dollar fall against the Japanese yen

The dollar fall against the Japanese yen "has established a near-term bottom at the 108.50 level," according to BK Asset Management. USD/JPY is last up 0.1% at 109.30. With U.S. non-farm payrolls expected to come in higher on Friday--up by 177,000, compared with a 148,000 increase in December, according to a WSJ poll--and with "the Fed appearing resolute to normalize monetary policy in earnest, the decline in the dollar may be coming to an end for the near term," says BK. Still, against the euro and sterling, the dollar continues to lose ground, with EUR/USD up 0.3% at 1.2452 and GBP/USD rising 0.2% to 1.4222.

Canadian dollar

There is still room to grow for the Canadian dollar, says Audrey Childe-Freeman, chief strategist at FX Knowledge. "Once the NAFTA [negotiations] element is removed, it should catch up with the interest rates market," she says, which are pricing in three rate increases by the Bank of Canada this year. CAD has held its ground during the recent sixth phase of NAFTA talks. "I was holding on to the trade [during the talks] and it has paid off," says Ms. Childe-Freeman. CAD rises versus USD, with USD/CAD down by 0.5% at 1.2270 after Canadian November GDP showed a rise of 0.4% month-on-month on Wednesday.

RBC Capital Markets

Potentially higher euro rates volatility from "extremely low" levels at present and higher yields prompts RBC Capital Markets to recommend so-called payer swaptions: options to enter a swap and pay the fixed leg while receiving floating rates. Option premiums are cheap when volatility is low, as the underlying asset is less likely to move to in-the-money territory. And higher rates are beneficial for those paying fixed rate to receive floating

pushes EUR/USD

A mix of upward revision of eurozone PMIs and higher than-expected U.S. jobless claims on Thursday pushes EUR/USD up 0.6% to 1.2087, just a shade below the September high of 1.2093, which would mark its highest in around three years, according to Factset. Eurozone December final composite PMIs were revised slightly upwards from the flash estimate to 58.1. And U.S. jobless claims rose by 250,000 during the last week of December, above forecasts in a WSJ poll for a 240,000 increase. Private sector jobs rose by more than expected, however, according to the ADP report.

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Canadian dollar has posted losses in the Thursday session

 . USD/CAD is trading at 1.2832, up 0.36% on the day. On the release front, Canada will release Building Permits and the Ivey PMI. The US publishes unemployment claims, which are expected to tick up to 239 thousand. On Friday, the US publishes three key employment indicators – Average Hourly Earnings, Nonfarm Employment Change and the unemployment rate. The week wraps up with the release of UoM Consumer Sentiment.
The Bank of Canada did not pull any surprises on Wednesday, and maintained the benchmark rate at an even 1.00%. The Canadian dollar lost ground after the rate announcement, which was dovish in tone. The Bank said that there was slack in the labor market, and investors took this as a sign that a January rate hike was less likely. Another uncertainty facing the BoC is NAFTA, as a protectionist-minded US administration has threatened to torpedo the free-trade agreement unless Canada and Mexico make major concessions. An additional headache for the BoC is that the Federal Reserve is expected to raise rates in December and January. The BoC will have to follow suit with a raise of its own, or watch the Canadian dollar head lower against the greenback.

euro has edged higher in the Wednesday session

The euro has edged higher in the Wednesday session. Currently, EUR/USD is trading at 1.1857, up 0.14% on the day. On the release front, Germany releases Preliminary CPI, which is expected to accelerate to 0.3%. French data was a mix. Consumer Spending declined 1.9%, missing the estimate of 0.0%. Preliminary GDP in the third quarter remained unchanged at 0.5%. In the US, Preliminary GDP is expected to post a strong gain of 3.3%, and Fed Chair Janet Yellen testifies before a congressional committee. On Thursday, German releases retail sales and the eurozone publishes CPI Flash Estimate. The US will publish unemployment claims and personal spending reports.
The political vacuum in Germany has taken a twist, as President Angela Merkel continues in efforts to form a new government. Coalition talks will now center on Merkel’s conservative bloc (CDU) and the social democrats (SPD). After the election, the SPD announced that it would remain in the opposition. However, coalition talks imploded when the Free Democrats pulled out of the negotiations and there is pressure on the SPD to reconsider in order to avoid elections. The SPD is split on whether to join a coalition with Merkel, as many SPD members don’t want the SPD to be relegated to a junior party in the coalition, as was the case prior to the election. Although the SPD has agreed to exploratory meetings with the CDU, substantial talks of a “grand coalition” are not expected to start before 2018. The SPD is likely to take advantage of Merkel’s weak hand and press demands for greater government spending and a looser immigration policy. The SPD could even demand the powerful finance ministry.