2023 Market Forecast by Solid ECN

GBPUSD

Should the Bank of England deliver onto those expectations and hike rates by 25 basis points, the main rate would climb to 4.50% - the highest level since October 2008. However, as such an outcome is well expected and priced in, investors will look for hints on what comes next.

Should we see an increase in the number of MPC members who favor keeping rates unchanged, GBP may find itself under pressure. Last time, 7 MPC members opted for increasing rates while 2 preferred keeping them unchanged. Also, a new set of economic projections will be released and it will be closely watched, especially inflation forecasts. UK CPI inflation slowed in March but stayed above 10% YoY mark and should new forecasts show higher inflation expectations, it could be a bullish signal for GBP as it would hint at a need for more rate hikes. Markets currently see a rate peak at around 5.00% in September-November 2023.



Taking a look at GBPUSD chart at H1 interval, one can see that the pair has been pulling back this morning. Pair dropped below the support zone marked with 38.2% retracement of the upward impulse launched on May 2, 2023 (1.2585 area). Downward move did not stop there with pair continuing to move lower and dropping below 200-hour moving average (purple line). An attempt to climb back above this moving average can be spotted at press time but should bulls fail to do so, the pair may look towards a test of the support zone marked with 50% retracement in the 1.2557 area.

EURNZD

EURNZD is one of the G10 FX crosses that experienced large moves so far today. The pair is trading higher as EUR got supported by hawkish comments from Joachim Nagel, Bundesbank President and ECB member. Meanwhile, NZD is the worst performing G10 currency after RBNZ lowered 1- and 2-year inflation expectations.

Starting with EUR news, Joachim Nagel said that inflation still remains too high and too strong. He continued saying that central bankers need to be sure that the inflation wave ends before they decide to pause policy tightening. He stressed it loud and clear that the latest rate hike delivered by the ECB won't be the last. While Nagel sounding hawkish is nothing new as he is one of the biggest ECB hawks, comments suggesting that more rate hikes are coming have been delivered throughout the week by various ECB members throughout this week.



Moving onto NZD news, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand lowered its 1- and 2-year ahead inflation expectations. 1-year expectations dropped from 5.11 to 4.28% while 2-year expectations were lowered from 3.30 to 2.79%. This can be seen as a dovish move as lower inflation expectations suggest that RBNZ is progressing in its fight against inflation and may not need to raise rates too much. Money markets currently see just 25 basis points of additional tightening through July.

Taking a look at EURNZD chart at D1 interval, we can see that the pair has halted recent sell-off at 50% retracement of the upward impulse launched in mid-December 2022. Recovery move was launched yesterday and gains accelerated today. The pair climb above resistance zone in the 1.7420 area, marked with 38.2% retracement and is looking towards a test of the 50-session moving average (green line).

EURTRY

Turkish lira is trading a touch higher against USD and EUR today, as a run-off will be needed to decide the next Turkish president. It looks like there are expectations for a tight race with TRY seeing rather muted moves.

GBPUSD: Pound ticks lower after concerning UK macro figures

The British pound lost ground early in the European session following the publication of weak macro data from the UK, reducing the chance of a hawkish turn from the Bank of England. The reading for March showed that the unemployment rate in the UK rose to 3.9% against an expected 3.8% and an earlier reading of 3.8%. What's more, the negative overtones of the publication were provided by a big jump in unemployment claims, which came in at 46.7 thousand against an earlier reading of 26.5 thousand (today's reading beat analysts' expectations by more than 49%. Wage growth excluding bonuses is also down and came in at 6.7% y/y vs. the expected 6.8% y/y. At the moment, the money market is pricing in a 30% chance of a halt to the hike cycle at the upcoming BoE meeting in June.



Preliminary data from the UK's tax office showed the first drop in total headcount in more than two years in April, down 136,000 from March.



The GBPUSD pair reacted with declines to today's UK data reading, however, the scale of the sell-off has already been largely negated. The downward impulse stopped at the support defined by the 200-period exponential moving average (golden curve), which is currently the main support on the H4 interval.

DE 30

German DAX rallied over the past two days, adding almost 2% over Wednesday and Thursday combined. The upward move was being continued on the futures market during the Asian session today as optimism over possible agreement on US debt ceiling drove equities higher.  As a result, DAX futures (DE30) briefly traded above 16,300 pts mark at fresh all-time highs.

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Taking a look at DE30 chart at H1 interval, we can see that the upward move on the German index accelerated after breaking above the 15,810-16,085 pts range. While the index pulled back a bit after reaching a fresh ATH, there is still some room for gains from a technical point of view. A textbook range of the upside breakout from the aforementioned 15,810-16,085 pts trading range suggests a possibility of the upward move to as high as 16,355 pts - or around 0.6% higher from current market price.

EURUSD

The EURUSD pair has been under pressure over the past few weeks; however, last Friday, bulls showed signs of strength once again.



EURUSD - 4 hours time frame chart

However, on the 4-hour chart, we can see that buyers regained control of the price near an important support zone marked by 1.0757. Currently, the price is approaching a significant obstacle - the downtrend line. If buyers manage to break above this zone, the upward movement may resume.



On the 4 hours time chart of the US Dollar Index, we can also see signs that the bearish scenario for the USD may indeed manifest. From a technical standpoint, we observe that sellers managed to break below the lower boundary of the rising wedge pattern, which could bring new selling pressures to the price.

Bitcoin

• US debt deal was reached during a weekend
• Beijing ?Web3 Innovation and Development White Paper? introduction

Bitcoin experienced a price increase over the week, reaching above $28,000, attributed to various factors. One significant development was the announcement of a debt ceiling deal by the White House, which boosted market sentiment and led to a 4.9% increase in Bitcoin and a 4.9% increase in Ether. Additionally, a Chinese governmental agency released a white paper outlining suggestions for China's Web3 policy, signaling progress in a country that has been reevaluating its approach to cryptocurrencies.



The release of the white paper in Beijing coincided with new digital asset regulations in Hong Kong, sparking further interest in China's stance toward the crypto industry. The document, titled "Web3 Innovation and Development White Paper," recognizes Web3 technology as an essential aspect of future Internet industry development. Beijing's municipal government aims to establish the city as a prominent global innovation hub for the digital economy, allocating a minimum of 100 million yuan annually until 2025 for this purpose. As a reminder, retail investors in Hong Kong are allowed to trade cryptocurrencies starting from the 1st of June.