EUR/USD has posted losses in the Wednesday session, continuing the downward trend we saw on Tuesday. Currently, the pair is trading at 1.1803, down 0.31% on the day. On the release front, German and eurozone CPI releases matched their estimates. ECB President Mario Draghi will speak at an ECB event in Frankfurt. In the U.S, Housing Starts and Building Permits are expected to remain unchanged, at 1.32 million and 1.35 million, respectively. On Thursday, the U.S releases Philly Fed Manufacturing Index and unemployment claims.
German Final CPI continues to lose ground. The indicator dropped to 0.0%, marking a 3-month low. Eurozone Final CPI edged lower to 1.2%, down from 1.3% a month earlier. Eurozone Final Core CPI followed a similar trend, dropping from 1.0% to 0.7%. If inflation levels continue to soften, the ECB will have to consider extending its stimulus scheme, which is scheduled to run until September. Germany will release additional inflation numbers on Friday.
First-quarter eurozone and German GDP data were within expectations, but investors should not become too sanguine, as the numbers pointed to a slowdown in the eurozone economy. Both Germany and the eurozone posted gains of 0.6% in the fourth quarter of 2017. Will economic conditions improve in Q2? Institutional analysts don’t seem optimistic, according to the well-respected ZEW Economic Sentiment surveys. The German indicator posted a sharp drop of -8.2 for a second straight month – the first declines since July 2016. The eurozone release improved to 2.4, but low reading certainly doesn’t show much optimism. The markets are bracing for more soft numbers on Wednesday, as Germany and eurozone release CPI reports. If these indicators miss their estimates, the euro could lose ground.
