US Dollar flat ahead of US session while trading in a new reality

NEW YORK (May 16) The US Dollar (USD) is giving back some of its initial gains on Thursday after undergoing a firm depreciation after the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed the disinflationary trend resumed in April. Pieces of the puzzle are starting to fall into place with the recent string of data pointing to some easing on all fronts in the economy, and the softer CPI was the cherry on the cake. Markets responded to evidence of declining inflation popping the champagne bottle, with the S&P 500 reaching new all time highs. 

However, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee and Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari called for keeping rates steady for a while longer, warning that market expectations about interest-rate cuts might swing too far. 

On the economic data front, Thursday’s calendar is full of releases, although lighter in terms of importance.  The weekly Initial Jobless Claims, the Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Survey for May and the Industrial Production data will be the most important ones. On the latter, Japan and the Eurozone have recently reported positive industrial output , and a decline in US production might trigger another round of weakness for the Greenback. 

Daily digest market movers: Slew of data, and a can of Fed speakers

• Kickoff this Thursday at 12:30 GMT with a batch of housing, employment and prices data:
  • Building Permits are expected to increase to 1.480 million in April from 1.467 million in March. 
  • Housing Starts are expected to increase to 1.420 million from 1.321 a month earlier.
  • Weekly Jobless Claims could gather more importance than usual after last week’s numbers came well above the consensus:
    • Initial Jobless Claims are expected to head to 220,000 from 213,000.
    • Continuing Claims expected to remain rather stable,to 1.780 million from 1.785 million.
  • The import/export Price Index for April will come in as well.
  • The Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Survey for May is expected to fall to 8 in May from 15.5 in Apri. 
• Markets can digest all the above data before a slew of Fed officials are set to take the stage:
  • Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr will testify before the US Senate Committee on Banking. 
  • Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia President Patrick Harker will speak on the economic impact of higher education and health care.
  • Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Loretta Mester will participate in a luncheon at the Wayne Economic Development Council.
  • Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic participates in a moderated conversation about the US economic outlook at an event organized by the Jacksonville Business Journal.
  • All speakers this Thursday are Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voters, except for Fed’s Harker. 
• The Qatar World Economic Forum started on Tuesday morning. Headlines from world leaders may come out throughout the week.
• Equities outperformed in the US, with the S&P 500 hitting a fresh all-time high which got taken over by Asian equities. European equities look sluggish, undergoing some profit taking, with US futures mildly in the green. 
• The CME Fedwatch Tool suggests a 91.6% probability that June will still see no change to the Federal Reserve's fed fund rate. Odds have changed for September with the tool showing a 51.4% chance that rates will be 25 basis points lower than current levels.
• The benchmark 10-year US Treasury Note trades around 4.33%, the lowest level for over a month.

FXStreet