All Eyes on Euro and the ECB This Week

FXOpen

Following the weak NFP report in the United States last Friday, the market moves to the key event of the week ahead – the European Central Bank (ECB) decision. The central bank already pre-committed to act in December, and most of the impact may already be priced in the market. However, it can still surprise the market, especially if we consider the strong Euro across the board.

All Eyes on Euro and the ECB This Week

Strong Euro Remains a Headache for the ECB

The EURUSD exchange rate reached 1.2175 ahead of the NFP report last Friday. By the time that it first reached 1.20 in the summer, the ECB verbally intervened, suggesting that the exchange rate level is too high. From that moment on, the EURUSD consolidated below 1.20, but the level eventually gave way.

At this point, the Euro rallies across the FX dashboard. Not only the EURUSD rate is higher, but the EURJPY or EURGBP too. This makes this week’s ECB decision even more interesting, as if it is to surprise markets, it may do so by delivering an ultra-dovish statement.

What Will the ECB Do?

The ECB already hinted that it would not lower the interest rate on the deposit facility more into the negative territory. It also vowed to ease more the financial conditions since most European economies are in some kind of lockdown mode.

While the decisions may already be priced in, the ECB may still surprise markets. One way of doing so is to extend the duration of policy support much more into the future than the market expects.

The ECB might also extend the Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP) by June 2022. While the extension is expected by the market participants, the focus will be on the actual size of the package – the higher the number, the stronger the impact on the Euro.

Finally, the ECB will likely use this press conference to deliver its concerns about the high exchange rate. If the central bank manages to surprise the markets, then the EURUSD should ease to 1.20 and below. On the other hand, any statement interpreted as less dovish should trigger a further rally in the EURUSD, especially considering that next week the Fed in the United States is expected to ease the policy too.

All in all, expect a lot of volatility on the Euro pairs this week, considering the ECB and the ongoing Brexit negotiations. Finally, the end of the year flows should have an impact on the exchange rate too.

This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.

Latest from Financial Market News

Weekly Market Wrap With Gary Thomson: NIKKEI-225, USD/JPY, GBP/USD, USD/CAD, Gold Weekly Market Wrap With Gary Thomson: S&P500, USD, SNB, TSLA A Yen For Volatility: US Dollar Surges as Japan Ends 8 Years of Negative Rates Weekly Market Wrap With Gary Thomson: US500, USD, US Inflation, USD/JPY Australian Dollar Volatility Ends in Lull Ahead Of US Data

Latest articles

Indices

Although UK-100 Index Is Near All-time Highs, UK Economy Slips into Recession

Technically, a national economic recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of contraction, and yesterday's Office for National Statistics data confirmed that this has happened — UK GDP fell in the third and fourth quarters of 2023 by 0.1% and

Cryptocurrencies

DOGE Price Increases by 170% in Less Than 2 Months

On February 1, 2024, the DOGE/USD rate was = 0.0783. On the last Friday of March, it rose to 0.2150. The rising price means Dogecoin is now the eighth-largest cryptocurrency in the world by market capitalization, overtaking Cardano

Commodities

Market Analysis: Gold Price and Crude Oil Price Gain Bullish Momentum

Gold price started a steady increase above the $2,200 resistance level. Crude oil prices are gaining bullish momentum and might rise toward $85.00.

Important Takeaways for Gold and Oil Prices Analysis Today

· Gold price started a decent increase

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 65.68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.