- EUR/USD bounces back from intraday low around 1.0830 as the US Dollar retreats.
- Fed policymakers see one good inflation report as insufficient to change the trend.
- ECB’s Schnabel also highlighted risks from premature interest-rate cuts.
EUR/USD recovers from 1.0830 in Friday’s American session as market sentiment over upcoming interest-rate cuts improves despite Federal Reserve (Fed) policymakers supporting keeping the monetary policy stance restrictive for a longer period. Earlier, these comments helped the US Dollar lick its wounds after the sharp fall induced by the decline in the United States (US) inflation in April, as shown by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released on Wednesday. But the US Dollar has now fallen back on firm speculation that the Fed will start reducing interest rates from the September meeting.
The corrective move in the major currency pair seems purely the outcome of the US Dollar’s recovery. However, the appeal for the Euro also remains upbeat as European Central Bank (ECB) policymakers are also casting doubts over the need to extend the rate-cut cycle immediately after a widely anticipated June rate cut.
In the early London session, ECB Board member Isabel Schnabel said the path beyond the June rate cut is uncertain. Schnabel added recent inflation data suggested that the last mile in the disinflation process is the most difficult, adding that she remained cautious about upside risks to inflation that could arise from premature rate cuts.
Daily digest market movers: EUR/USD rebounds as US Dollar retreats
- EUR/USD rebounds to 1.0870 as the US Dollar falls back after failing to hold the recovery move. The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, retreats from the intraday high of 104.60.
- The USD Index fails to hold recovery despite a slew of Federal Reserve (Fed) policymakers emphasizing the need to keep interest rates at their current levels for a longer period on Thursday. Fed policymakers seem to keep a broadly hawkish stance on the interest-rate outlook, stating that one good US inflation data after a series of disappointments could not turn the table to rate cuts.
- On Thursday, New York Fed Bank President John Williams said the monetary policy is restrictive and is in a good place. He doesn’t see any economic indicator suggesting the need to change the stance of monetary policy now. When asked about the inflation outlook, Williams said: “In the very near term, I don’t expect to get that greater confidence that we need to see on inflation progress towards a 2% goal,” Reuters reported.
- While markets aren’t yet fully convinced that the US is back on the disinflation path, there are increasing concerns that the US labor market is losing its strength, which could keep firm odds for rate cuts in the September meeting intact. The uncertainty about US job market strength has escalated due to rising weekly Initial Jobless Claims.
- The US Department of Labor reported on Thursday that individuals claiming jobless benefits for the first time for the week ending May 10 rose to 222K from the consensus of 220K. Although claims were lower than the prior reading of 232K, which was the highest level in eight months. Higher jobless claims indicate lower job opportunities or companies laying off employees or a mix of both. In April, the increase in Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) was also significantly lower than estimates.
Technical Analysis: EUR/USD rebounds after testing triangle breakout region
EUR/USD recovers after gradually declining towards the breakout region of the Symmetrical Triangle formation, which is around 1.0830. The near-term outlook of the major currency pair remains bullish as a breakout of a triangle formation results in heavy buying volume and wider ticks. The shared currency pair seems well-established above the 50-day and 200-day Exponential Moving Averages (EMAs), which trade around 1.0780 and 1.0788, respectively.
The 14-period Relative Strength Index (RSI) has shifted into the bullish range of 60.00-80.00, suggesting a strong upside move ahead. Going forward, EUR/USD is expected to extend its upside towards the psychological resistance of 1.1000.
Inflation FAQs
Inflation measures the rise in the price of a representative basket of goods and services. Headline inflation is usually expressed as a percentage change on a month-on-month (MoM) and year-on-year (YoY) basis. Core inflation excludes more volatile elements such as food and fuel which can fluctuate because of geopolitical and seasonal factors. Core inflation is the figure economists focus on and is the level targeted by central banks, which are mandated to keep inflation at a manageable level, usually around 2%.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the change in prices of a basket of goods and services over a period of time. It is usually expressed as a percentage change on a month-on-month (MoM) and year-on-year (YoY) basis. Core CPI is the figure targeted by central banks as it excludes volatile food and fuel inputs. When Core CPI rises above 2% it usually results in higher interest rates and vice versa when it falls below 2%. Since higher interest rates are positive for a currency, higher inflation usually results in a stronger currency. The opposite is true when inflation falls.
Although it may seem counter-intuitive, high inflation in a country pushes up the value of its currency and vice versa for lower inflation. This is because the central bank will normally raise interest rates to combat the higher inflation, which attract more global capital inflows from investors looking for a lucrative place to park their money.
Formerly, Gold was the asset investors turned to in times of high inflation because it preserved its value, and whilst investors will often still buy Gold for its safe-haven properties in times of extreme market turmoil, this is not the case most of the time. This is because when inflation is high, central banks will put up interest rates to combat it. Higher interest rates are negative for Gold because they increase the opportunity-cost of holding Gold vis-a-vis an interest-bearing asset or placing the money in a cash deposit account. On the flipside, lower inflation tends to be positive for Gold as it brings interest rates down, making the bright metal a more viable investment alternative.
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