EUR/USD is slightly lower on Friday. In the European session, EUR/USD is trading at 1.0883, down 0.21%. The euro continues to look sharp and is poised to record its fifth winning week in a row. Eurozone headline inflation fell sharply, but the core rate ticked higher. In the US, the Core PCE Price Index was within expectations.
Eurozone CPI falls to 6.9%
ECB policy makers must be pinching themselves today, after eurozone headline inflation tumbled to 6.9% in March, down from 8.5% in February and below the 7.1% estimate. The massive drop was driven by the sharp decline in energy prices. Inflation hasn’t been below 7% since February 2022, but the news was not all good, as March core inflation accelerated to a record 7.5%, up from 7.4% in February. Core inflation is seen as a more accurate gauge of inflation trends, which could spell trouble for the ECB in its battle to contain inflation.
The ECB didn’t flinch from hiking rates by 50 basis points earlier in the month, even though it was in the midst of the banking crisis. With core inflation remaining stubbornly high, the central bank will have to remain aggressive with its rate path. ECB President Lagarde has suggested that the banking crisis, which shook the financial markets, could dampen demand and lower inflation, but so far, that hasn’t been the case with core inflation.
Core Price PCE softens to 0.3%
What can we expect from the Federal Reserve? Market pricing has been on a roller-coaster. It was only a few weeks ago that Jerome Powell’s hawkish testimony on the Hill had the markets expecting a 50-basis point hike, but the banking crisis squelched any thoughts of an oversize hike. The likelihood of a 25-bp hike is currently at 57% and a pause at 43%, according to the CME Group. The core PCE price index dropped to 0.3% m/m in February, vs. 0.5% in January and the estimate of 0.4%. On an annualized basis, the index ticked lower to 4.6%, in February, vs. 4.7% in January, which was also the estimate. This is within expectations and thus unlikely to have any impact on the Fed rate decision. EUR/USD showed little reaction to the release.
EUR/USD Technical
- EUR/USD faces resistance at 1.0916, followed by 1.1072
- There is support at 1.0774 and 1.0618
