US DOLLAR REGAINS GROUND

• US Dollar jumps higher and prints a two-week best performance at the start of the US session. 
• Big batch of second-tier data from the US set to hit the markets. 
• The US Dollar Index takes another stab at key level to continue the rally. 

The US Dollar (USD) has investors flocking in as they are fleeing toward the preferred safe haven: the Greenback. The Greenback regains its status after Chinese import numbers plunged even worse than during the pandemic. This triggers some risk aversion flow with the US Dollar as safe haven and US bonds being bid. 

On the economic front, a chunky calendar includes the National Federation of Independent Business Optimism Index (NFIB) and the TechnoMetrica Institute of Policy & Politics Economic Optimism Index (TIPP). Add to that US Federal Reserve (Fed) speakers Patrick Harker of the Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and Thomas Barkin from Richmond, and traders will have a dry-run for the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) numbers later this week.On Monday, the Fed’s John Williams said that cuts will come next year. 

US Dollar powers through

• Next to global recession fears, the banking industry is having a though day as in Italy banks will be taxed 40% on any additional profits while nearly 10 mid-sized US banks are being downgraded while 6 major banks are on review for a negative outlook. 
• The economic calendar started off early this Tuesday at 10:00 GMT with the National Federation of Independent Business Optimism Index (NFIB) for July, which jumped to 91.9, coming from 91.
• At 12:15 and 12:30 GMT, Fed speakers Patrick Harker of the Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and Thomas Barkin from Richmond will be speaking. Look out for any dovish comments that could be added to the comments from Fed member John Williams on Monday. If more comments are in favor of cuts in 2024, this could be the Fed preparing the markets for a very dovish speech at the yearly Jackson Hole Symposium from August 24 to 26. 
• Comments from Fed speaker Patrick Harker were published and held a dovish message as Harker sees the US economy in a flight path to a soft landing as the Fed is at a point where it can hold rates steady. 
• At 12:30 GMT, the Goods and Services Trade Balance for June held a slightly smaller deficit, moving from $-69B to $-65.5B. 
• The last big batch of data was at 14:00 GMT with the TechnoMetrica Institute of Policy and Politics Economic Optimism Index (TIPP) for August dropped from 41.3 to 40.3. US Wholesale Inventories for June went lower from -0.3%.to -0.5% for June.
• The US Treasury Department is about to tap the markets again with a 52-week bill auction and a 3-year note placement. 
• The Japanese Topix index saw the closing bell coming in right on time in order to still close this Tuesday with a 0.34% gain. The Chinese Hang Seng Index declined near -2% on the back of those weak Chinese import numbers. European equities are heavily exposed with negative numbers for the German Dax and the Eurostox 50 both down nearly -2%. US equities are being dragged along as global recession fears are creeping back into the markets. 
• The CME Group FedWatch Tool shows that markets are pricing in an 86.5% chance that the Fed will pause hikes at its meeting in September. 
• The benchmark 10-year US Treasury bond yield trades at 3.99% and continues its decline from Monday. The lower benchmark rate comes on the back of bonds being in demand this Tuesday as global recession fears ignite on the back of weak China import numbers. Investors are buying US bonds, triggering a jump in bond prices. Bond yields are inversely correlated to the bond price, so yields are dropping while bond prices rise. 

US Dollar Index technical analysis: 

The US Dollar is being ruthless for the Scandinavion and Commonwealth currencies this Tuesday. The Norwegian Krone (USD/NOK), Swedish Krona (SEK/USD), New Zealand Dollar (NZD/USD) and Australian Dollar (AUD/USD) are all losing more than 1% value against the Greenback. These for pairs fuel the US Dollar Index (DXY) higher and is currently at its best performance in two weeks time. Meanwhile two key hurdles have been taken out as both the 55-day Simple Moving Average at 102.48 and the 100-day SMA at 102.31 have been broken. 

For the upside, 102.31 remains a key level to watch in the form of the 100-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) and needs to see a daily close above in order to be turned into support going forward. Even should the DXY be able to break and close above there, US Dollar bulls are not out of the woods yet, with the 55-day SMA just above there at 102.48. Two key levels need to be broken and closed above in order to avoid any large pullbacks before targeting 103 to the upside. 

On the downside, the US Dollar bears will defend that same mentioned 100-day SMA at 102.31 and try to stage a firm rejection as nearly happened on Monday. The uptrend from mid-July will be broken once bears can pull the price action below 101.74, which is the low of this past Friday. Once that unfolds, the probability of the DXY collapsing all the way back to sub-100 is quite large.