1. Why these PMIs are important
I'm sure you're all fully aware that the euro zone just emerged out of its longest recession in 40 years.Though it's definitely relieving to see the euro zone finally post positive growth, many are still unconvinced about its recovery. After all, growth remains uneven across the region and the economy still faces many headwinds. This partially explains why the markets hardly reacted to news that the economy had grown 0.3% in Q2 2013, exceeding forecasts for a 0.2% expansion.
Now more than ever, markets are interested in seeing how the economy will fair in the coming months. They want confirmation that the rebound we saw last quarter wasn't just a fluke, and the PMIs may just serve that purpose.
Unlike the GDP report, which is a lagging indicator, the PMIs are leading indicators of economic health. What this means is they have stronger implications on future growth and can provide more insight as to whether the recovery is gaining steam in Q3 or if what we saw in Q2 was nothing but a dead cat bounce.
2. How the markets may react
Obviously, if the PMIs out-perform forecasts across the board, it would paint a rosy outlook for the region and would suggest that the recovery has picked up its pace in Q3. That being the case, such results will likely be euro bullish.On the other hand, if all releases show disappointing results, we can reasonably expect the euro to weaken, as it would provide confirmation that the euro zone hasn't exactly gotten out of its rut.
There's also a chance that mixed results could also work against the shared currency if they show uneven growth across the region. For instance, if French and German PMIs show strong results but the euro zone-wide PMIs fail to impress the markets, it would imply highly uneven growth in the region, with weakness in the peripheral countries.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD holds firm near 1.1850 amid USD weakness
EUR/USD remains strongly bid around 1.1850 in European trading on Monday. The USD/JPY slide-led broad US Dollar weakness helps the pair build on Friday's recovery ahead of the Eurozone Sentix Investor Confidence data for February.
GBP/USD holds medium-term bullish bias above 1.3600
The GBP/USD pair trades on a softer note around 1.3605 during the early European session on Monday. Growing expectation of the Bank of England’s interest-rate cut weighs on the Pound Sterling against the Greenback.
USD/JPY keeps the red below 157.00 on intervention risks
The Japanese Yen sticks to its modest intraday recovery gains against a broadly weaker US Dollar on the back of speculations that authorities will step in to stem weakness in the domestic currency. In fact, Japanese officials stepped up intervention warnings and confirmed close coordination with the US against disorderly FX moves. This, in turn, triggered an intraday USD/JPY turnaround from the 157.65 region, or a two-week top, touched in reaction to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's landslide win in Sunday's election.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD holds firm near 1.1850 amid USD weakness
EUR/USD remains strongly bid around 1.1850 in European trading on Monday. The USD/JPY slide-led broad US Dollar weakness helps the pair build on Friday's recovery ahead of the Eurozone Sentix Investor Confidence data for February.
USD/JPY keeps the red below 157.00 on intervention risks
The Japanese Yen sticks to its modest intraday recovery gains against a broadly weaker US Dollar on the back of speculations that authorities will step in to stem weakness in the domestic currency. In fact, Japanese officials stepped up intervention warnings and confirmed close coordination with the US against disorderly FX moves. This, in turn, triggered an intraday USD/JPY turnaround from the 157.65 region, or a two-week top, touched in reaction to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's landslide win in Sunday's election.
Gold remains supported by China's buying and USD weakness as traders eye US data
Gold struggles to capitalize on its intraday move up and remains below the $5,100 mark heading into the European session amid mixed cues. Data released over the weekend showed that the People's Bank of China extended its buying spree for a 15th month in January. Moreover, dovish US Fed expectations and concerns about the central bank's independence drag the US Dollar lower for the second straight day, providing an additional boost to the non-yielding yellow metal.
Cardano steadies as whale selling caps recovery
Cardano (ADA) steadies at $0.27 at the time of writing on Monday after slipping more than 5% in the previous week. On-chain data indicate a bearish trend, with certain whales offloading ADA. However, the technical outlook suggests bearish momentum is weakening, raising the possibility of a short-term relief rebound if buying interest picks up.
Japanese PM Takaichi nabs unprecedented victory – US data eyed this week
I do not think I would be exaggerating to say that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s snap general election gamble paid off over the weekend – and then some. This secured the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) an unprecedented mandate just three months into her tenure.
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