Be on the lookout for quiet price movements ahead of the year-end market rally
24.12.2021
- Markets in major countries such as the U.S. and the U.K. are closed for the Christmas holiday
- No major economic indicators or statements from key figures are scheduled
Yesterday, the three major U.S. stock indices all rose for the third consecutive day, creating a risk-on sentiment characterized by rising stock prices, interest rates, and crude oil prices. Although U.S. new home sales for November, released yesterday, fell short of market expectations at 744,000 units, they reached their highest level in seven months.Gold rose, trading in the $1,808 range, while the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note climbed to 1.49%.
In the foreign exchange market, cross-yen pairs are generally rising, with GBP/JPY—which saw the largest gains—climbing approximately 150 pips from 152.20 to 153.71.From a technical perspective, GBP/JPY is showing momentum toward the recent 4-hour high of 154.03. Since it has also firmly broken above the 200-day SMA on the daily chart, we need to carefully assess whether this signals the start of an uptrend and whether the pair will continue to rise.
Since markets in Europe and the U.S. will be closed today for the Christmas holiday, no major economic indicators or key speeches are scheduled. Furthermore, with the number of market participants expected to drop sharply, liquidity is likely to decline significantly. Rather than forcing trades, I plan to take a wait-and-see approach today to assess the market, anticipating price movements starting next week.
Author: Keisuke Sakurai
