The USD index refreshed intraday highs near 96.09
Wall Street stocks fell overnight in thin trading conditions. Fresh data showed that jobless claims came in at 198,000 for the week ended December 25 versus 205,000 expected. Meanwhile, the Chicago PMI stood at 63.1 for December. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 dipped 0.3% each and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.2%. For the year, the S&P is up more than 27% and the Dow is up nearly 10%. The Nasdaq has gained 22%.
Asian equity markets were mixed on the last day of 2021. The Kospi fell 0.5% after South Korea said it will extend social distancing rules for two more weeks through to mid-January. China’s Shanghai Composite gained nearly 0.6% after the data showed that the country’s manufacturing PMI came in at 50.3 versus 50.1 expected. Japan was among a number of markets closed ahead of the New Year.
In Europe, stock markets opened mostly lower in a shortened trading session. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 fell 0.34% in morning deals, Germany’s DAX 30 was up by 0.2% and France’s CAC 40 slipped 0.17%. The FTSE and the DAX are on track to see gains of 15% for this year, while the French CAC is close to a 30% gain.
In currencies, the USD index refreshed intraday highs near 96.09, up for the second consecutive day on Friday. The greenback is supported by the market’s cautious sentiment amid thin end-of-year liquidity conditions. As such, EURUSD keeps treading water around the 20-DMA while preserving a bearish bias after a failed attempt to overcome the 1.1370 zone.
Meanwhile, the bitcoin price jumped in recent trading to get back to the 20-DMA representing the key barrier on the way towards the $50,000 psychological level. The BTCUSD pair was last seen approaching the $48,500 region after yesterday’s brief plunge below $46,000.
