Market Analysis
USDZAR weekly recap: rand firms as dollar sheds 0.7% into 2026-08-03
USDZAR opened at 16.4544 and closed at 16.3395, a fall of roughly 115 pips as the rand strengthened through the week.
3 min readETHUSD opened the week at 1881.65 and closed at 1898.19, a net gain of about 16.54 points or roughly 0.88%. The weekly high printed at 1924.89 on Wednesday, and the weekly low came early at 1825.21 on Monday. The range spanned just under 100 points, and price finished in the upper third of that band.
The early-week dip to 1825.21 flipped fast. By Wednesday ETHUSD ran to 1924.89 before easing back, and the recovery lined up with a broader dollar theme in the tape. The InvestingLive Asia-Pacific wrap for 6 August flagged the dollar moving higher with yields ahead of the US jobs report, which capped the crypto bid into Thursday and Friday.
The PBOC also set the yuan reference rate weaker than the Reuters estimate that morning. A softer yuan fix feeds dollar strength across the board, and that pressure showed up as ETHUSD stalled below 1900 into the close rather than pushing on toward the weekly high.
The bundle carries no scheduled high-impact economic events for the coming week. That leaves price action driven by dollar direction and the follow-through from the US jobs report referenced late in the closing week. If the dollar extends its bid, ETHUSD tends to see the crypto rally lose steam and rotate back toward the mid-range. If the dollar softens, the path back toward the weekly high opens up and the Wednesday peak comes into focus again.
Client positioning sits at 62.1% long against 37.9% short. That is a clear lean toward the long side. A crowded long book means consensus already expects continuation higher, and it also means there is fuel for a sharper unwind if support gives way, since positioned longs become sellers on a break.
The weekly high at 1924.89 is the first ceiling. If price closes above it, the round 1950 area is the next obvious reference. On the downside, the Friday close at 1898.19 and the round 1900 level frame the near-term pivot. If price loses that zone, the Monday low at 1825.21 is back in play. Bitcoin often sets the tone for these moves, so watch Bitcoin for confirmation before ETHUSD commits either way. If you want to track these levels live, you can follow ETHUSD on our LHFX platform.
Byline: LHFX Research
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