Week In FX Europe – Purchasing Euro Assets Supports EUR

Both forex volume and volatility have taken a massive hit since the onslaught of low interest rate policies by G7 central banks. What the FX market needs, and has been looking for, is a divergence in monetary policy. Are capital markets finally on the route to getting their wishes granted?

In translation the ECB’s policy action this week means that over the next 12-18 months there will be some divergent monetary policy between the Euro-zone, the US and the UK. However, this knock on effect from the ECB’s perspective will take time.

Yesterday, the ECB were more dovish that expected, pledging to thrown their whole tool kit to ward off both deflation and tepid regional growth. The EUR’s initial negative response towards January’s low (€1.3473) looked promising, which suggested that the market was buying into the surprisingly more dovish comments from Draghi. Nevertheless, what transpired by day’s end, with the EUR ending the day trading at a weekly high at the time (€1.3670), caught many EUR bears and speculators off guard. In reality, cuts to the refinancing and deposit rates were already priced in – the Euribor and the Eonia curve were unchanged.

So why is the EUR not suffering? The ECB measures taken on Thursday are very supportive for European financial assets like equities and peripheral bonds, so yesterday’s ECB action is stimulating further portfolio investments in to the Euro region, and it’s this that would obviously bid up the EUR itself. Friday morning’s non-farm payroll number was always going to be a coin toss outcome. Any negative surprises (sub +200k print) and the EUR would have garnered immediate support. A strong headline print (along the line of last months +288k – actual +217k) would keep the Fed on track and aid the ECB’s best intentions. However, anything in the middle (and that what has occurred) and the market will find it difficult justifying full engagement.

The markets specs went into NFP long USD, short EUR’s on the crosses and against EM currencies. No surprises either way will have pre-weekend short-EUR covering becoming the order of the day. The bullish reversal in the EUR suggests the path of least resistance is likely higher toward €1.3775-1.38.

Keeping with the rate theme, next week’s UK labor report could causes some worries and possibly push back expectations for the timing of the first BoE rate hike. In particular, average earnings could fall to +1% y/y, or lower. With CPI inflation still around 1¾% – this undermines the recent theme that real living standards have started to recover. Any indication of a lower than expected UK wage inflation would reassure the MPC that there is sufficient slack to hold back from hiking bank rate at least until early 2015, and maybe even longer. This will have the fixed income dealers again pricing their curves and rate differentials will again narrow somewhat.

• UK Poll Shows Interest Rate Hike Expected in 12 Months – MarketPulse
• IMF Warns UK About High House Prices – MarketPulse
• El-Erian Says ECB Is Trying a Packaged Approach – MarketPulse
• UK House Prices Rise 4% In May – MarketPulse
• UK Car Sales Hit 10 Year High – MarketPulse
• BoE Holds Rates at 0.5 Percent – MarketPulse
• EUR USD Drops After ECB Negative Deposit Rate – MarketPulse
• G7 Warn Russia Do Not Agree on New Round of Sanctions – MarketPulse
• ECB Introduces Negative Deposit Rates – MarketPulse
• New BoE Appointees Will Strengthen Carney – MarketPulse
• German Private Sector Expands in May – MarketPulse
• Merkel Asks France About Lagarde’s Availability to Head EC – MarketPulse
• UK Services Expand in May Beating Expectations – MarketPulse
• EU Business Activity Slows Down ECB Under Pressure – MarketPulse
• European Commission Warns UK About Housing Bubble – MarketPulse
• UK House Prices Reach Record High – MarketPulse
• Portugal Turns to Tax Hike After Austerity Voted Down – MarketPulse
• EU Canada Deal Negotiations Falter – MarketPulse
• Spain to Launch 6.3 Billion EUR Stimulus Package – MarketPulse

Content is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc. or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. If you would like to reproduce or redistribute any of the content found on MarketPulse, an award winning forex, commodities and global indices analysis and news site service produced by OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc., please access the RSS feed or contact us at info@marketpulse.com. Visit https://www.marketpulse.com/ to find out more about the beat of the global markets. © 2023 OANDA Business Information & Services Inc.