U S Dollar Stuck Just Below 88.50

The US Dollar has been on an amazing bullish tear higher with the currency being the beneficiary of a roaring stock market and the sentiment that if any industrialized nation in the globe is going to raise interest rates, the US will be the first to do so.

The currency has rallied more than 10% since early May of this year, a pretty impressive feat no matter how some keep trying to dismiss it. As it has rallied, gold has moved lower, creating a very good inverse relationships that the market has been comfortable with.

The Dollar however is running into some selling resistance noted at the uppermost resistance level noted on the chart just shy of the 88.50 level.

Can you see the stair-stepping pattern that has been forming on the chart? During the initial phase of the current bull market in the Dollar, the currency displayed some resiliency near 79.50 - 79.00 that sparked some buying among technicians who noted the bottoming action. When it broke out above resistance near 81.50, instead of setting back somewhat as many markets are prone to do as they digest their gains, the Dollar merely tracked sideways for a very brief period before it rocketed higher supported by overwhelmingly strong fundamentals.

It then stalled out near 84.50 where it consolidated a bit further before embarking on yet another leg higher. That rally took it all the way to just short of 87. The greenback set back and retreated all the way to the former resistance zone which served as downside support.

From there it encountered another wave of buying which took it all the way back up to 87, which it obliterated, soaring to its recent high near the 88.50 level, where it is currently consolidating some more.

As chart technicians, we are now watching to see whether this is just another pause in the relentless move higher in the greenback or the beginning of a deeper move lower. Thus far, the available evidence points to this as merely another pause. However we need to stay vigilant as always.

The fundamentals that have driven the Dollar higher against the majors are still in place. the current "Long Dollar" trade has gotten a bit crowded with specs heavily net long. Perhaps some of what we are seeing today in the Forex markets is some correcting of that imbalance. For now, as long as the Dollar remains above 87.00 on a closing basis, it looks like the pause that refreshes.

Time will tell...let's see what we get next week....