- Euro (EUR) advances for 2nd session
- ECB confident on outlook but could talk down the Euro
- US Dollar looks to jobless claims data
The Euro US Dollar exchange rate is rebounding higher for a second straight day, after 6 days of declines. The pair settled on Wednesday +0.2% at US$1.1802, recovering from a low of US$1.1750. At 07:30 UUTC, EUR/USD trades +0.2% at US$1.1825, towards the upper end of the daily traded range.
The Euro rebounded in the previous session after it was reported yesterday that the ECB were confident in the outlook for the bloc’s recovery. The comments come ahead of the central bank’s monetary policy decision today.
The ECB will announce the interest rate decision at 11:45 GMT followed by a news conference from ECB President Christine Lagarde. The central bank is not expected to change monetary policy at this meeting so the focus will be on the new economic projections and comments from Christine Lagarde.
The big question is whether Christine Lagarde will build on Chief Economist Philp Lane’s concerns over the strength of the Euro. Will the ECB President try to talk down the value of the Euro in light of how important the export sector is to the bloc. Under these circumstances the Euro could fall following the meeting.
The US Dollar is trading on the back foot, being driven mainly by Euro gains. The risk on climate in the broader financial market is also weighing on the greenback.
Looking ahead, investor attention will turn to the US labour market. Investors will be scanning the data for signs that the US labour market recovery remains on track. Initial claims are expected to slip slightly lower to 846k, down from 881k. The would represent a slow recovery but at least it still represents a recovery.
US producer price data, which measures inflation at wholesale level will also be in focus. Expectations are for PPI to improve slightly to -0.3% month on month up from -0.4%.
