US Wrap

US equity futures jumped higher on Friday as all the focus this week will be on how long both stocks and the dollar can continue to move higher.

Friday saw the release of the latest non-farm payroll data, which came in around 900K for the month, which was nearly double what was predicted. Despite markets being largely closed for Good Friday, we saw a big spike higher in futures with the ES closing towards the highs.

The US dollar has pulled back off its most recent highs but is still remaining strong against the other major currencies at the moment

The Data Agenda

The week ahead appears to be relatively thin on the data front and on Monday, most markets around the world remain closed for the Easter weekend.

Looking ahead and there is an IMF meeting that might produce some interesting headlines. Otherwise, much of the attention will be on the latest minutes from both the FOMC and ECB.

It’s unlikely that we will get any real insights from the meeting minutes, however, as the central banks of the worlds, continue to sit on their hands, even as bond yields take off.

Forex Signal Update

The FX Leaders Team hit 8 winners from 12 trades last week for a 66% strike rate where we saw some volatility in the USD.

We have six open signals so look to the forex signals page for all the latest developments.

EUR/USD – Active Signal

The EUR/USD is under pressure thanks to a strong USD. We are short looking for that trend to continue.

Gold – Active Signal

GOLD is one of the most interesting trades at the moment. We are seeing huge demand for physical bullion from banks and retail alike. Despite record withdrawals from COMEX, Gold continues to fall away on the spot market. We are short here, but this is a trade to watch.

Cryptocurrency Update

BTC has had a busy few days, with price pushing higher, before failing at the $60,000 level and then dropping $58,000 as well.

ETH took out the $2,000 level on Friday and is holding strongly above that point for the time being.