What is working for forex trading

That is the question that will be answered later this morning as today is “jobs Friday” and we eagerly await the release of the Non-Farm Payrolls report and the unemployment number. This is one of the most important data releases as it shows whether or not meaningful jobs are being created. The expectation is for a gain of 140K jobs.

The unemployment rate is also due out and this can sometimes be a deceiving number as the participation rate will sometimes affect the overall numbers. A higher participation rate usually means that workers are less discouraged and looking to get back in the workforce. Our neighbors to the north, Canada will also be reporting their unemployment rate. As goes the US, so goes Canada. At least that has been the market action of late, as part of the fate of Canada’s economy lies with US economic recovery, for better or worse.
There is no other economic data due out for the rest of the day, so expect the markets to trade off of that NFP number.
The Aussie is higher as the RBA lifted both its economic and inflation forecasts despite the recent natural disasters and previous comments form the RBA head.
And lastly, the Euro zone head honchos are meeting today in Brussels for a debt summit where the hope is that they will produce some meaningful response and solution to how to deal with the crisis. Don’t count on it.
In the forex market:
Aussie (AUD): The Aussie is higher across the board as the RBA raised its GDP outlook for 2011 to 4.25% growth from a previous forecast of 3.75% and they raised their inflation outlook with CPI set to increase 3% from a previous forecast of 2.75%. If they are correct in the new assessment, then we will see further rate hikes in Australia some time this year unless another global crisis emerges. (Click chart to enlarge)

Kiwi (NZD): The Kiwi is mostly lower getting a bit of follow-thru from the negative employment report that came out on Wednesday night. In addition, money flows are potentially returning to the Aussie after the RBA raised its outlook.
Loonie (CAD): The Canadian employment report just came out and showed a gain of 69.2K jobs vs. an expectation of 15K, handily beating the estimate. The unemployment rate remained steady at 7.8%. (Click chart to enlarge)

Euro (EUR): The Euro is slightly positive ahead of the US NFP report and has been in a tight range holding just above 1.36. While there was no meaningful data out this morning, the debt summit could produce fireworks if the sides don’t move any closer to resolution.
Pound (GBP): The Pound is somewhat mixed as a reading of house prices showed a gain of .8% for last month vs. an expectation of a decline of .3%. While on reading does not make a trend, this does contribute to the overall sentiment that inflation is rising in the UK.
Dollar (USD): All eyes will be on the NFP report where the US economy is expected to add 140K jobs. The unemployment rate is expected to tick higher to 9.5%, though that may be a function of the participation rate scenario that I mentioned above. Back in the day on the trading desk, we used to wager on the number so I will proffer my guess. My feeling is that the economic data has been too rosy of late so I think the number may disappoint. So I’m calling for a gain of 94K. Note: this is not a trading recommendation or advice, but rather a guess.
Yen (JPY): The Yen is slightly lower as Asian markets were higher overnight and it really is just puttering around waiting for the NFP number. A better than expected number will likely encourage some Yen selling and risk-taking through carry trades, and a worse than expected number could induce Yen strength as a safe haven going into the weekend with Egypt situation still unresolved.
Today’s NFP report really serves as a barometer for the economy and this is one of the reasons why it is so closely watched. While the economic data of late has been better than expected, my intuition always tells me that when expectations are high, they sometimes disappoint.
I am not trying to be Debbie downer here, its just that I think that while the economy is recovering, I don’t think it is happening as fast as people would like to believe. If I’m wrong, I’ll be more than happy to admit as much.
But realize that just because I have a certain view, doesn’t mean that I am married to it and as a trader I will perfectly happy to throw that view aside and join the trade to go the other way.
I also wanted to mention the situation in Egypt, which is still uncertain as to what the likely outcome is going to be. So we could see some selling later in the day and Dollar strength as the flight to safety trade picks up ahead of the weekend.
So be careful around the NFP number as the volatility will be intense. And trade well!
Source: http://www.forextradingblog.com/