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Contact Kara Crawford at kara@traderplanet.com for further details.en-ushttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/134302-tensions_will_inevitably_remain_highhttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/134302-tensions_will_inevitably_remain_high<p ><b><span >EUR/USD</span></b></p> <p >The Euro was confined to narrower ranges on Wednesday as technical factors tended to dominate with selling pressure an any approach to the 1.33 area against the dollar while retreats continued to attract firm buying support. </p> <p >Greek negotiations continued during the day while there were a series of rumours following the release of a framework document on how to reach agreement with the troika. After protracted negotiations, Prime Minister Papedemos announced that there was an outline d...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/134302-tensions_will_inevitably_remain_high'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/624/?a=1067><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/dinapoli.gif border=0 /></a></p> Darrell JobmanDarrell JobmanThu, 09 Feb 2012 13:54:52 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/134129-focus_on_greek_debt_negotiationshttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/134129-focus_on_greek_debt_negotiations<p ><b><span >EUR/USD</span></b></p> <p >The Euro found support on dips to the 1.31 area in Europe on Tuesday and, after a spell of range trading, there was a renewed push higher in New York trading. A sharp decline in German industrial production did not have a sustained market impact.</p> <p >There was a continuing focus on Greek debt negotiations during the day and there were reports that the coalition parties had agreed on a framework for reforms. There was, however, no formal agreement and no press announcement while a Euro-gro...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/134129-focus_on_greek_debt_negotiations'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/815/?a=1071><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/murphy.gif border=0 /></a></p> Darrell JobmanDarrell JobmanWed, 08 Feb 2012 13:58:46 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/133916-greek_discussions_continued_to_dominate_marketshttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/133916-greek_discussions_continued_to_dominate_markets<p ><b><span >EUR/USD</span></b></p> <p >The Euro was unable to regain ground during the European session on Tuesday and dipped to lows in the 1.3025 area against the US dollar ahead of the US open.</p> <p >Greek discussions continued to dominate markets as the government attempted to reach an agreement on fresh austerity measures. Officials have already admitted that the second financing package will now probably need to be at least EUR145bn from EUR130bn previously. The troika has insisted that the Greek government will need to ma...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/133916-greek_discussions_continued_to_dominate_markets'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/624/?a=1067><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/dinapoli.gif border=0 /></a></p> Darrell JobmanDarrell JobmanTue, 07 Feb 2012 13:55:03 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/133729-us_data_was_much_stronger_than_expectedhttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/133729-us_data_was_much_stronger_than_expected<p ><b><span >EUR/USD</span></b></p> <p >Consolidation was the dominant theme ahead of the US payroll data on Friday with the Euro unable to sustain a move to the 1.3180 area against the dollar. The Euro-zone PMI services data did not have a major impact as it confirmed that recovery was being led by Germany and France while Spain and Italy continued to falter despite some monthly improvement. The Euro-zone retail sales data was weaker than expected with a second successive 0.4% monthly decline.</p> <p >The US data was much stronger...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/133729-us_data_was_much_stronger_than_expected'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/624/?a=1067><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/dinapoli.gif border=0 /></a></p> Darrell JobmanDarrell JobmanMon, 06 Feb 2012 13:51:09 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/133428-further_downward_pressure_on_the_eurohttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/133428-further_downward_pressure_on_the_euro<p ><b><span >EUR/USD</span></b></p> <p >The Euro spiked higher in European trading on Friday following media reports that China was considering investing in the EFSF and ESM, but it retreated quickly following a more cautious interpretation of the comments from German Chancellor Merkel.</p> <p >There was further downward pressure on the Euro following comments from Euro-group Head Juncker that the Greek debt restructuring situation was 'ultra-difficult'. Following numerous reports over the past week that a deal was extremely close,...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/133428-further_downward_pressure_on_the_euro'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/624/?a=1067><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/dinapoli.gif border=0 /></a></p> Darrell JobmanDarrell JobmanFri, 03 Feb 2012 13:49:06 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/133190-us_adp_employment_report_was_slightly_weaker_than_expectedhttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/133190-us_adp_employment_report_was_slightly_weaker_than_expected<p ><b><span >EUR/USD</span></b></p> <p >The Euro continued to recover ground during the European session on Wednesday and was eventually able to retest resistance levels above 1.32 against the dollar, although the prime market influence tended to be US weakness rather than Euro strength.</p> <p >The Euro-zone PMI manufacturing index edged higher in the final reading with Germany a notable gainer. Optimism was tempered by the fact that indices in Greece, Spain and Italy all remained substantially below the 50 threshold. The flash Eu...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/133190-us_adp_employment_report_was_slightly_weaker_than_expected'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/744/?a=1072><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/firman.gif border=0 /></a></p> Darrell JobmanDarrell JobmanThu, 02 Feb 2012 13:53:26 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/132986-no_greek_deal_with_private_creditorshttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/132986-no_greek_deal_with_private_creditors<p ><span ><strong>EUR/USD</strong></span></p> <p >The Euro held steady in the first part of the European session on Tuesday and again challenged levels above 1.32, but it was unable to make fresh highs. Although the German unemployment data was better than expected with a decline of over 30,000 for December, the other data was less favourable as German and French spending declined while Euro-zone unemployment as a whole was a record 10.4% as the Italian jobless rate rose sharply.</p> <p >Despite initial optimism, there was no Greek deal with...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/132986-no_greek_deal_with_private_creditors'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/624/?a=1067><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/dinapoli.gif border=0 /></a></p> Darrell JobmanDarrell JobmanWed, 01 Feb 2012 14:11:07 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/132763-dollar_managed_to_secure_some_recovery_from_losseshttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/132763-dollar_managed_to_secure_some_recovery_from_losses<p ><b><span >EUR/USD</span></b></p> <p >The Euro remained generally on the defensive during Monday and dipped to lows near 1.3070 during US trading as the dollar also managed to secure some recovery from losses late last week.</p> <p >There was still no agreement between the Greek government and private-sector creditors which undermined confidence, especially as the Euro-zone continued to take a hard line on any additional support for Greece which increased default fears. Chancellor Merkel's stance was that Germany would not back a...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/132763-dollar_managed_to_secure_some_recovery_from_losses'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/744/?a=1072><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/firman.gif border=0 /></a></p> Darrell JobmanDarrell JobmanTue, 31 Jan 2012 13:48:40 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/132565-sharp_drop_in_portuguese_lendinghttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/132565-sharp_drop_in_portuguese_lending<p ><b><span >EUR/USD</span></b></p> <p >The Euro found support on dips to just below the 1.31 level against the dollar during Friday and pushed higher again during the US session. There were further suggestions that a Greek private-sector debt deal was in prospect, but there were no announcements of an agreement during Friday or over the weekend.</p> <p >The headline US GDP data was slightly weaker than expected with a fourth-quarter GDP increase of 2.8% compared with expectations of a 3.0% increase. The breakdown of the data also ...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/132565-sharp_drop_in_portuguese_lending'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/834/?a=1070><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/wyckoff.gif border=0 /></a></p> Darrell JobmanDarrell JobmanMon, 30 Jan 2012 13:50:23 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/132248-dollar_was_still_under_pressurehttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/132248-dollar_was_still_under_pressure<p ><b><span >EUR/USD</span></b></p> <p >The Euro maintained a firm tone in Europe on Thursday with strong buying support ahead of the US open as it pushed to fresh one-month highs in the 1.3170 area. The dollar was still under pressure following the more dovish than expected Federal Reserve statement while the Euro gained support from rumours of a Greek private-debt restructuring deal.</p> <p >In the event, there was still a high degree of uncertainty surrounding Greece and no deal was forthcoming with discussions set to continue o...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/132248-dollar_was_still_under_pressure'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/744/?a=1072><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/firman.gif border=0 /></a></p> Darrell JobmanDarrell JobmanFri, 27 Jan 2012 14:01:05 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/132025-risk_of_fresh_trade_tensionshttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/132025-risk_of_fresh_trade_tensions<p ><b><span >EUR/USD</span></b></p> <p >The Euro hit resistance above 1.3020 against the dollar in Europe on Wednesday and there was only a brief advance following the better than expected German IFO survey. The currency then traded with a weaker bias ahead of the US open as Euro-zone structural fears persisted. There were continuing doubts surrounding the Greek situation as the default risk remained high amid there were further concerns surrounding Portugal as yields pushed to a fresh record high.</p> <p >There were also suggestio...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/132025-risk_of_fresh_trade_tensions'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/834/?a=1070><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/wyckoff.gif border=0 /></a></p> Darrell JobmanDarrell JobmanThu, 26 Jan 2012 13:49:21 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/131694-further_debate_surrounding_the_greek_private_sector_debt_dealhttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/131694-further_debate_surrounding_the_greek_private_sector_debt_deal<p ><b><span >EUR/USD</span></b></p> <p >The Euro challenged resistance levels above 1.3050 against the dollar in Europe on Tuesday before being subjected to sharp losses in choppy trading conditions.</p> <p >The Euro secured initial support from the latest flash PMI data which recorded an increase in the manufacturing component to 48.7 from 46.9 previously while the services-sector index moved above the 50 level for the first time since the August 2011 release. The data maintained the run of more favourable data seen over the past ...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/131694-further_debate_surrounding_the_greek_private_sector_debt_deal'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/624/?a=1067><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/dinapoli.gif border=0 /></a></p> Darrell JobmanDarrell JobmanWed, 25 Jan 2012 14:24:08 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/131668-further_focus_on_the_greek_debt_restructuringhttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/131668-further_focus_on_the_greek_debt_restructuring<p ><b><span >EUR/USD</span></b></p> <p >There was further solid Euro demand in European trading on Monday which pushed the currency to challenge 2012 highs and a break above the 1.30 level triggered further stop-loss Euro buying.</p> <p >There were further gains for European stocks as liquidity conditions improved and this had an important positive impact on risk appetite which curbed defensive demand for the US currency as well as helping to improve confidence surrounding the Euro.</p> <p >There were suggestions from German government off...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/131668-further_focus_on_the_greek_debt_restructuring'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/832/?a=1073><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/jobman.gif border=0 /></a></p> Darrell JobmanDarrell JobmanTue, 24 Jan 2012 13:42:18 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/131665-selling_pressure_resumedhttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/131665-selling_pressure_resumed<p ><span ><strong>EUR/USD</strong></span></p> <p >The Euro was unable to extend gains early in Europe on Friday and dipped sharply back to the 1.29 area against the dollar ahead of the US open as selling pressure resumed.</p> <p >There were expectations that Greek negotiators would be able to reach a deal during Friday and there were rumours of an announcement which provided initial support. There was, however, no agreement in reality as talks broke down which curbed Euro demand and there were further concerns surrounding Portugal's default ...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/131665-selling_pressure_resumed'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/832/?a=1073><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/jobman.gif border=0 /></a></p> Darrell JobmanDarrell JobmanMon, 23 Jan 2012 20:35:38 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/131480-rise_in_portuguese_yields_to_record_highshttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/131480-rise_in_portuguese_yields_to_record_highs<p ><b><span >EUR/USD</span></b></p> <p >The Euro found support in the 1.2750 region against the dollar on Wednesday and challenged resistance levels above 1.28 as there was further pressure for a covering of short positions given the huge positioning bias in favour of Euro selling.</p> <p >There were reports that the IMF was seeking additional funds to bolster its defences against the Euro-zone crisis. After some initial confusion surrounding amounts, the IMF suggested that it would look to increase funding by an additional US$600b...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/131480-rise_in_portuguese_yields_to_record_highs'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/834/?a=1070><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/wyckoff.gif border=0 /></a></p> Darrell JobmanDarrell JobmanThu, 19 Jan 2012 13:43:17 +0000