FOREX: Asia FX Wrap - USD Finds Some Demand Just Above Support

• RES 3: 147.74 - High Jan 15 and bull trigger (cont)
• RES 2: 146.53 - High Aug 6 
• RES 1: 141.48/142.95 - High May 2 / High Apr 7
• PRICE: 138.63 @ 17:23 GMT Aug 1
• SUP 1: 137.32 - Low Jul 25
• SUP 2: 136.57 - 1.382 proj of the Jan 28 - Feb 20 - Feb 26 bear leg   
• SUP 3: 134.89 - 2.000 proj of the Jan 28 - Feb 20 - Feb 26 bear leg

JGBs rallied sharply alongside global bond markets Friday, piercing mid-week resistance in the process. The first important resistance to watch is 141.48, the May 2 high. A break of this level would be viewed as an early bullish signal. A return lower would signal scope for an extension towards 136.57, a Fibonacci projection. 

• RES 4: 1.4111 Apr 10  
• RES 3: 1.4019 38.2% retracement of the Feb 3 - Jun 16 bear leg 
• RES 2: 1.3920 High May 21
• RES 1: 1.3879 High Aug 1
• PRICE: 1.3794 @ 17:42 BST Aug 1
• SUP 1: 1.3716/3557 20-day EMA / Low Jul 03
• SUP 2: 1.3540 Low Jun 16 and the bear trigger
• SUP 3: 1.3503 1.618 proj of the Feb 3 - 14 - Mar 4 price swing
• SUP 4: 1.3473 Low Oct 2 2024

A short-term bullish corrective phase in USDCAD remains in play despite sharp weakness Friday. On the recent run higher, price traded through the 50-day EMA at 1.3739 and this has been followed by a break of resistance at 1.3798, the Jun 23 high. Clearance of 1.3798 represents an important short-term bullish development, signalling scope for a stronger recovery. Sights are on 1.3920 next, the May 21 high. On the downside, initial firm support to watch lies at 1.3716, the 20-day EMA.    

• We have published and e-mailed to subscribers the MNI US Macro Weekly offering succinct MNI analysis across the range of macro developments over the past week.
• Please find the full report here. 

Executive Summary

• The second half of the week has seen some significant moves in markets from first a patient Fed Chair Powell not giving a nod to a September rate cut before a weak payrolls report with huge downward revisions materially altered recent trends.
• Nonfarm payrolls growth underwhelmed at 73k in July but the major headline was the -258k two-month downward revision, of which -139k came from the private sector and -119k from the public sector. Outside of April 2020, that’s the largest two-month downward revision in at least forty-five years.
• We caution though that whilst jobs growth has soured sharply, it’s doing so along with a significant slowing in labor supply under immigration curbs.
• As such, the unemployment rate may have technically ticked up to a new cycle high of 4.248% (above 4.244% in May) but it continues to roughly plateau in the 4.0-4.25% range seen since last July. The median FOMC forecast from the June SEP had the unemployment rate increasing to an average 4.5% in 4Q25 as part of forecast with two rate cuts in 2025 so further deterioration would be expected.
• A note on the latest initial jobless claims data, which are back at 2019 averages, a period when the unemployment rate averaged 3.7%.
• The weak report prompted an extraordinary response from President Trump, directing his team to fire BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer. It’s a broadening out of criticism beyond the Fed’s Powell and its Board.
• Speaking after payrolls, Atlanta Fed’s Bostic (in a non-voting role this year) said he hasn’t changed his view that there should be just one rate cut this year.
• Elsewhere in a major week for data, core PCE inflation exceeded latest Fed tracking in June at 2.8% Y/Y, whilst away from any tariff impact, market-based services inflation printed 3.3% Y/Y. Various inflation metrics showed a continued stabilization at above 2% target rates.  
• The Q2 GDP advance release meanwhile beat analyst expectations with 3.0% annualized although it was close to Atlanta Fed GDPNow expectations. PDFP moderated further to 1.2% annualized for its weakest since 4Q22 although could have been worse.
• As a precursor to next week’s ISM Services report, the Manufacturing counterpart was weak across the board in July. Prices paid pulled back from recent highs, new orders chalked up a sixth consecutive month firmly in contraction territory and the employment index fell to its lowest since mid-2020.
• Yields have tumbled after the weak payrolls report. A September cut is mostly priced now vs 50/50 before the release, with a cumulative 59bp by year-end and five cuts in total from current levels.