in 2021 when the index broke the 7,000 barrier for the first time ever. However, the brief venture above the 8,000 mark was relatively short-lived, and since then, the FTSE 100 index has languished anywhere between the mid-7,200 range up to the 7,700s during the last three quarters of this year.

Before the markets made their annual break for the holiday season that has just passed, the FTSE 100 index began to show a steady upward climb, which has been relatively consistent since October 27's low point of 7,259 at FXOpen.

Now, with the markets reopening this week, the FTSE 100's upward direction has continued to demonstrate buoyancy, and the possibility of reaching the lofty heights of 8,000 points is once again being openly discussed by market participants.

As the London trading session opened this morning, the FTSE 100 index jumped from 7,715 to 7,742 at FXOpen, giving further weight to opinions in mainstream media last week that a revisitation of the 8,000 mark may be in sight.

The reasons for this rally are being viewed by many analysts and commentators in a very basic form, largely centred on the possibility that central banks in Western continents, in which the main headquarters of companies listed in London and included in the FTSE 100 index, may reduce their interest rates as the talks about ending the prolonged policy of increasing them over recent years in an attempt to counter inflation.

Disclaimer: This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.

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ETH/USD Analysis: New Record of the Year


Today, the price of Ethereum exceeded the level of 2,440 per token, thereby setting a new high for 2023. It is noteworthy that the price of Bitcoin did not support the bullish sentiment, continuing to fluctuate around the USD 43,000 level for the fifth day.

What is the reason for the growth of ETH/USD from a fundamental point of view? There is no obvious trigger in the media, so we can only make assumptions:

→ market participants considered ETH an undervalued asset against the backdrop of the growth of Bitcoin and Solana;

→ perhaps buyers assume that after the expected approval of applications for the BTC ETF, the ETH ETF story will be next?

→ Santa's rally and the positive sentiment associated with it.

From a technical point of view, the price of ETH/USD moved up beyond the balance period "B", where the forces of supply and demand were balanced. The bullish momentum was maintained, with upward momentum above the 2,333 level attracting followers and forcing short sellers to take losses. According to on-chain analytical platforms, in just one hour, at the peak of growth, USD 14 million of bearish positions were liquidated on cryptocurrency exchanges—there was a short squeeze in the market to some extent.

What's next? Will the price be able to form a new balance period "C", which will be above the period "B" (similar to the trend "A" → "B")?



Disclaimer: This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.

[FXOpen Trader]

European Stock Index Shows Signs of Weakness


As the comparison chart shows, the ESX50 lags behind the US500. And this trend has been observed since mid-December, a period when central banks around the world published interest rate decisions and set expectations for the future. The divergence suggests that Europe's central bankers are in no rush to join the US turn to lower interest rates — even as investors continue to insist that they will have to accept easier monetary policy soon enough.

According to Bloomberg, after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell signalled that the focus is now on lowering borrowing costs, colleagues from Frankfurt to London said that a further slowdown in inflation cannot be taken for granted. That is, for now in Europe, policy easing is not yet on the agenda.

"We should absolutely not lower our guard," European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde told reporters in December, while her Bank of England counterpart Andrew Bailey noted there was "still work to be done" in the fight to rein in consumer prices.





Disclaimer: This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.