Currency market update

The week was tough for risky assets due to the outbreak of coronavirus. Let’s see which currency pairs showed the best and the worst performance.

The best-performers

Among the best-performing pairs this week we need to highlight the exotic currency pairs, including USD/ZAR, USD/BRL, and USD/RUB. All these pairs gained a lot during the week amid the outbreak of coronavirus, which provoked the outflow of the capital from the riskier assets.

If we look at the weekly chart of USD/BRL, we can see that the pair tested the highs of last November near the 4.3 level. The next week will show us whether the asset is going to renew its high. On the downside, we recommend paying attention to the 4.0509 level.

The award of the best-performing major currency pair goes to GBP/USD, which managed to stick above the 200-week MA in anticipation of the big Brexit day. Now, further key levels in bulls’ focus will lie at 1.3260-1.3380. If bears take over the market, the pair will slide below 1.2977. The next support will lie at 1.2860.

The worst-performers

It’s not a surprise that the risk-off sentiment weakened some of the pairs. The biggest moves to the downside were by NZD/USD and AUD/USD. Both pairs were, of course, hurt by the outbreak of the virus. Plus, the Australian dollar got weaker in anticipation of the rate cut by the RBA.

At first, let’s have a look at AUD/USD. On the weekly chart, the pair weakened significantly during the last week and reached the lows of the last July at 0.6677. The next support will be placed at 0.6430. On the upside, we need to pay attention to the 0.6898 level (50-week MA). If it is broken, the further rise will be limited by the trendline and the 0.7 level.

On the chart of NZD/USD, we can see that the pair was down by 119 pips within a week, targeting the support at 0.6425. The next support for the pair is placed at 0.6280. Bulls need to push the pair back to the 0.6695 level to take back their positions.

The inflow into the safe-haven assets pulled USD/CHF lower against the previous week, as the pair nearly retested the lows at 0.9615. A key level from the upside is situated at 0.9760. By the way, this pair was also one of the most volatile assets during the previous week.