By CountingPips.com
The U.S. Dollar has been mixed in forex trading today against most of the major currencies on a limited news day. The commodity currencies have been supported while the European currencies have fallen slightly versus the dollar in 
today’s trading action.
The dollar has lost ground against the Canadian dollar, Australian dollar, New Zealand dollar and the Japanese yen today while the American currency has edged slightly higher versus the euro, British pound and the Swiss franc, according currency data by Oanda.
The EUR/USD currency pair is currently lower by about 20 pips after opening the day (00:00GMT) at the 1.3619 exchange rate and has settled into trading near the 1.3600 level. The EUR/USD had fallen to an intraday low at 1.3537 before reversing direction.
The US stock markets have had a winning session today with the Dow gaining by approximately 40 points, the Nasdaq increasing over 14 points and the S&P 500 up by over 5 points. Oil has edged lower to $81.49 while gold is unchange at $1,123.60 per ounce.
Economic news releases today showed that Japan’s leading index increased in January to a 97.1 score from a 94.3 reading in December. This beat market forecasts expecting a score of around 96.6. Out of Europe, Switzerland’s consumer price index edged up by 0.1 percent in February after a 0.1 percent decline in January, according to the Switzerland Federal Statistics Office. On an annual basis, the February cpi increased by 0.9 percent over the February 2009 level.
The United Kingdom’s total trade deficit increased more than expected in January, according to data from National Statistics. The U.K. deficit in goods and services reached £3.8 billion in January following a deficit of £2.6 billion in December. This surpassed market forecasts looking for a deficit of approximately £3.0 billion. Exports, excluding oil and other volatile items, decreased by 6.0 percent in January while imports declined by 1.2 percent. The January trade deficit marked the largest since August 2008 for the U.K.
AUD/USD Chart – The Australian dollar has resumed its recent ascension versus the dollar in trading as the AUD/USD pair bounced off the rising trendline today to reach above the 0.9100 exchange rate today. The AUD/USD has now climbed over 300 pips since February 25th when the pair touched a 0.8800 lowpoint.
