- Euro (EUR) attempts recovery after steep risk off sell off in the previous session
- Eurozone industrial production expected to -20% mom in April
- Safe haven US Dollar (USD) buoyed by fears of a second wave
- At 07:15 UTC, Euro to US Dollar (EUR/USD) is trading +0.1% at US$1.1310
The Euro is edging higher versus the US Dollar, after sliding 0.6% in the previous session. The Euro US Dollar exchange rate settled on Thursday at US$1.1299 just holding onto gains for the week.
At 07:15 UTC, EUR/USD is +0.1% at €1.1310 ahead of eurozone industrial production data and US consumer confidence figures.
The Euro came under pressure in the previous session as risk aversion dominated the financial market. A gloomy outlook from the Federal Reserve, in addition to fears of a second wave of coronavirus saw investors sell out of riskier assets and currencies and increase flows into safe havens, such as the US Dollar.
The Feds cautious outlook, gloomy forecasts and prediction of a long road to recovery dashed any hopes of a quick V-shaped recovery for the global economy. Furthermore, the number of coronavirus cases are growing the US after dropping for 5 weeks, raising fears that a second wave of coronavirus could be coming. Cases are on the rise in two dozen US states including Texas, Florida and California. Whilst local officials warn of another lockdown, US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said there will not be a second stay at home order given the economic damage that it is expected to cause.
Eurozone domestic data has been sparce in the latter part of this week. Today investors will look ahead to Eurozone industrial production for April. Analysts are expecting output to dive -20% month on month in April, well down from -11.5% in March, reflecting a full month of lockdown. On an annual basis industrial production is expected to fall -29.5%, down from -12.9%. Whilst these would be record breaking bad numbers, they are also expected to represent a nadir.
In the US, attention will turn to consumer confidence data later today, for further clues as to whether US households feel ready to shop. Analysts are expecting a very slight tick higher to 75 in June, up from 72.3 in May. This could disappoint investors who are looking for a more pronounced recovery.
