North American Summary and Highlights 15 Apr
Overview - In a subdued session, EUR/JPY and the commodity currencies saw gains.
European and North American sessions
It was a subdued session with a cautious optimism persisting on Middle East peace prospects, with USD/JPY slightly firmer near 159 and EUR/USD slightly firmer near 1.18, seeing EUR/JPY advance to 187.60 from 187.30. EUR/GBP traded a tight range slightly below .87 but EUR/CHF advanced to .9225 after a brief dip below .92. The commodity currencies were firmer, AUD/USD at .7175 from .7140 and USD/CAD at 1.3730 from 1.3770.
April’s Empire State manufacturing survey was resilient, rising to 11.0 from -0.2 but the NAHB homebuilders’ index slipped to 34 from 37. Fed’s Hammack saw rates on hold for some time. Trump said he would seek to fire Powell from the Fed if he did not depart when his term expires while the Fed's Beige Book was similar to the last one, apart from noting higher energy prices and uncertainty..