The USD/ZAR surged to a high of around 18.22184 early this morning as USD centric strength shook the global Forex market when reports circulated President-elect Trump is intent on a tariff strategy.
- Early trading today in the USD/ZAR saw the currency pair nervously climb to a mark around the 18.22184 vicinity.
- A flash of news late last night from the U.S made it clear that President-elect Trump is going to pursue a tough negotiation stance with China and Mexico regarding tariffs.
- And the question speculators of the USD/ZAR should be asking is what this has to do with South Africa? On the surface it doesn’t have much to do with South Africa or the Rand.
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Perhaps there would be knock on effects from a tough stance with China and Mexico for South Africa, but the move higher this morning in the USD/ZAR in many ways represents the power of nervous behavioral sentiment in Forex. The high in the currency pair seen early this morning did touch values seen on Monday of last week, but the values demonstrated this morning did not challenge the highs from the 14th of November when the 18.36000 level came into sight.
Reversal Lower After Early Highs this Morning
The USD/ZAR is trading near the 18.13655 ratio as of this writing with lightning changes. Fluctuations are likely to remain fast and the spread wide today. Speculators also need to remember this Thursday is a major holiday in the U.S and banking will be shuttered. Volumes in global Forex will start to lessen tomorrow and this will open the door to moments of calm punctuated with sudden storms. However, this morning’s lesson for day traders is that volatility still is being filtered into Forex as financial institutions deal with the incoming White House administration.
President-elect Trump will not do things quietly, his history shows us this and financial institutions at some juncture will have to get used to the notion of sudden surprises. However, this morning’s tariff news should not have surprised them, the talk is a starting point. And as for the USD/ZAR it should only amount to a sideshow and not the real story for the currency pair in terms of value. The ability of the USD/ZAR to trade lower after the news should have been expected.
Support Levels Near-Term and the USD/ZAR
The USD/ZAR did trade below the 18.00000 level on Friday and yesterday. The currency pair appears to be overbought. Yes, there is plenty of nervousness in Forex and this may persist today and tomorrow. The lack of volume in the markets will not help either.
- However, speculators who have a taste for adventure may be willing to speculate on slightly lower moves in the USD/ZAR using quick hitting take profit orders that are not overly ambitious.
- The USD/ZAR is likely to remain choppy in the coming hours, but there may be room for a slight downturn to develop.
USD/ZAR Short Term Outlook:
Current Resistance: 18.14100
Current Support: 18.12300
High Target: 18.17560
Low Target: 18.07900
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