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The Yen rose to a 7 month high versus the Dollar as Japan’s new government reiterated its opposition to pursuing deliberate currency devaluation strategy. The Sterling dropped to a 3 month low versus the Dollar last week after Bank of England Governor Mervyn King was quoted as saying the Pound’s weakness is aiding in stabilizing the U.K.’s economy. Today’s trading day will likely experience the markets reaction to the G20 leaders’ decisions, mainly their pledge to continue supporting the stimulus efforts.

USD – USD Falls below 90.00 Yen

The Dollar weakened on Friday after a set of mixed U.S economic reports as well as reports that the G20 leaders will continue to provide support for the global economy. The Dollar index fell to 76.774 Friday, down from 76.901 late Thursday. The Dollar remained down more than 1% versus the Japanese Yen after statements by Japan’s Finance Minister Hirohisa Fujii that he opposes intervening in the currency markets to curb the rise in the Yen.

Orders of durable goods unexpectedly fell 2.4% in August. Sales of new homes rose 0.7% to a 429,000 pace in August, much slower than the expected 442,000. On the other hand, the Reuters-University of Michigan consumer sentiment index was revised to 73.5 in September, compared to a previous estimate of 70.2 and 65.7 in August, beating analysts expectations.

No news events are expected today form the U.S; therefore, it is likely that Dollar sentiment will be determined by investors’ reactions to the G20 concluding statements.

EUR – Sterling Trades at a 3 Month Low vs. USD

The Sterling dropped to a 3 month low below $1.60 last week after Bank of England (BOE) Governor Mervyn King was quoted stating the Pound’s weakness is aiding in the recovery of the U.K economy. The EUR traded at $1.4665, up 0.2% from Thursday.

The Sterling slid 2.1% versus the Dollar last week following very dovish announcements by BOE Governor Mervyn King, calling the Pound’s recent drop “very helpful.” The Pound fell Friday to $1.5918, the lowest level since June 8, and depreciated to 91.19 per ERU, the weakest level since April 1.

While a rather slow news day is expected today, ECB president Trichet’s speech at 2:30 GMT is likely to provide volatility to the EUR as interest rate targets and exit strategies are likely to be discussed.

JPY – Yen at a 7 Month high versus the Dollar

The Yen registered sharp gains Friday, breaching the significant Y90.00 barrier against the Dollar and reaching the highest levels versus the greenback in over 7 months. Japan’s currency benefited from supportive comments from Japan’s finance minister Hirohisa Fujii who said that he opposes intentional devaluation of the Yen.

The JPY advanced 1.8% this week to 89.64 per Dollar from 91.29 on Sept. 18, briefly touching 89.51 Friday, the strongest level since Feb. 5. The currency also gained 2% to 131.70 per ERU, from 134.33.

Crude Oil – Crude Prices up Slightly on Mixed Data

At the end of a very volatile trading day Friday, Crude Oil futures rose slightly, for the first session in 3, following the release of mixed economic data from the U.S as well as on increased odds of broad based sanctions against Iran, the world’s 4th largest Oil producer. Crude for November delivery rose 13 cents, or 0.2%, to end at $66.20 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after dropping as low as $65.05, the lowest level since July 30. Overall futures tumbled more than 8% this week, the biggest weekly loss in more than two months.

The unexpected jump in the Reuters/UoM Consumer Sentiment Index to 73.5 in September helped push up Oil prices; however, concerns over weak demand dampened Friday’s gains. Furthermore, several worse than expected economic data from the U.S stemmed further Oil’s Gains.

With last Wednesday’s report by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) stating that inventories of Crude Oil, gasoline and other petroleum products all rose last week and a lack of any significant economic news today, Oil prices will likely continue to stay subdued throughout today’s trading day.

Article Source – Japan’s Currency Hits a 7 Month High

The US Dollar surged higher to start the trading week as stocks sold off across Asian exchanges, boosting demand for the safety-linked currency. The British Pound bore the brunt of the greenback’s assault as risk aversion compounded last week’s dovish rhetoric from the Bank of England.

Key Overnight Developments

• Pound Tumbles Despite BOE Backtracking on King’s Comments
• Japanese Yen Surges on Safety Demand as Stocks Plunge in Asia

Critical Levels

The British Pound and the Euro both suffered sharp losses in overnight trading as stocks tumbled in Asia, driven lower by Friday’s disappointing US economic data, sending the MSCI Asia Pacific regional benchmark index down 1.2% and boosting demand for the safety-linked US Dollar.

Asia Session Highlights

The British Pound raced sharply lower in early trading as currency markets seemingly concluded that the Bank of England suspiciously “protests too much” after the UK Times Online cited unnamed sources at the central bank as saying King was trying to talk down sterling last week. The Pound began to accelerate lower last Monday after the BOE released an article titled “Interpreting Recent Movements in Sterling” as part of its quarterly bulletin which argued that the inability of drying up capital inflows to finance the current account deficit could mean a fall in the “the long-run sustainable real exchange rate”. Sterling bears were given extra fuel last Thursday when Governor Mervyn King said rebalancing the UK economy was “very necessary [and] the fall in the exchange rate that we have seen will be helpful to that process” in an interview with The Journal.

Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Glenn Stevens struck a hawkish tone at a testimony to the Senate Committee in Sydney. Stevens said that Australia’s recession has been mild and the economy has done “quite well” as government stimulus “materially” supported growth, adding 2-3% to local demand. On interest rates, Stevens said that benchmark borrowing costs are “unusually low” and will need to go back to normal levels, adding that inflation targeting will guide the timing of adjustment to “more normal levels”.

Euro Session: What to Expect

A preliminary estimate of Germany’s Consumer Price Index is set to show that prices fell -0.2% in the year to September, marking the third consecutive month that the EU-harmonized metric has printed in negative territory. A reading in line with expectations is unlikely to prove market-moving: economists have called for year-on-year CPI to shrink -0.3% through the third quarter, and averaging September’s would-be reading with those recorded in the previous two months yields just about that outcome. The coming months present an opportunity for volatility, however: consensus forecasts have inflation coming back into positive territory in the fourth quarter and averaging around 1.2% through 2010; if this proves too rosy as the economy falters anew after the boost from fiscal stimulus (both at home and abroad) and the inventory cycle fizzles out, a drop in inflation expectations stands to prolong the slump in the Euro Zone’s largest economy. Indeed, consumers and businesses have little incentive to spend and invest in the present if they reckon prices will be lower in the future, bringing economic activity to a standstill. This will mean the ECB will keep interest rates at current lows longer than nearly all of its major counterparts (with the exception of Japan and Switzerland), weighing down the Euro.

Written by Ilya Spivak, Currency Analyst
Article Source – Pound Tumbles, Dollar Surges as Risk Aversion Hits Currency Markets (Euro Open)