Weekly Financial Market Recap

1) USD: Sharp swings in a headline-driven environment

The USD remained the central variable in the Forex market throughout the week. Its intraday moves were mainly driven by:

• Frequently shifting interest rate expectations, as markets reacted strongly to each policy-related comment and data release.

• Alternating risk sentiment, moving between defensive positioning and temporary rebalancing, preventing USD from sustaining one-directional momentum.

• A lack of strong catalysts, causing many breakout attempts to fail without follow-through.

As a result, the USD traded within broad ranges, increasing the likelihood of stop-loss sweeps across major currency pairs.

2) Forex: High volatility, limited trend clarity

EURUSD & GBPUSD

The two major European currency pairs primarily reacted to USD fluctuations:

• Rallies and pullbacks occurred quickly but lacked durability.

• Early breakout attempts often failed without clear confirmation.

➡️ This environment favors range-based trading strategies, with limited expectations for extended trends.

USDJPY

USDJPY was the most volatile pair of the week, influenced by opposing forces from USD movements and defensive flows into the Japanese yen.

➡️ Stop-hunt risk remained elevated, making it unsuitable for emotion-driven trading.

AUDUSD / NZDUSD

Risk-sensitive currencies traded cautiously:

• When defensive sentiment increased, AUD and NZD came under pressure.

• When markets stabilized, rebounds were fast but lacked reliability.

3) Gold: The standout performer of the week

Gold remained firmly supported at elevated levels and posted new highs at various points, clearly reflecting the dominance of safe-haven flows.

Key factors supporting gold during the week included:

• Unresolved geopolitical and macroeconomic risks.

• An uncertain monetary policy outlook, which weakened short-term confidence in fiat currencies.

• Sustained long-term inflows, particularly from central banks and institutional investors.

Gold continued to act as a barometer of market sentiment, indirectly influencing USD dynamics and the broader FX market.

4) Trader perspective: A “difficult trading” week rather than a trending one

The past week proved challenging for trend-following strategies due to:

• Large price swings without follow-through.

• A high frequency of false breakouts and intraday reversals.

• Dense headline flow that distorted price structure.

Preferred strategies for the week ahead:

• Trade based on clear scenarios, focusing on key support and resistance levels.

• Reduce position size and strengthen risk management discipline.

• Closely monitor gold to assess the degree of defensive sentiment in the market.

Conclusion

The past week saw significant USD volatility without clear trend formation, while gold continued to lead defensive capital flows. The Forex market remains highly sensitive to news, with elevated noise risk.

Key message for traders:
This is a phase that calls for discipline, selective trading, and avoiding trend-based “bets” until the market provides clearer directional signals.

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