Business activity in the US non-manufacturing sector fell last month but remained in the expansion territory for the 89th straight month. The Institute for Supply Management reported on Monday that its PMI for the US services sector dropped to 56.9 in May from the prior month's 57.5, whereas analysts anticipated a slighter decrease to 57.1 points during the reported month. The ISM said that 17 non-manufacturing industries reported growth last month. The New Orders Index fell to 57,7 from April's 63.2, whereas the Prices Index declined to 49.2 in May from 57.6, marking the first drop in 13 months.
Meanwhile, the Employment Index surged to 57.8 from the preceding month's 51.4, surprising markets after the weak NFP Report released last week. Analysts said that growth in the non-manufacturing sector remained solid despite May's drop, as the growth rate and the Employment Index remained high. Moreover, 15 industries reported employment growth, while just one posted an employment fall. The following employment figures suggested that weak slow job creation in the private sector would be temporary.
Uneventful Tuesday
USD/JPY breaches triangle's support
A set of weak US fundamental data yesterday caused the USD/JPY pair to undergo another decline, with the two-week support line failing to hold the losses early morning today. The 109.00 level is now exposed, with the only significant support on the Greenback's path being the monthly S1 at 109.22. However, the lower Bollinger band might also be a sufficient interim support, which could help the Buck remain afloat, but technical studies are unable to confirm that, as the daily signals are still distinctly bearish. A close in the red zone today would imply the end of the triangle pattern, while a recovery from the intraday low would mean the pattern's apex is yet to be reached. A recovery is doubtful, as there are no certain market movers present today.Hourly chart
Traders' sentiment remains neutral, with 51% of all open positions are short and the other 49% are long. Meanwhile, there are 58% of all pending orders set to purchase the Greenback.
At the moment, 60% of OANDA clients are long the US Dollar against the Yen, while the remaining 40% are short. In addition, Saxo Bank clients' sentiment slightly improved over the weekend, as 60% of their open positions are now long.
Spreads (avg, pip) / Trading volume / Volatility
Traders are becoming increasingly bullish on the Dollar