Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Knowing the Market Sentiment (Part III)

By Ahmad Hassam

Economic growth of countries can also have a big impact on the overall currency market sentiment besides the interest rates. United States is the largest economy in the world. US economy is the key factor in determining the global currency market sentiment. US economic growth figures affect the major currency pairs like EUR/USD, GBP/USD, CHF/USD and JPY/USD.

A strong economic expansion coupled with a healthy labor market tends to boost consumer spending in the country. Good economic growth means low unemployment. Low unemployment means jobs for the people. It helps in selling the stuff produced by the local companies and businesses.

A country with a strong economy is in a better position to attract foreign investors. Foreign investment flowing into the country increases the demand for that currency. This increased demand causes that currency to appreciate against other currencies.

How do you measure the economy of a country? Some of the most important indicators of a country economic growth are: 1) Gross Domestic Product (GDP). 2) The unemployment rate and 3) The trade balance. Lets discuss these three economic indicators.

GDP: GDP measures the total good and services that are produced in a particular country in a one year. Actually we will be usually talking about the GDP growth rate whether the economy is expanding or contracting. A healthy GDP growth rate figure usually adds a bullish sentiment to the currency of that country especially if it exceeds the market expectations. Always remember the markets react violently to surprises.

Unemployment Rate: The unemployment rate data reports the state of the labor market in the country. A low unemployment rate is considered to be a positive for the countrys economy and its currency. A low unemployment rate means almost all the consumers have jobs and they are willing to spend more. The more the consumer spends, the more the companies and businesses in the country sell. This generates more output and further expands the economy.

Trade Balance: Current account balance is very important for measuring the health of a particular economy. If a country exports more than it imports, the trade balance is in surplus. If the imports are more than the exports, the country will end up with a trade deficit. Trade Balance is the net exports in short. This is another widely watched economic indicator in fundamental analysis. Current account deficit must be balanced by the capital account surplus otherwise a balance of payment problem will ensue. Trade deficits are not good.

Suppose US import more from Europe. US Dollar will have to be sold in order to buy Euros to pay for those imports. This selling pressure on US Dollar will result in the depreciation of the US Dollar relative to the Euro and other currencies. The opposite is true in case of a trade surplus. US Dollar will strengthen and appreciate relative to Euro if US exports more to Europe as compared to its imports.

Geopolitical risk is also very important and can cause the currency of a country to move up or down relative to other currencies. Geopolitical risk refers to the risk of a countrys foreign or domestic policy affecting domestic social and political stability in another country or the region.

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