- FT: China reviews Euro zone bond holdings
- Australia may water-down 40% mining tax
- US durable goods orders rise 2.9% in April
- US new home sales rise 14.8% in April as tax credit expires
- Geithner calls on Europe to take action to implement euro rescue package
- Italian main labor union may call general strike in June
- Berlusconi calls Italian budget cuts necessary to save euro
- Moody’s: US credit card charge-offs peaked in Q1
- Gold closes at 1212.50 as dollar strengthens; oil rises $2.10 to 70.85 on shut-down in Alaska Pipeline
- S&P 500 falls 0.6% in late session slide as China euro worries spook market
EUR/USD was one way traffic today, falling throughout the US session in fits and starts. From opening 1.2330 levels we slumped to 1.2247. Heavy selling by the BIS helped weigh on the pair while Asian central bank sales were noted as well in early trade. Selling was heavy at the 15:00 GMT fixing. We fell from 1.2260 ahead of the fixing to 1.2190 30 minutes after the fix. Early afternoon saw consolidation in a 1.2190/1.2240 range before news that China is reviewing its euro-denominated bond holdings sent the market down to 1.2177 to retest the set Tuesday.
AUD/USD was the other huge mover today. It spiked on talk that Australia may water down its mining tax but was unable to maintain its gaisn above 0.8365, an important resistance levels. Prices soon fell sharply, aided by rumor of a Spanish sovereign debt downgrade, taking AUD through 0.8275 support. We end at 0.8220 amid full-blown risk aversion.
EUR/GBP selling help keep cable aloft in afternoon trade. We squeezed as high as 1.4440 before cable finally slumped. We end near 1.4375.
EUR/CHF fell back on risk aversion this afternoon, falling to 1.4125 from levels near 1.4300 earlier in the day.
USD/CAD was extremely volatile intraday. CAD benefited from the oil spike at times, was blasted on the Aussie tax talk and Weakened late in the day as stocks dove. 1.0577/1.0700 was the range with a close near the highs.
Look for the China story on European bonds to be a game changer and put pressure on the 1.2132, the 50% retracement of the lifetime 0.8225/1.6040 range in EUR/USD to be retested. Huge 1.20 barriers will be targeted on a break.