FX Daily — 2026-08-18

FX daily report for reference date 2026-08-18. Covers 11 instruments with daily price action, momentum (RSI), volatility (ATR), 52-week range position, positioning, and the central-bank decision horizon. Facts only — reporting, not advice.

CROSS-PAIR SNAPSHOT (as of 2026-08-18, config order)
closeday %RSI (pct)52wk20d ret (pct)pos net%OI (band)
EUR/USD1.15828+0.08%62.9 (86th)36.9%+1.44% (74th)-7.6% (3% of range)
GBP/USD1.35503+0.03%62.5 (86th)64.5%+0.88% (64th)+15.9% (62% of range)
USD/JPY159.34+0.07%43.0 (25th)73.9%-1.94% (21st)-13.5% (45% of range)
USD/CHF0.81058-0.26%50.6 (55th)82.8%+0.07% (53rd)-10.4% (49% of range)
AUD/USD0.71082+0.33%65.0 (90th)80.2%+1.53% (70th)+18.2% (82% of range)
USD/CAD1.38697-0.02%29.5 (4th)50.5%-1.43% (24th)-25.3% (26% of range)
NZD/USD0.59059+0.26%62.0 (83rd)63.2%+0.91% (61st)-34.6% (0% of range)
EUR/GBP0.85477+0.05%47.1 (42nd)20.1%+0.58% (65th)+0.4% (97% of range)
EUR/HUF363.237+0.32%56.4 (71st)28.9%+0.53% (62nd)
USD/HUF313.785+0.28%48.9 (48th)29.3%-0.96% (39th)
GBP/HUF425.24+0.35%56.4 (70th)37.8%-0.05% (48th)
NOTABLE TODAY  (most extreme vs each pair's own history; surprise = how far the reading sits from the pair's own median, 0–100 [0 = at median, 100 = an own-history extreme; = 2×|percentile − 50|] — symmetric, so a deep-oversold reading scores as high as a deep-overbought one — a magnitude, not a trading signal)
  NZD/USD  positioning net%OI -34.6%    (near bottom of own 137w range (band bottoms at -34.6%)) · surprise 100
  EUR/GBP  20d vol 0.147% daily         (0th pct, since 1999 (7164 obs)) · surprise 100
  EUR/USD  positioning net%OI -7.6%     (near bottom of own 137w range (band bottoms at -8.0%)) · surprise  94
  USD/CAD  20d vol 0.228% daily         (4th pct, since 2003 (5938 obs)) · surprise  92
market risk (VIX)  (as of 2026-08-17)
  level       15.19
  change      +0.94  (+6.6%)  (prior 2026-08-14)
  1yr range   13.47 … 31.05 (252d)
  1yr pctile  13th pctile (252d lookback)
dollar index (DXY)  (as of 2026-08-18)  (index close is async vs the pairs' UTC snapshot; daily change may not reconcile with the pairs below)
  level       99.650
  change      +0.010  (+0.01%)  (prior 2026-08-17)
  1yr range   96.220 … 101.610 (252d)
  1yr pctile  73rd pctile (252d lookback)
  200d MA     99.197   price above by +0.46%
DOLLAR CROWDING  (weekly-return correlation to DXY, 26w; how much of the book is one dollar trade — async daily closes cap the magnitude)
  6 of 11 pairs correlate |≥ 0.60| to DXY this week
  EUR/USD  -0.83
  GBP/USD  -0.75
  NZD/USD  -0.75
  USD/CHF  +0.70
  USD/HUF  +0.68
  USD/JPY  +0.67
  EUR/HUF  +0.51
  AUD/USD  -0.47
  GBP/HUF  +0.45
  USD/CAD  +0.40
  EUR/GBP  -0.05
equity market (S&P 500)  (as of 2026-08-17)
  level       7745.06
  change      -40.70  (-0.52%)  (prior 2026-08-14)
  1yr range   6343.72 … 7798.99 (252d)
  1yr pctile  98th pctile (252d lookback)
  200d MA     7079.17   price above by +9.41%
=== CENTRAL BANK HORIZON (for pairs at historical extremes) ===
  (days remaining from reference date 2026-08-18)
  >> BoC   2026-09-02  (15 days)   · cross-link: USD/CAD (20d vol 4th pct)
  >> RBNZ  2026-09-02  (15 days)   · cross-link: NZD/USD (positioning net%OI near bottom of own 137w range (band bottoms at -34.6%))
  >> ECB   2026-09-10  (23 days)   · cross-link: EUR/USD (positioning net%OI near bottom of own 137w range (band bottoms at -8.0%)), EUR/GBP (20d vol 0th pct)
  >> Fed   2026-09-16  (29 days)   · cross-link: EUR/USD (positioning net%OI near bottom of own 137w range (band bottoms at -8.0%)), USD/CAD (20d vol 4th pct), NZD/USD (positioning net%OI near bottom of own 137w range (band bottoms at -34.6%))
  >> BoE   2026-09-17  (30 days)   · cross-link: EUR/GBP (20d vol 0th pct)