The Greenback

Greenback Relinquishes Gains on Oil
by Korman Tam
7/30/2008 3:20:00 PM
The dollar backed away from its gains versus the majors by afternoon New York trading, relinquishing a five-week high against the euro at 1.5523 to fall back near the 1.56-handle. The greenback initially received a boost from the better-than-expected ADP private sector payrolls report but later succumbed to a combination of profit taking ahead of key US economic reports starting tomorrow and a $4.58 rebound in oil to $126.71 per barrel.

The ADP private sector payrolls defied consensus estimates for a loss of 60k jobs in July, following a 79k loss a month earlier, instead increasing by 9k jobs. Traders quickly rewarded the dollar following another bout of upbeat economic data, reacting in similar fashion to yesterday's better-than-forecast consumer confidence survey. However, the euphoria was short-lived as oil extended its rally and markets shift focus to several potentially dollar negative reports in the remainder of the week.

The US reports scheduled for release tomorrow include the advanced reading for Q2 GDP, weekly jobless claims, July NY NAPM manufacturing and the July Chicago PMI. The advanced reading for GDP in Q2 is seen improving to 2.0% from 1.0% in the previous quarter. The Chicago PMI reading is seen remaining beneath the key 50-level for the 6th consecutive month, expected to decline to 49.0 from 49.6 and highlighting continued weakness in the US manufacturing sector. Although the report has been steadily improving since hitting a 7-year low in February at 44.5, it has remain mired in contraction territory for six months and is seen slipping lower from the previous month.