EUR/USD looked listless for most of last week and this trend has continued, as the pair trades quietly in the mid-1.26 range. German Ifo Business Climate continues to lose ground and dropped to 103.2 points. On Sunday, the ECB released the results of its stress tests of European banks and the results were considered positive overall. In the US, today’s highlight is Pending Home Sales. The markets are expecting a strong improvement, with an estimate of 1.1%.
German Ifo Business Climate continues to weaken, as the indicator dipped to 103.2 points in September. This was short of the estimate of 104.6 points and marks the sixth straight release that the indicator has lost ground. German GDP contracted in Q2, and another contraction in Q3 would indicate a recession in the Eurozone’s largest economy. German growth has been hurt as exports have been hit by EU sanctions against Russia, weak Eurozone demand and slower growth in China, Germany’s third largest trading partner.
On Sunday, the ECB released the results of its stress tests of European banks. The exercise marked a comprehensive and rigorous review of the health of 130 European banks. No German or French banks failed the test, but the third largest Italian lender, Banca Monte Paschi, posted a capital shortfall and will have to explain to the ECB how its plans to eliminate the shortfall. The ECB is trying to restore confidence in the European banking sector and encourage more borrowing and spending on the part of consumers and businesses.
In the US, last week’s jobless numbers were softer than expected. Unemployment Claims rose to 284 thousand, much higher than the previous reading of 264 thousand, and above the estimate of 269 thousand. However, the markets were not too concerned, as the four-week average, which is less volatile than the weekly release, dipped to 281,000, a 14-year low. Meanwhile, weak inflation levels continue to point to slack in the economy. On Wednesday, this trend continued with soft consumer inflation numbers. CPI and Core CPI both posted small gains of 0.1%.
EUR/USD 1.2681 H: 1.2714 L: 1.2666
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