Ripple Update: Bulls Poised to End Bear Market

Forex Market Snapshot

Asset	Current Value	Daily Change
EUR/USD	1.1302	-0.47%
GBP/USD	1.2571	-0.68%
USD/JPY	113.35	-0.21%
AUD/USD	0.7179	-0.66%
GOLD	1,243	-0.20%
WTI Crude Oil	51.16	-3.18%
BTC/USD	3,180	-2.54%

We continue to have an unusually active December in traditional financial markets, as the recent bearish shift, the continued Brexit woes and the slowing global economy add up to a very nervous trading environment. Volatility is especially high in stock markets compared to seasonal averages but currencies are also having very active days, with the Dollar clearly being in focus.

Today we had negative headlines in China with both industrial production and retail sales missing the consensus estimates by a mile, and the history of manufactured economic releases from the country makes that even scarier.

It’s no surprise that the Chinese stock market is leading the way lower globally, while the Chinese Yuan is also among the weakest currencies globally, even amid the improving trade-related sentiment. Risk-on currencies got it hard today, and the Dollar is defying its bearish seasonality, trading very close to its recent lows, confirming the broad risk-off shift.

Technical Analysis

GBP/USD, 4-Hour Chart Analysis

The Great British Pound continues to trade with pronounced relative weakness, and as Prime Minister Theresa May was sent home empty-handed from Brussels, with the leaders of the EU refusing to renegotiate the draft Brexit plan, the currency’s position just got even shakier.

From a technical standpoint, the Cable confirmed the key breakdown with a failed pullback in the past couple of days, and with no major support found above the generational lows near 1.20, long-term odds now favor a test of that zone, and bulls shouldn’t enter positions below the key 1.27 level.

EUR/USD, 4-Hour Chart Analysis

The EUR/USD pair dipped below the 1.13 level after yesterday’s the dovish growth and inflation forecast by the European Central Bank and today’s strong US Retail Sales report. The US economy continues to perform relatively well compared to its global peers, and although we think that the slowdown will eventually reach the US, the fiscal stimulus and the labor momentum could keep the engines going for a while.

That only adds to the buying pressure which is pushing the USD higher, and the troubles in the European financial system are also mounting, which could lead to another leg lower in the common currency next year. The main technical levels to watch are still the 1.12 support and the 1.1440 resistance, and with the broader downtrend clearly being intact in the most traded currency pair.

AUD/USD, 4-Hour Chart Analysis

The AUD/USD pair fell below the bearish wedge pattern on the negative Chinese news as we expected, and it’s now testing the 0.7165 support zone. A move towards the 0.70 level is likely in the coming weeks, should the pair violate the support zone, and the short-term trend change is close to being confirmed, while the broader downtrend is clearly intact, with strong resistance ahead near 0.7250 and 0.74.

WTI Crude Oil, 4-Hour Chart Analysis

Another rally attempt faded away today in crude oil, and the crucial commodity continues to trade in a bearish consolidation range following the series of dead-cat-bounces. The top of the range is found near the $54.25 per barrel price level, while strong support is found in the $49.50-$50 per barrel range.

Given the deeply oversold long-term momentum readings, bulls can open speculative long positions near the bottom of the range, despite the clearly intact long-term downtrend, while bears should wait for a larger scale bounce to reenter the market.