The Australian dollar has posted slight losses on Monday following sharp losses in the Friday session. AUD/USD is trading at the 0.74 line at early in the North American session. The Aussie lost close to a hundred points to end the week after the stunning Brexit vote in the UK. On the release front, it’s a very quiet start to the week, with no Australian releases on the calendar. In the US, Goods Trade Balance posted a larger deficit than expected. On Tuesday, the US will release two key events – Final GDP and CB Consumer Confidence.
Financial markets across the globe are still in shock after the stunning news on Friday that the UK had voted to exit the European Union. The markets had bet that the Remain camp would narrowly win the day, and the opposite result sent stock markets tumbling on Friday. The historic decision raises many questions and has resulted in political and financial instability in Europe and the UK. On Friday, the pound dropped as much as 11 percent. The Australian dollar also lost ground, as investors dumped risky assets in favor of safe-haven assets like gold and the Japanese yen.
It’s difficult to gauge the extent of the economic and political fallout so soon after the historic EU referendum, but there’s no doubt that Brexit will have unpredictable economic and political consequences in the UK and Europe, perhaps for years to come. Already, Prime Minister David Cameron has announced his impending resignation. Even before the dust of Brexit has settled, there are signs that this divorce between Britain and the EU could be rancorous and messy. One British MP quipped that the EU referendum was the “divorce of the century”. British politicians have said there is no rush to implement the EU exit mechanism, while furious European lawmakers have called for the UK to leave as soon as possible. Britain may have voted “Leave”, but the timing and the type of exit plan remain unclear. The future framework of political and economic relations between the UK and the continent will have to be negotiated, and we will see plenty of uncertainty in the coming months.
Brexit has ushered in a period of instability and uncertainty across Europe, with Brexit seemingly the only certainty one can point to. On the EU side, the bloc has plenty of new headaches, as it must deal not only with the British exit but also from rejuvenated Euro-skeptics across Europe. The Brexit vote is likely to renew debate about EU membership in countries like the Netherlands and Denmark. Even in France, a staunch member of the club, EU membership could be revisited, as Jean-Marie Le Pen, head of the Front National party, has called for an EU referendum in France. The EU is under a real threat of destabilization and will have to figure out how to deal with the tremendous challenges suddenly brought on by Brexit.
Overshadowed by the Brexit vote, the US wrapped up last week with soft manufacturing and consumer confidence numbers. Core Durable Goods Orders came in at -0.3%, marking the third decline in the past four months. This figure was well short of the forecast of +0.1%. There was no relief from Durable Goods Orders, which posted a sharp drop of 2.2%, compared to forecast of a 0.5% decline. The UoM Consumer Sentiment report also missed expectations, with a reading of 93.5 points. The markets had expected a reading of 94.2 points. Next up is Final GDP on Tuesday, and the strength of the release could have major implications regarding a rate move during the second half of 2016.
Monday (June 27)
- 8:30 US Goods Trade Balance. Estimate -59.5B. Actual -60.6B
- 9:45 US Flash Services PMI. Estimate 52.0
Upcoming Key Events
Tuesday (June 28)
- 8:30 US Final GDP. Estimate 1.0%
- 10:00 US CB Consumer Confidence. Estimate 93.2
*Key releases are highlighted in bold
*All release times are EDT
AUD/USD for Monday, June 27, 2016
AUD/USD June 27 at 9:00 EDT
Open: 0.7426 Low: 0.7384 High: 0.7451 Close: 0.7402
AUD/USD Technical
| S3 | S2 | S1 | R1 | R2 | R3 |
| 0.7160 | 0.7251 | 0.7339 | 0.7472 | 0.7612 | 0.7739 |
- AUD/USD was flat in the Asian session and has been marked by choppiness in the European session. The pair is unchanged in North American trade
- There is resistance at 0.7472
- 0.7339 is providing support
- Current range: 0.7339 to 0.7472
Further levels in both directions:
- Below: 0.7339, 0.7251 and 0.7160
- Above: 0.7472, 0.7612, 0.7739 and 0.7835
OANDA’s Open Positions Ratio
AUD/USD ratio is showing gains in short positions on Monday. Long positions have a majority (54%), indicative of trader bias towards AUD/USD breaking out and moving higher.
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