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The US Dollar's Impact on Earnings

The US Dollar's Impact on Earnings Written by Kathy Lien, Chief Strategist With earning season upon us, everyone from investment banking analysts to longer term investors are scouring data on existing and new product lines for any information on this quarter’s potential sales and profits.Most likely, unless they have inside information, everyone in the market is looking at the same news releases.  However, there is one consideration that rarely pops into the mind of the American investor but can mean the difference between a good quarter and a bad one – the impact of Currency fluctuations on a company’s bottom line.  Too many times, companies that are expected to report good earnings for the quarter, disappoint due to either a currency’s depreciation or appreciation during those three months as good sales are offset by adverse conversion rates.  We have already seen countless examples of this and with many earnings reports still due for release, smart investors m...

Free Money? Not quite close enough.

By: Kaval Patel We all know there is no such thing as free money (even a lottery win or a donation are not free as they require buying a ticket or some marketing to attract the donor which costs money). So how would one go about trying to get almost free money that lasts? Well one way is to ensure that a good proportion of the money that you earn is designated to going into two things one is savings and the other is investments. Save for a rainy day is a common saying however with everything that is happening in the world saving is not enough we all need to plant seeds that will grow over time and compliment the savings. With investments you can be an armchair investor or an active investor that choice is up to each individual and their risk appetite. There are many ideas for investing unfortunately a lot of them require a lot of money to start with and some need you to practically have a degree on that subject! I have come across one market that is little known by the common individua...

Today's Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis EUR/USD The Bollinger Bands are widened indicating increased volatility. This pair has been on a sharp upward trend over this week, but now indicators on the 4 H chart are beginning to give a bearish signal. However the daily chart is flat so there is a possibility of further bullish momentum today. GBP/USD On the 4 H chart we can see that this pair is near the top of horizontal channel. The Stochastic Slow is crossing above 80 and is a strong indication that we are in deep overbought territory and that a reversal may be imminent. Also RSI and Momentum are negatively, indicating further bearish movement. USD/JPY This pair fell sharply yesterday breaching the key 105.00 resistance level. The hourlies and daily charts are still giving a strong bearish signal. The next target price will be to breach 104.00 mark. USD/CHF This pair has been in a steady downward channel over the last few weeks. However this pair has made a sharp downward breakout this week, indicating that...

The Greenback Bears Are Now In Grizzly Mode.

Economical News USD On the basis of the last consecutive three trading days we can strongly confirm that the U.S. economic condition has definitely become less favorable and it is about to face a severe dollar crisis. During those last three days, the dollar dropped several times to new records low versus the 15-nation currency. The EUR touched $1.5150 in early European trading -- up from $1.5120 in New York the previous night and above a record $1.5143 reached earlier Wednesday. The EUR gave up a little ground and was trading at $1.5122, still above Wednesday's close. An additional element which assisted the greenback was the unchanged level of GDP, which was published yesterday. The Gross Domestic Product rose at a 0.6 percent annualized rate, unchanged from the initial estimate last month. Not only the economic growth slowed and does not imply any signals of improvement for the short tem, but also U.S. citizens continue to deal with intense inflation increase which is above the ...

Technical Analysis

EUR/USD After peaking at the all time high of 1.5140 the pair now shows signs of bearish sentiment on the 4 hour chart. The daily chart still remains very bullish, which means that once the corrective move will consume its momentum, the bullish move will continue. Buying on dips might be a good choice of action before the weekend. GBP/USD The cable failed to breach through the 1.9950 level, which is a strong resistance and a key Fibonacci level. The bearish cross on the daily chart indicates on an upcoming corrective move that might take the cable below the 1.9750 on the local level. The 4 hour chart is giving mixed signals, which means that Forex traders must wait for a clear bearish signal on the hourly level before making an entry. USD/JPY The pair has made an aggressive bearish move within the flat channel of the daily chart, and is now approaching strong support. The 1 hour chart is showing local consolidation around the 106.20 level, and the bullish cross on the 4 hour chart is i...

EUR is likely to strengthen. ...

The EUR advanced yesterday vs.10 of the 16 most-active currencies in the past 5 days after the ECB policy makers expressed concerns that inflation in the Euro zone may quicken. The ECB officials also indicated that there is no change in their hawkish stance on Interest Rates. Therefore the EUR is likely to strengthen. The EUR also continues to benefit from the faulty condition of the USD. Besides the overwhelming strength and confidence being shown by the currency, the European economic forecast continues to release positive data. Yesterday's German Import Price Index printed at 0.8%, much higher than the forecasted 0.2%, while the British GDP remained stable at 0.6% Analysts predict that the Fed will lower the Interest Rate target by at least another 0.5 percentage point at next month's FOMC meeting. Meanwhile, the EUR could test 1.52 -53 levels in the short-term. The Fed has already lowered its benchmark overnight lending rates by 2.25 percentage points to 3% since last Septe...

The USD Continues To Be Under Pressure..

Yesterday, the USD fell to a record low vs. the EUR on expectations that the Fed will cut Interest Rates aggressively, despite stubborn inflation. Momentum in the EUR/USD pushed the pair through the closely watched 1.50 level and quickly surpassed 1.51 in the same session. The U.S. currency traded at the 1.5108 level vs. the EUR at 12:45 p.m. in Tokyo, after earlier touching the 1.5144 level. The greenback retreated after Bernanke said that the Fed will act in a timely manner to support growth and to provide adequate insurance against downside risks. The Fed has lowered benchmark overnight interest rates to 3% from 5.25% since September and financial markets expect policy makers to lower them by a further 0.5 percentage point at their next meeting on March 18. Meanwhile, the bad news out of the U.S. continued to mount. Data out yesterday revealed that Durable Goods Orders fell 5.3% in January, the most in 5 months, compared with the 4% forecast. The report added fears of a U.S. economi...