Euro shrugs as Spain’s inflation drops

It’s the last trading day of 2022, and EUR/USD is almost unchanged in what should be a quiet day in the currency markets. In the European session, EUR/USD is trading at 1.0674, up 0.13%.

Spain’s CPI drops below 6% 

The week between Christmas and New Year’s is usually very light on data, and there were no tier-1 events in Germany or the eurozone this week. Earlier today, Spain released the initial CPI estimate for December, which showed that inflation continues to weaken. CPI dropped to 5.8%, down from 6.8% and below the estimate of 6.0%. Inflation in Spain slowed for a fifth successive month, as energy costs keep coming down. Headline CPI is down sharply from a peak of 10.8% in July, but the news was not all positive, as core inflation rose to 6.9%, up from 6.3%.

The Spanish inflation report kicks off a host of eurozone inflation releases next week. Investors will be hoping that the German and eurozone CPI data will mimic the Spanish release and point to inflation heading lower. The ECB will be keeping a close eye on these inflation reports, and the data will be an important factor in the ECB’s decision as to the pace of future rate increases. The ECB delivered a 50-bp hike earlier this month, down from the 75-bp increase in October. ECB President Lagarde warned the markets not to view the move as a dovish pivot and said that more rate hikes were on the way. ECB Vice Vice-President Luis de Guindos reiterated Lagarde’s hawkishness last week, saying that 50-bp rate hikes “may become the norm in the near future.”

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EUR/USD Technical

• 1.0660 is a weak support line. Below, there is support at 1.0616
• There is resistance at 1.0702 and 1.0778

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