EUR/USD: Medium-Term Outlook Favours the Dollar
Throughout the past week, EUR/USD exhibited mixed dynamics, primarily driven by expectations concerning potential interest rate cuts by the US Federal Reserve (Fed) and the European Central Bank (ECB). Statements by officials from both central banks, as well as economic macro-statistics, either heightened or lowered these expectations.
The EUR/USD bullish rally commenced on 16 April from the 1.0600 mark, reaching a peak of 1.0811 on 3 May, after which growth stalled, starting the past week at 1.0762. On Monday, 6 May, statistics from the Eurozone provided some support to the common European currency. In April, the Services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose from 52.9 to 53.3, exceeding the forecast of 52.9. The Composite PMI, which includes the manufacturing sector and services, increased from 51.4 to 51.7. Germany’s Composite PMI also showed positive dynamics, rising from 50.5 to 50.6. Consequently, business activity in the Eurozone reached its highest level in almost a year. Moreover, retail sales in the region showed significant growth, rising from -0.5% to +0.7% year-on-year.
This news backdrop suggests potential inflation growth, which in theory could deter the ECB from initiating a monetary policy easing. However, ECB Chief Economist Philip Lane stated that the Executive Board of the bank has compelling arguments for a rate cut at the 6 June meeting. Another ECB representative, Lithuanian Central Bank head Gediminas Simkus, indicated that rate cuts should not be limited to June, suggesting it could happen thrice by the end of the year. However, while the likelihood of easing (QE) in June is near 100%, there is some uncertainty regarding further steps. ECB Vice President Luis de Guindos admitted that the regulator is cautiously forecasting any trends beyond June.
In addition to ECB officials’ statements supporting easing, statistics released on Tuesday, 7 May, also contributed. They showed that manufacturing orders in Germany, the locomotive of the European economy, decreased by 0.4% in March after a 0.8% decline in February. As a result, the EUR/USD pair’s growth halted, pulling back to 1.0723.
The pair made another attempt to break through the strong resistance zone of 1.0790-1.0800 on Thursday, 9 May, when US initial jobless claims data was unexpectedly reported at 231K, much worse than the expected 210K. This coincided with a widespread negative session for US yields along the curve. The situation worsened as the unemployment data confirmed concerning statistics released on 3 May. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), non-farm payrolls (NFP) rose by just 175K in April, significantly below the March figure of 315K and market expectations of 238K. The employment report also showed an increase in unemployment from 3.8% to 3.9%.
Besides combating inflation, the Fed’s other declared main goal is maximum employment. “If inflation remains stable and the labor market strong, it would be appropriate to delay rate cuts,” stated Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Now, the strength of the labour market is in question. However, the Fed is likely to focus on fighting inflation, which is still far from the 2.0% target.
A key inflation indicator tracked by the Fed, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index, rose from 2.5% to 2.7% in March. However, the ISM Manufacturing PMI fell below the key 50.0 mark, dropping from 50.3 to 49.2 points. Remember, a level of 50.0 separates economic growth from contraction. In such a situation, raising the interest rate is inadvisable, but lowering it is also not an option. This is exactly what the FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) of the Fed did. At its meeting on Wednesday, 1 May, its members unanimously left the rate unchanged at 5.50%. This is the highest rate in 23 years, and the US central bank has kept it unchanged for six consecutive meetings.
The main scenario foresees the Fed beginning to review the rate towards a decrease no earlier than autumn, likely in September, with another cut by year-end. However, if US inflation does not decline or, worse, continues to rise, the regulator may abandon monetary policy easing until early 2025. Thus, considering the above, many analysts believe the medium-term advantage remains with the dollar, and EUR/USD is still attractive for sales with a horizon of several months.
The final point of the week for EUR/USD was at 1.0770, making the weekly result almost zero. Regarding the forecast for the near term, as of the evening of 10 May, it is maximally neutral: 50% expect dollar strengthening, and 50% expect its weakening. Trend indicators on D1 are equally divided: half are on the side of the reds, and half are on the side of…