The
drop in oil prices has pushed the commodity currencies lower today. Not only have we seen a drop in crude
prices but natural gas prices are also down a whopping 8 percent due to the
warmer weather, which has sent USD/CAD to 8 month highs.
The
Australian dollar has also
shrugged off reports of solid holiday sales and has instead fallen victim to
overall U.S. dollar strength. The New
Zealand dollar is the only commodity currency
that is able to remain steady thanks to strong carry trade demand. In fact, the NZD/JPY is one the day’s,
if not the month’s best performing currency pairs. As long as Japanese data continues to
give the Bank of Japan little reason to move interest rates, there could still
be demand for carry trades.
Meanwhile there is nothing on the Canadian, Australian and New
Zealand economic calendars until the New Year,
which means that trading in those pairs will be completely dictated by the
fluctuations in the US
dollar.