First, about last week’s predictions:
- EUR/USD once again proved that the majority opinion may be wrong. The pair’s bullish sentiment was supported by only 25% of the experts and graphical analysis on D1 but it is they who turned out to be right – straight from the market opening, the pair went up sharply and then, as predicted, plunged as sharply almost to the level of the start of the week;
- a third of the experts talked about GBP/USD’s rise to 1.4550 while another third supported a transition into a sideways trend in a 1.4120-1.4330 range. The weekly chart shows that both groups were right as the pair stayed in this corridor all five days, occasionally attempting to break its upper boundary and reach the target height. However, none of these attempts succeeded, and the pair ended up near the level of the start of the week;
- there are times when all forecasts, including alternative ones, prove incorrect. This is what happened when the Bank of Japan unexpectedly introduced a negative interest rate policy for the first time, which resulted in the yen’s fall against all 16 major currencies. The USD/JPY pair needed just 1 day (29 January) to return to the level around which it had revolved during the past year;
- two weeks ago, the immediate target for USD/CHF was a rise to 1.0250. Last week, graphical analysis lowered it to 1.0210, which it shouldn’t have done as the pair easily reached 1.0255 on Friday, countering the rush to change forecasts.
Forecast for Coming Week
Summing up the views of scores of analysts from world leading banks and broker companies as well as forecasts based on various methods of technical and graphical analysis, the following can be said:
- opinions on EUR/USD once again turned out quite unanimous – 60% of the analysts, 100% of the indicators on all timeframes and graphical analysis at D1 vote for a fall to 1.0700 at least. With that, the pair may first rebound to resistance at 1.0990, then return to support at 1.0800, break through it and drop to 1.0700 and then further down to support at 1.0560;
- as for GBP/USD, 100% of the indicators look downward. However, the analysts differ. The indicators’ readings are supported by only 12% of the analysts and graphical analysis on H4. In their view, the pair will go down gradually to support at 1.4120. A sideways trend is backed by 38% of the experts. Graphical analysis on D1 and the remaining 50% of the experts reckon that GBP/USD will rebound further upward, trying to reach 1.4630. With this, graphical analysis indicates that after the rebound the pair will return to the current level of 1.4240 by the end of February;
- the decision by the Bank of Japan left graphical analysis and most experts perplexed. At the same time, 25% of the experts and 90% of the indicators insist USD/JPY should continue to rise up to 122.30-123.00, and only one analyst believes that the pair will return to January’s main support of 116.50;
- most experts and graphical analysis on H4 believe that USD/CHF will be moving in a 1.0200-1.0310 sideways channel for some time. However, graphical analysis on D1 insists that the pair should go down to support at 0.9920 and then enter a sideways corridor of 0.9920-1.0080. In the longer term, 40% of the analysts believe that 1.0310 is not the limit and the pair may rise to 1.0500.
Roman Butko, NordFX
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