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investingLive Americas FX news wrap 10 Jul

  • Canada June employment report shows +18.2K jobs vs +10K expected
  • Baker Hughes total rig count +1 at 580
  • Fed report to Congress sees 'stepped up' inflation in the spring
  • Canada building permits for May -1.7% versus 2.4% estimate
  • Only one thing has driven FX markets this year - Deutche Bank

Markets:

  • Gold down $9 to $4112
  • WTI crude oil down 51-cents to $71.57
  • US 10-year yields up 2 bps to 4.56%
  • JPY leads, EUR lags
  • S&P 500 up 0.4%
  • Nasdaq up 0.3%
  • Russell 2000 down 0.5%

It was another strong day in the stock market as the SK Hylix US debut led to some positive commetnary on chip demand, with the company saying the peak will be in 2027 but demand will remain high through 2030.  Meta was also a big winner, up 6%, on yesterday's release of a new model and some positive commentary from CEO Zuckerberg about data center economics. 

The Canadian dollar got a brief lift from a solid employment report but after falling to 1.4120, USD/CAD rebounded to 1.4157 on broad USD strength. 

Despite the dollar strength, gold bounced late in the session and finished down just $9.

Oil bounced around on conflicting headlines about the Iran war but there will be a meeting between the US, Iran and mediators on the weekend as they look to get talks back on track. Refining cracks are getting increasing attention as Russian capacity continues to be hit by Ukraine and Hormuz activity remains light. There is still a strong underlying sense in the market that Trump won't do anything to derail the stock market rally.

Elsewhere in FX, USD/JPY fell 65 pips and by a peak of more than a full cent. Increasing indication of desperation and a strong hand against yen weakness are finally weighing but it's looking to be a tough battle. Even on the modest weakness today, there were solid bids in two tests of 161.25.

Have a great weekend.



This article was written by flc97fe4880a4b454993821fe0b770a597 at investinglive.com.

Options Brief - Calm on top, nervous underneath - 1 July 2026

The S&P 500 closed out its best quarter since 2020 and the VIX dropped to 16.45, but SKEW quietly climbed to its highest level in sessions and correlation kept falling. With a dense data cluster today and a holiday-adjusted payrolls report on Thursday, the brief explains what the options market is actually pricing beneath the calm.

MARKET REGIME: LOW-VOL BULL  |  VIX 16.9  |  TERM STRUCTURE: CONTANGO  |  SKEW: ELEVATED (149.6)  |  FRONT-MONTH VIX FUTURES: 18.10

  • SKEW climbed to 149.60 (+3.56%) even as the VIX fell 6.80% to 16.45 on Tuesday. The tail risk versus spot vol divergence has now widened for a third straight session.
  • Term structure stayed in firm contango, VIX1D 11.61 out to VIX3M 19.00, with front-month VIX futures at 18.10, above spot, pricing in more volatility later than now.
  • Correlation (COR3M) dropped 13.03% to 7.81 as SMH (+3.78%) and XLK (+2.76%) ran well ahead of the 0.8% S&P 500 advance, a dispersion setup rather than a broad based rally.

Headline driver

Equities capped a record setting quarter on Tuesday, but SKEW and MOVE ticked higher into Thursday's holiday adjusted expiry as USDJPY hit a fresh high last seen in the 1980s. Full macro rundown in Saxo's Market Quick Take, 1 July 2026.

Market snapshot, Tuesday 30 June 2026 close

S&P 500: 7,499.36 (+0.8%), its best quarterly gain since 2020. Nasdaq 100: +1.7% as chipmakers extended their advance, SMH +3.78%, XLK +2.76%. Europe hit fresh records too: Stoxx 600 641.73 (+0.9%), DAX 24,995.81 (+1.5%). USDJPY pushed to a new high last seen in the 1980s, trading near 162.84 (source: Saxo Market Quick Take, SaxoTrader, 1 July 2026).

Market regime (rules based read): Low-volatility bull, VIX 16.9, 20-day realised vol 17.3% (rising), S&P 500 +1.63% above its 50-day moving average.

Volatility surface, 1 July 2026, approx. 06:00 CET

VIX term structure

  • VIX (30-day): 16.45 (-6.80%). Closed Tuesday at its lowest level in weeks as the quarter-end rally ran.
  • VIX1D: 11.61 (-14.38%). Pricing today's session as unusually quiet, well below the 20-day realised vol of 17.3%.
  • VIX9D: 13.73 (-11.48%). The near-dated window covering today's data cluster and Thursday's holiday-adjusted NFP has not built much event premium yet.
  • VIX3M: 19.00 (-2.71%), VIX6M: 21.50, VIX1Y: 23.03. A steady upward sloping curve, normal contango beyond the immediate session.

VIX futures

  • Front-month VIX futures: 18.10. Second-month: 19.00. Both trade above spot VIX (16.45), consistent with a calendar that carries the holiday-adjusted NFP and a data-dense session ahead.

Skew and correlation

  • CBOE SKEW: 149.60 (+3.56%). Its highest read across the past several sessions, rising while spot VIX fell, the defining split of the day.
  • COR3M: 7.81 (-13.03%). Near cycle lows. Chip and software names are running well ahead of the broader tape rather than the market moving as one block.
  • DSPX: 44.44 (+0.70%). Elevated dispersion, consistent with the wide return spread between the strongest and weakest sectors this week.

Other vol measures

  • VVIX: 86.87 (-2.07%). Vol of vol relative to VIX sits at 5.28 (+5.07%), showing hedgers still paying up for protection even as spot vol compresses.
  • VXN: 27.11 (-7.69%), VXD: 14.34 (-5.66%), RVX: 21.72 (-6.54%). Single-index vol measures eased across the board alongside the broad advance.
  • MOVE: 71.96 (+5.60%). Bond market vol rose after Tuesday's late session Treasury sell-off, a rates signal that has not fully resolved.

Options flow sentiment, where did the positioning go?

Based on end-of-day 30 June 2026, yesterday's positioning, not today's price action.

  • Single-name flow was quiet into quarter-end. Financials stood out as the one clean bullish signal, with call buying concentrated in XLF and Citigroup, while Mag7, semis and crypto names read unclear once mid-market prints and two-sided flow were stripped out, leaving dealers close to flat.
  • Index and ETF flow told the same structural story, from packaged SPXW call-put pairs to TLT call accumulation and gold and silver premium selling, consistent with book squaring around quarter-end rather than fresh portfolio conviction.

What to watch today: Eurozone flash CPI, US ADP employment and Fed Chair Warsh's remarks at the ECB's Sintra event, and US ISM Manufacturing, all ahead of Thursday's holiday-adjusted payrolls report and Friday's Independence Day close. A calm open that fades quietly through this cluster would confirm yesterday's positioning read; a sharp reaction would suggest the market underpriced the data density.

Options angle, calm on top, nervous underneath

VIX1D at 11.61 and firm contango out to VIX3M at 19.00 tell today's story: the near-term is priced for calm, and futures above spot confirm the market expects more volatility later than now. In our view the more interesting signal sits beneath that calm. SKEW at 149.60, its highest read across the past several sessions, is rising at the same time spot vol is falling, and that combination usually means hedgers are paying up for downside protection even while the tape looks quiet.

What the market is pricing

  • Session calm implied. VIX1D at 11.61, down 14.38%, prices an unusually quiet open even as SKEW pushes higher. The market expects a calm tape today while still carrying rising tail risk premium underneath it.
  • Event implied range. SPX options imply roughly 59 points, or 0.78%, through Thursday's holiday-adjusted weekly expiry, a range of about 7,435 to 7,553 around the 7,494 level that has to absorb ADP, Warsh's Sintra remarks and ISM Manufacturing.
  • Tail risk signal. SKEW at 149.60 sits alongside VVIX relative to VIX at 5.28, up 5.07%. Hedgers are still paying up for downside protection even as spot vol compresses, a market priced for calm but hedged for shock.
  • Correlation read. COR3M fell 13.03% to 7.81 and the Cboe dispersion index held near 44.44, while SMH and XLK ran far ahead of the equal-weight S&P 500, a pattern that has held since the chip-led rebound and puts sector and single-stock selection ahead of the index itself.

Conclusion

In our read, contango and a soft VIX1D argue for a range-bound tape through the ADP, ISM and Warsh cluster, but rising SKEW and falling correlation say the market is not fully convinced by its own calm. Into a compressed, holiday-thinned week, that combination rewards staying inside the priced range while respecting the tail risk still showing up underneath it.

Important note: The strategies and examples provided in this article are purely for educational purposes. They are intended to assist in shaping your thought process and should not be replicated or implemented without careful consideration. Every investor or trader must conduct their own due diligence and take into account their unique financial situation, risk tolerance, and investment objectives before making any decisions. Remember, investing in the stock market carries risk, and it's crucial to make informed decisions.

This content is marketing material and should not be regarded as investment advice. Trading financial instruments carries risks and historic performance is not a guarantee of future results. The Author is permitted to wait at least 24 hours from the time of the publication before they trade the instruments themselves. The instrument(s) referenced in this content may be issued by a partner, from whom Saxo receives promotional fees, payment or retrocessions. While Saxo may receive compensation from these partnerships, all content is created with the aim of providing clients with valuable information and options. This content will not be changed or subject to review after publication.
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US 500 forecast: the index enters a sideways channel

The US 500 index is forming a sideways channel following a correction. The US 500 forecast for today is positive.

US 500 forecast: key takeaways

  • Recent data: US GDP grew by 2.1% in Q1 2026
  • Market impact: this data has a moderately positive impact on the stock market

US 500 fundamental analysis

Stronger-than-expected US GDP data may be interpreted by the market as a signal that the US economy remains more resilient. Growth of 2.1%, compared to the forecast of 1.6% and the previous reading of 0.5%, indicates a notable acceleration in economic activity. For the US 500 index, such data is generally moderately positive, as strong GDP means corporate revenue and earnings may remain stable, while the risk of a sharp economic slowdown declines.

The US 500 index reaction will not necessarily be clearly positive. Robust macroeconomic data may fuel expectations that the US Federal Reserve will take a more cautious approach to interest rate cuts or maintain a tight monetary stance for longer than the market previously expected. This is an important factor for stocks, as higher rates reduce the appeal of highly valued companies and increase borrowing costs for businesses. Therefore, the initial market reaction may be mixed: on the one hand, investors receive confirmation of economic strength; on the other hand, the risk of a longer period of high borrowing costs increases.

US GDP growth rate: https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/gdp-growth

US 500 technical analysis

The US 500 index has completed its correction, but growth has not resumed, and the likelihood of a sideways channel forming is increasing. The resistance level is located at 7,595.0, with the key support level at 7,255.0. If the trend continues, the nearest upside target could be 7,720.0.

The US 500 price forecast outlines the following scenarios:

  • Pessimistic US 500 forecast: a breakout below the 7,255.0 support level could send the index down to 7,115.0
  • Optimistic US 500 forecast: a breakout above the 7,595.0 resistance level could boost the index up to 7,720.0
US 500 technical analysis for 30 June 2026

Summary

The publication showing stronger US GDP growth is favourable for assessing the state of the economy and may support the US 500 in the medium term. However, the short-term reaction will depend on how the market revises expectations for Federal Reserve rates. If investors conclude that the economy is growing without a significant increase in inflation, the US 500 index may receive additional support. If the data is interpreted as a reason for tighter Fed policy, index growth could be limited, and some overvalued sectors may face profit-taking. From a technical perspective, the US 500 index could rise to 7,720.0.

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