The Dollar gained against several of it major currency pairs, such as the EUR currency cross in early trading yesterday. However, those gains were quickly eroded as a glut of poor economic data from the U.S. helped to drive the pair back to its opening price level. The market absorbed less than stellar economic reports from the U.S. economy. Poor production data, lower housing numbers, and an increase in new unemployment claims took the energy from the EUR bulls and sapped the earlier gains from the EUR/USD. The pair began the day at 1.2716 and rose to a high of 1.2809. The USD closed up vs. the EUR by only 2 pips at 1.2732. The release of more poor performing data from the U.S. helped to sap the added risk taking in the forex market and the currency pair ended the day near its opening price.

Against the Dollars other currency crosses, however, it lost some ground. The Dollar closed down 25 pips vs. the JPY at 97.58, reversing 3 days of gains. This may have been due to better-than-expected economic figures released from Japan. The GBP/USD made a slight correction in yesterday’s trading, as the Pound closed up 52 pips on the Dollar to 1.4297, making some amends for the previous days 300 pip decline against the greenback.

It should be taken into account that the market largely didn’t react overly negatively to President Barack Obama’s announcement that the U.S. government will run a $1.75 trillion budget deficit. This amounts to roughly 12% of U.S. GDP. The reason for this may be that traders still have confidence in the new president. However, if Obama fails to help kick-start the American economy after 6 months, then traders are likely to realize that Obama’s talk is substance, and not addition. This may on effect lead to a bearish Dollar in the medium-long term.

Later today, there are several important economic data releases coming out of the U.S. The most important of these publications is the Prelim quarterly GDP figures at 13:30 GMT. Analysts have forecasted that the U.S. economy is contracting by 5.4%. Combine this and further long term pressures of such a large budget deficit and we could see the Dollar depreciate against the EUR, perhaps to the 1.2800 level. However, if the results turn out to be better-than-expected, then the EUR/USD pair may reach 1.2650 by late trading.